A month-long remote randomized controlled trial compared three daily five-minute breathwork exercises—cyclic sighing (prolonged exhalations), box breathing (equal inhale, hold, exhale), and cyclic hyperventilation with retention (longer inhales, shorter exhales)—against mindfulness meditation. Cyclic sighing produced greater improvements in mood and greater reductions in respiratory rate than mindfulness meditation. The findings suggest that brief, exhale-focused breathwork may be an effective stress management tool.
A randomized non-inferiority trial compared Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), a breathing-based group program, with individual cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 85 veterans (mean age 56.9, 61% white, 75 men). At 6 weeks, PTSD symptoms (measured by the PCL-C) decreased by 5.6 points with SKY and 6.8 points with CPT. The difference of -1.2 points fell within the prespecified non-inferiority margin of 10 points, indicating SKY was not inferior to CPT. SKY remained non-inferior at 1-month and 1-year follow-ups for PTSD symptoms, but was inferior to CPT on depression and affect measures at 1 year. Dropout rates were similar (27% SKY, 34% CPT). The authors suggest SKY merits further consideration as a PTSD treatment.