Andrew Huberman’s ‘Physiological Sigh’ Hack Shuts Off Your Stress Response In Seconds
The Stanford neuroscientist’s soothing technique is free and easy to do anywhere
Key Takeaways
- Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman says an easy sighing hack kills stress instantly.
- In moments of crisis, a “physiological sigh” can shift the body into a relaxed state.
- Practiced daily, it can rewire your body to be less reactive to stress and anxiety.
If you’ve ever wished your anxiety had an off switch, try this: Inhale deeply, sneak in one more quick inhale then let your breath out with a long ahhhhh. You’ve just performed a basic version of a well-studied technique called the physiological sigh, sometimes called cyclic sighing. It’s a breathing pattern that animals and humans do by reflex, but doing it on purpose is powerful. “Physiological sighs are, to my knowledge, the fastest and most effective way there is to deliberately calm yourself down,” says Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, PhD, in his new book Protocols: An Operating Manual for the Human Body.
Huberman helped popularize the exercise (which we’ll walk you through in more detail below), but he’s not the only one singing its praises. “I have seen this particularly help women over age 50 who struggle with sleep,” shares Lienna Wilson, PsyD, founder of Vagus Vitality. “My clients most commonly report that they feel calmer right away, with fewer racing thoughts and less tightness in the chest. Over a few weeks of regular practice, many also notice they recover from stressful moments faster.” How can you use the sighing hack to get results like these? Keep reading to find out.
Why physiological sighs soothe your body in seconds
“The physiological sigh is a pattern of breathing that we all engage in during deep sleep when levels of carbon dioxide in our bloodstream get too high,” Huberman explained during an appearance on The Tim Ferriss Show. There are four key benefits to mimicking this reflex when you’re stressed:
You’re basically oxygen-maxxing
Big, deep breaths inflate more of the tiny air sacs in our lungs, which means “more oxygen passes into your bloodstream to get delivered to your organs, including your brain,” Huberman explains in Protocols. We often breathe too shallowly when anxiety hits, which can make muscles tense and signal an emergency to the brain. Adequate oxygen helps the body relax. It also soothes the prefrontal cortex, an oxygen hungry part of the brain responsible for rational thinking and emotional regulation.
You calm your heart
The technique is called a sigh because releasing your breath is so crucial to stress reduction. “Inhales speed the heart up,” Huberman noted to Tim Ferris. “When you exhale, the opposite is true. Anytime you emphasize exhales, making them longer than your inhales, you are slowing the heart rate down. You’re calming your system.”
You activate your ‘anxiety off’ switch
Huberman says exhales also activate the vagus nerve, a pathway in your parasympathetic nervous system that runs directly through your diaphragm. The vagus nerve is the main line of communication between your brain and your major organs, and it’s the “switch” that determines if we’re on high alert or relaxed. A long slow exhale stimulates the vagus in a way that further slows heart rate and shifts you into a state of ease.
You redirect a racing mind
“This technique has a psychological component,” adds Wilson. “Anxiety often feels out of control, and this particular skill gives us something concrete we can do to help reduce anxiety.”
How to use the physiological sigh when you’re spiraling
When life hits the fan, you want to go through these steps:
- Step 1: Inhale very deeply. You can do it through your mouth, but it works best to breathe in through your nose, according to Huberman.
- Step 2: Take another short, sharp inhale to “sneak in” a little bit more air and really inflate the tiny air sacs in the lungs.
- Step 3: Release the breath through your mouth with an extended sigh. Repeat this sequence one to three times.
“Do it before public speaking or a hard conversation. Do it when you’re stuck in traffic or late to an important meeting and starting to feel your tension level rise,” Huberman suggests in Protocols. “Do it to stop yourself from overreacting to an offhand comment.” Can he guarantee you’ll fully eliminate anxiety in every circumstance? No. “But it will put you in a better frame of body and mind.” And it takes mere seconds to complete. Adds certified breath coach Charlotte Marsh: “You are always carrying around everything you need to perform this technique, so it’s perfect for ‘emergency use.’”
How to use cyclic sighing to become a calmer person
Huberman was part of a Cell Reports Medicine study that had a group of participants practice physiological sighing for five minutes a day. They called it “cyclic physiological sighing,” and the results were impressive. Folks saw significant improvements in mood—much more so than with a form of meditation that was also tested. “And the benefit of cyclic sighing grew the more consistently people practiced,” notes Wilson. “Participants’ everyday breathing rate also slowed, which suggests their bodies were settling into a calmer baseline.” Translation: When you make physiological sighing a daily habit, you may become less prone to stress and anxiety—and even when life throws you a curveball, you’ll be able to handle it better.
When should you do it? “Many of my clients like doing it in the evening to wind down before bed, or first thing in the morning to start the day calmer,” shares Wilson. “Daily practice will also make physiological sighing an automatic skill.” So you can use it in a crisis without having to think much about it.
The bottom line on physiological sighs for stress relief
“There’s no app to download, no class to take and no large time investment,” says Wilson. One practical caution: If you feel lightheaded, you should slow down. “Additionally, anyone with a lung or heart condition should check with their doctor before beginning breathing exercises.” That said, “it’s gentle enough for almost anyone.”
And the benefits cannot be understated. Use the sighing technique in a tense moment, and it “will caaaaalm youuuu dooooown,” writes Huberman in Protocols. And growing evidence suggests that doing physiological sighs on a regular basis “can help buffer you against future stress.” That makes us sigh with delight!
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