The DOI matches its Crossref record; 114 of the 116 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Effects of Diaphragmatic Breathing on Health: A Narrative Review
Open accessAbstract
Background: Breathing is an essential part of life. Diaphragmatic breathing (DB) is slow and deep breathing that affects the brain and the cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems through the modulation of autonomic nervous functions. However, the effects of DB on human health need to be further investigated. Methods: The author conducted a PubMed search regarding the current evidence of the effect of DB on health. Results: This review consists of a total of 10 systematic reviews and 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). DB appears to be effective for improving the exercise capacity and respiratory function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although the effect of DB on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with asthma needs to be investigated, it may also help in reducing stress; treating eating disorders, chronic functional constipation, hypertension, migraine, and anxiety; and improving the QoL of patients with cancer and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the cardiorespiratory fitness of patients with heart failure. Conclusions: Based on this narrative review, the exact usefulness of DB in clinical practice is unclear due to the poor quality of studies. However, it may be a feasible and practical treatment method for various disorders.
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“Systematic reviews and meta-analyses demonstrate that evening exposure to bright or blue-enriched light suppresses melatonin production, delays sleep onset, and reduces overall sleep efficiency by signaling the brain to remain alert, whereas warm, dim lighting and blue-light filters on electronic devices during evening hours minimized circadian disruption [49].”
From Pre-Sleep Anxiety: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches in Clinical Practice. (2026) · cites this paper as [49]
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Cites
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“This physiological action is reversed in expiration [103].”
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Ma, X., Yue, Z.-Q., Gong, Z.-Q., Zhang, H., Duan, N.-Y., Shi, Y.-T., Wei, G.-X., & Li, Y.-F. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00874 · Cited by 509
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“DB that controlled RR at six breaths/min reduces the chemoreflex response to hypoxia and hypercapnia compared with normal breathing [104].”
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Mitsea, E., Drigas, A. S., & Skianis, C. (2022) · Technium Social Sciences Journal · doi:10.47577/tssj.v29i1.6145 · Cited by 176
Breathing: a Powerfull Tool for Physical & Neuropsychological Regulation. The role of Mobile Apps
Drigas, A. S., & Mitsea, E. (2022) · Technium Social Sciences Journal · doi:10.47577/tssj.v28i1.5922 · Cited by 125
Slow breathing for reducing stress: The effect of extending exhale
Birdee, G. S., Nelson, K., Wallston, K., Nian, H., Diedrich, A., Paranjape, S. Y., Abraham, R. L., & Gamboa, A. C. (2023) · Complementary Therapies in Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102937 · Cited by 68
Breath Tools: A Synthesis of Evidence-Based Breathing Strategies to Enhance Human Running
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“…diaphragmatic breathing is correlated with various positive health benefits, including reduced resting heart rate, post-exercise oxidative stress, increased postural control, and baroreflex sensitivity (Hazlett-Stevens and Craske, 2009; Martarelli et al., 2011; Nelson, 2012; Hamasaki, 2020).”
BackgroundInfluentialNeuromodulation Applied to Diseases: The Case of HRV Biofeedback
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“Muscle tension in the abdominal area, pelvis, and lower back tends to restrict movement of the diaphragm, thus requiring the use of the accessory muscles of the chest and shoulders for breathing [69].”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Hamasaki, H.
- Affiliations
- Hamasaki Clinic, 2-21-4 Nishida, Kagoshima, Kagoshima 890-0046, Japan
- Corresponding author
- Hamasaki, Hidetaka
- ORCID
- Hamasaki, Hidetaka
- Venue
- Medicines
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2020-10-15
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 65
- ISSN
- 2305-6320 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7602530
- OpenAlex
- W3093114155
- Cited by
- 173
- References
- 116
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 4
- FWCI
- 2.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Medicines (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine › Respiratory and Cough-Related Research
- Keywords
- diaphragmatic breathing, slow deep breathing, autonomic nervous system modulation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, stress reduction, eating disorders, chronic functional constipation, hypertension, migraine, anxiety, cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease, heart failure, cardiorespiratory fitness, quality of life, respiratory function
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