Shaheen Bhatt shares physiological sigh breathing trick to calm anxiety

Mental health advocate Shaheen Bhatt has highlighted a breathing technique called the physiological sigh that may help manage moments of stress, overwhelm and anxiety. She shared the method on Instagram, describing the feeling of having '47 tabs' open in the brain, and suggested that starting with the body can sometimes be more useful than reasoning with an overwhelmed mind. 'The idea is to do this about 4 or 5 times, multiple times across the day if you need to, to help calm and regulate your nervous system,' she said.

The physiological sigh involves two inhalations followed by a long, slow exhalation. The first breath is taken through the nose, followed by a second, smaller inhale to expand the lungs further, and then a slow exhale through the mouth. The technique, popularised by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, is similar to a natural sigh. Stanford Medicine has studied a related practice called cyclic sighing, which involves a deep breath through the nose, a second deeper breath, and a slow exhale through the mouth.

A randomised controlled study involving 111 healthy volunteers found that five minutes of daily controlled breathing over one month improved mood and reduced physiological arousal. Cyclic sighing produced particularly strong improvements in positive mood and reduced resting breathing rate. Bhatt suggested repeating the cycle four or five times, multiple times a day if needed. Persistent anxiety or panic attacks should be addressed with professional medical or mental health support, as breathing exercises complement care but do not replace treatment.