How Breathing Impacts Our Cognitive Performance and Well-Being – And How We Can Consciously Shape It

How We Breathe Matters

Breathing is the most important activity we engage in throughout our lives. Not only does it keep us alive, but it also significantly influences the quality of our life experience. Our perception of ourselves and the world around us, our energy level, emotional and mental states are directly connected to the quality of our breath.

Our inner state influences our breathing, and at the same time, how we breathe can influence our inner state. This bidirectional relationship means that by consciously modulating our breath, we can claim agency over our inner state, how we experience and interact with life.

Our inner state influences our breathing, and at the same time, how we breathe can influence our inner state.

The Consequences of Dysfunctional Breathing

Most of us unknowingly engage in poor breathing patterns. Up to 80% are "chest breathers," typically using only about 10-20% of our lung capacity. This means that we are not fully utilizing the potential of our respiratory system, which can lead to reduced oxygen intake and efficiency.

Shallow breathing has a detrimental impact on our physical health, cognitive performance, and emotional well-being. But when it becomes our baseline, we don’t notice it — it feels “normal” to us, because it’s what we’re used to. For leaders, this limited usage can contribute to feelings of fatigue, decreased mental clarity, and reduced performance under pressure.

1. Physical Health Consequences

Shallow breathing reduces our oxygen intake, leading to fatigue, muscle tension, and stress. For executives operating under demanding conditions, this can lead to headaches, cardiovascular strain, and reduced endurance. Poor breathing also disrupts sleep quality, further affecting physical health.

2. Cognitive Functioning and Mental Clarity

Inadequate breathing lowers brain oxygenation, decreasing cognitive function, slowing reaction times, and impairing memory. Research shows that poor breathing can reduce cognitive performance by up to 10-15 IQ points in high-pressure environments.

3. Emotional State, Well-Being, and Relationships

Shallow breathing triggers a physiological stress response, often causing heightened anxiety, mood swings, and increased emotional reactivity. For leaders, this can undermine trust, reduce empathy, and negatively impact professional and personal relationships.

The Impact of Conscious Breath Modulation

Conscious modulation of breath allows us to directly influence our physiology and inner state. The most impactful aspects of breath modulation are breathing rate, depth, and rhythm.

1. Breathing Rate

Slowing the breath to about six breaths per minute enhances our heart rate variability (HRV), which is linked to improved cardiovascular health, reduced stress, and greater resilience to chronic illness. For leaders, this equates to better stamina and stress management.

2. Breathing Depth

Transitioning from shallow chest-level breathing to deeper diaphragmatic breathing enhances cognitive function, and sharpens mental clarity. Deep breathing increases brain oxygen levels, improving memory, focus, and problem-solving abilities. For leaders, this leads to more effective decision-making under pressure.

3. Breathing Rhythm

A consistent and rhythmic breath helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing anxiety and increasing emotional stability. This enhances emotional intelligence, strengthens interpersonal relationships, and improves team dynamics.

Immediate and Long-Term Effects of Better Breathing

Immediate Impact

By slowing down and deepening the breath, we activate the body's relaxation response, resulting in an immediate sense of calm and enhanced focus that can be experienced within just a few minutes. This can be especially valuable during high-pressure, emotionally charged situations or before important meetings.

Long-Term Effects

Consistent practice, even just 10-15 minutes a day, can produce significant long-term benefits. Regular breath modulation can lead to a sustained increase in HRV, indicating improved autonomic nervous system function and resilience to stress.

Over time, practicing conscious breathing leads to better emotional regulation, increased emotional intelligence, and improved executive functions, like decision-making and problem-solving skills. These lasting effects help leaders navigate complex challenges more effectively.

Over time, practicing conscious breathing leads to better emotional regulation, increased emotional intelligence, and improved executive functions, like decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Breathing Exercises to Improve Cognitive Performance and Well-Being

If you want to get into the practice of breath modulation, you can pick one from these three simple and quick exercises to integrate into your daily routine:

1. 4-7-8 Breathing Technique

• Ideal For: Preparing for high-stress situations.
• How to Do It: Inhale quietly through the nose for a count of 4. Hold the breath for a count of 7. Exhale completely through the mouth, making a whooshing sound for a count of 8. Repeat 4 times.
• Benefits: The 4-7-8 breathing technique promotes relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, helping manage stress and anxiety. Regular practice can improve sleep quality and reduce cortisol levels.

2. Box Breathing (Square Breathing)

• Ideal For: Enhancing focus before tackling complex tasks.
• How to Do It: Inhale through the nose for a count of 4, hold the breath for a count of 4, exhale through the mouth for a count of 4, and hold the breath out for another count of 4. Repeat for 5 minutes.
• Benefits: Box breathing helps increase focus and mental clarity by stabilizing the autonomic nervous system. It improves concentration and emotional control, enabling us to make better decisions.

3. Diaphragmatic Breathing (Belly Breathing)

• Ideal For: Building long-term resilience and emotional balance.
• How to Do It: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Place one hand on the chest and the other on the belly. Inhale deeply through the nose, ensuring the diaphragm (not the chest) inflates with enough air to create a stretch in the lungs. Exhale slowly through pursed lips. Practice for 5-10 minutes.
• Benefits: This technique enhances oxygen exchange, lowers heart rate, and reduces blood pressure. Research shows it improves baseline resilience to stress and enhances emotional regulation over time.

Claiming Agency Over Our Life Experience

When it comes to participating in the experience of life, we have two choices:

• We can interact with the world as if we’re merely a passive recipient of what happens “to” us — a helpless “victim” of our circumstances.
• We can take responsibility, claim agency over our life experience and actively shape it.

We have much more control over our life experience than most of us can imagine. Gaining the ability to consciously modulate our breath is one of the fastest and most effective interventions we can engage in to transition from a passive, unconscious way of interacting with life, to proactively and deliberately shaping our experience in every moment. If you knew it takes as little as a 10 minutes a day to completely change your life, what would you do?

What will you do?

Sources

Gomez, P., & Danuser, B. (2004). "Respiratory responses associated with different types of emotional stimulation." International Journal of Psychophysiology.

Cohen, B. E., et al. (2018). "Impact of Deep Breathing on Heart Rate Variability and Blood Pressure." The American Journal of Cardiology.

Siegel, R., et al. (2021). "The Impact of Respiratory Patterns on Cardiovascular Health." The American Journal of Cardiology.

Grossman, P., et al. (2020). "The Long-term Effects of Breathing Techniques on Cognitive and Emotional Regulation." Clinical Psychology Review.

Grossman, P., et al. (2020). "The Effect of Breathing Techniques on Stress and Immunity." Clinical Psychology Review.