Who should take care with breathing exercises

The short answer

Gentle, slow breathing exercises are safe for almost everyone. Take care with fast breathing and long breath-holds if you are pregnant or have epilepsy, a heart condition, high blood pressure that isn't controlled, a lung condition, panic attacks or a history of fainting. If you have a long-term condition, check with your GP, nurse or physiotherapist first.

On this page

At a glance
Pregnancy
Epilepsy
Heart conditions and high blood pressure
Lung conditions
Anxiety, panic and trauma
Children
Common questions
References

At a glance

If you	Avoid	Usually fine
Are pregnant	Long breath-holds, fast breathing methods, lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes in later pregnancy	Slow, gentle breathing, sitting or lying on your side
Have epilepsy	Fast or deep breathing, Wim Hof breathing, long holds	Slow, soft breathing with no holds
Have a heart condition or uncontrolled high blood pressure	Long breath-holds, straining while holding your breath, fast breathing methods	Slow breathing, resonance breathing
Have asthma or COPD	Breath-holds when you are breathless; cutting down medicines	Breathing control, pursed-lip breathing, positions, as taught by a physiotherapist
Get panic attacks	Fast breathing; exercises that make you feel worse	Gentle slow breathing with a long out-breath
Faint easily or have low blood pressure	Practising standing up; long holds	Slow breathing sitting or lying, getting up slowly
Have had recent chest, ear or eye surgery, a collapsed lung or a burst eardrum	Inspiratory muscle training, forceful breathing	Gentle breathing, as advised by your team

Pregnancy

Slow, gentle breathing is safe in pregnancy and is widely taught to help with labour. Leave out long breath-holds and fast breathing methods. In later pregnancy, the NHS advises avoiding activities that involve lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes, because it can make you dizzy and isn’t good for your baby, so practise sitting up or lying on your side.

Epilepsy

Over-breathing can bring on seizures in some people with epilepsy. During an EEG test, doctors ask people to breathe deeply for a few minutes for exactly this reason. In childhood absence epilepsy, it produces seizure activity on the EEG in more than 90% of children and often brings on an absence seizure within 90 seconds. In a study of 97 people with hard-to-treat focal epilepsy, it triggered a seizure in about a quarter. Avoid fast or deep breathing exercises. Slow, gentle breathing with soft breaths doesn’t over-breathe and is generally considered safe, but check with your epilepsy team if you are unsure.

Heart conditions and high blood pressure

Holding your breath while straining, as when lifting something heavy, sharply raises blood pressure. Long breath-holds and fast breathing also put stress on the heart. Slow breathing is usually fine and may lower blood pressure a little. If you have heart failure, angina, a heart rhythm problem or uncontrolled high blood pressure, ask your GP or cardiac team before starting inspiratory muscle training or any method with breath-holds.

Lung conditions

People with asthma, COPD and other lung conditions often benefit most from breathing exercises, but they are best taught by a respiratory physiotherapist. Not every technique suits everyone: in a small study of people with severe COPD, diaphragmatic breathing made breathing less efficient. Never use breath-holds when you are breathless, and never cut down your inhalers or other medicines without your GP or nurse. See breathing exercises for asthma and COPD.

Anxiety, panic and trauma

Fast breathing can trigger panic, and for some people simply paying attention to their breathing increases anxiety at first. Choose a gentle exercise, keep your eyes open if that feels safer, and stop if you feel worse. Long, intense breathwork sessions, sometimes called conscious connected or holotropic breathwork, involve extended fast breathing and can bring up strong emotions. If you have a history of trauma, psychosis, bipolar disorder or other serious mental health conditions, talk to your doctor before trying them.

Children

Simple exercises such as humming breath and slow breathing with a long out-breath are fine for children. Avoid breath-holding games and fast breathing, and never in water. See breath-holding and water.

Keep reading

Dizziness and tingling during breathing exercises: what to do
Why breathing exercises can make you dizzy, light-headed or tingly, what to do straight away, how to prevent it, and when it is a sign of something else.
Breath-holding and water: why over-breathing can drown you
Why over-breathing before going under water can cause a blackout without warning, who is at risk, and the simple rules that keep you safe.

Common questions

Can breathing exercises trigger a seizure?

Over-breathing can, in some people with epilepsy. Doctors use a few minutes of deep breathing during an EEG test to bring on seizure activity, and it triggers absence seizures in most children with childhood absence epilepsy. Slow, gentle breathing doesn't carry this risk.

Are breathing exercises safe with a heart condition?

Slow, gentle breathing is usually fine and may help. Avoid long breath-holds, straining while holding your breath, and fast breathing methods. If you have heart failure, angina or a heart rhythm problem, ask your GP or cardiac team before starting anything new.

Can breathing exercises make anxiety worse?

For some people, focusing on breathing makes them more aware of their body and more anxious, and fast breathing can trigger panic. Choose a gentle exercise, keep your eyes open, and stop if you feel worse.

References

First published 4 November 2026. Next review due November 2027. Spotted an error? Tell us and we'll correct it. Read our editorial policy.