The short answer
Breathing exercises can help people with lung conditions feel less breathless and more in control. They improve quality of life in asthma, ease breathlessness and help clear phlegm in COPD and bronchiectasis, and are used in long COVID and breathing pattern disorder. They work alongside your inhalers and pulmonary rehabilitation, never instead of them.
On this page
How strong is the evidence for each condition?
Breathing exercises are a standard part of NHS care for many lung conditions, usually taught by respiratory physiotherapists. Here is how strong the evidence is for each, using our four grades.
| Condition | Grade | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Asthma | Moderate | A Cochrane review of 22 studies and a UK trial of 655 people found breathing retraining improves quality of life. It doesn’t change lung function. |
| COPD | Moderate | Breathing exercises improved walking distance in a Cochrane review. Pulmonary rehabilitation, which includes them, has strong evidence. |
| Bronchiectasis and clearing phlegm | Moderate | The active cycle of breathing clears more phlegm in the short term than most alternatives, and UK guidelines recommend airway clearance. |
| Long COVID breathlessness | Weak | One good UK trial of 150 people found an online breathing programme eased breathlessness and improved mental wellbeing. |
| Breathing pattern disorder | Weak | Breathing retraining is the usual treatment, but a Cochrane review found only one small, poorly reported trial. |
What breathing exercises do in lung conditions
Breathing exercises can’t repair damaged airways or lungs, and they rarely change lung function tests. What they do is help you breathe more efficiently with the lungs you have: slowing your breathing so you empty your lungs better, saving energy during everyday activities, clearing phlegm with less effort and breaking the cycle of breathlessness and panic. For many people, that makes a real difference to daily life.
Which techniques are used for what
- Breathlessness: breathing control, pursed-lip breathing, blow as you go, paced breathing and positions that ease breathlessness.
- Phlegm: the active cycle of breathing.
- Asthma symptoms: breathing retraining and Buteyko breathing.
- Weak breathing muscles: inspiratory muscle training, usually with a physiotherapist.
Getting the right help
If you have a lung condition and breathlessness is limiting your life, ask your GP or nurse about seeing a respiratory physiotherapist. If you have COPD and are breathless walking on the flat, ask to be referred to pulmonary rehabilitation: it is one of the most effective treatments available. And if you’re breathless and don’t know why, get it checked first. See breathlessness: when to get help.
In this section
- Breathing exercises for asthma: what helps and what trials show
Which breathing exercises help asthma, how much they improve symptoms and quality of life, what they don't do, and how to learn them on the NHS.
Moderate - Breathing exercises for COPD: techniques that ease breathlessness
The breathing techniques used in NHS pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD, how they ease breathlessness and clear phlegm, and what the Cochrane reviews show.
Moderate - Breathing exercises for long COVID breathlessness
How breathing exercises can help breathlessness after COVID-19, what the UK ENO Breathe trial found, how to pace yourself, and when to get checked.
Weak - Breathing pattern disorder: symptoms and breathing retraining
What breathing pattern disorder (dysfunctional breathing) is, the symptoms, how common it is, and how breathing retraining with a physiotherapist can help.
Weak - Breathlessness: when to get help and when to call 999
When shortness of breath is an emergency, when to call NHS 111 or see a GP, common causes, and when breathing exercises can and can't help.
Common questions
Can breathing exercises improve lung function?
Mostly not. In trials in asthma and COPD, breathing exercises improved symptoms, quality of life and how far people could walk, but lung function tests such as FEV1 usually didn't change. They help you use the lungs you have more efficiently.
Who can teach me breathing exercises for a lung condition?
A respiratory physiotherapist. Ask your GP, practice nurse or hospital team for a referral. If you have COPD, pulmonary rehabilitation includes breathing techniques along with exercise and education.
Should I do breathing exercises during a flare-up or asthma attack?
Use your medicines first, as your action plan says. Techniques such as pursed-lip breathing and leaning-forward positions can help you stay calm while your medicines work. If you are getting worse or your reliever isn't helping, call 999.
References
- Santino TA et al. Breathing exercises for adults with asthma. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2020.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Holland AE et al. Breathing exercises for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- McCarthy B et al. Pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Lewis LK et al. The active cycle of breathing technique: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Respiratory Medicine, 2012.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Philip KEJ et al. An online breathing and wellbeing programme (ENO Breathe) for people with persistent symptoms following COVID-19: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2022.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
First published 4 November 2026. Next review due November 2027. Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll correct it. Read our editorial policy.