The Physiological Sigh
You've Been Rocking It Since Birth
Even if this is the first time you've heard of the physiological sigh (or, the cyclic sigh) it's something you've done your whole life — automatically. Your body does it while sleeping, and you've likely seen a crying kid calm down by doing it.
Relieve Stress & Anxiety + Lower Your Heart Rate
By applying the physiological sigh consciously, you can quickly calm yourself down in a stressful situation, without anyone around you knowing that you're doing it.
How To Do the Physiological Sigh
- Inhale deeply (through the nose if possible)
- Take another quick inhale on top
- Exhale slowly through the mouth
Repeating this process just a few times should be enough to calm you down in a stressful situation.
The Science
[...] breathwork, especially the exhale-focused cyclic sighing, produces greater improvement in mood (p < 0.05) and reduction in respiratory rate (p < 0.05) compared with mindfulness meditation. Daily 5-min cyclic sighing has promise as an effective stress management exercise.
Emphasis mine. Source study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36630953/
Background
The physiological sigh has been known since the 1930s, but its recent popularity in practical use can certainly be credited in part to Dr. Andrew Huberman (Huberman Lab Podcast), professor at Stanford University.
In this short clip (2min45sec) Dr. Huberman explains how the technique works, how to apply it, and how your lungs have millions of tiny sacks that if laid out would be as large as a tennis court!
Go Deeper
If you want more in-depth info about the technique and its scientific background, this is another great clip (11min06sec):