Sources: OpenEvidence review (2026) of studies and guidelines, including the AACAP anxiety guideline, Cochrane reviews and AAP reports. Slow breathing may help some people feel calmer; it is not a treatment for panic disorder.
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Sources, compiled and checked with OpenEvidence (2026-10-16): breathing for anxiety in children and teens (Kramer AC et al., J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 2022; Obradović J et al., Dev Psychobiol 2021; Aranberri-Ruiz A et al., Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; Schleicher D et al., Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; Akdağ R et al., Sci Rep 2025); adults (Fincham GW et al., Sci Rep 2023, both studies; Leyro TM et al., Clin Psychol Rev 2021; Dujawara A et al., box breathing review, Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2026); AACAP anxiety guideline (Walter HJ et al., J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2020). Pace and length: Dar S et al. (Sci Rep 2025); Mazur MD et al. (J Integr Complement Med 2024); Zuanazzi Cruz M et al. (Altern Ther Health Med 2020); Kasap M and Aydin GR (PLoS One 2025); Magnon V et al. (Sci Rep 2021); You M et al. (Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021). Safety: Cochrane reviews of breathing exercises (Jones M et al. and Barker NJ et al., 2013; Macêdo TMF et al., 2016); Szulczewski MT (PLoS One 2019); Harper V and Trayer J (Clin Exp Allergy 2022); Zou Y et al. (Am J Cardiol 2017); Xu Y and Fan Q (CNS Neurosci Ther 2022); Perales M et al. (JAMA 2017). When to get help: DSM-5-TR (APA 2022); O'Meara D (JAMA Pediatr 2023); Vasic K et al. (BMC Pediatr 2026); ACR Appropriateness Criteria, Chest Pain–Child (2026); AAP mental and behavioral health emergencies (Saidinejad M et al., Pediatrics 2023; Chun TH et al., Pediatrics 2016). Crisis lines: Suran M (JAMA 2022); King CA et al. (Curr Psychiatry Rep 2025); AAP suicide risk in adolescents (Hua LL et al., Pediatrics 2024); Cantrell P et al. (Pediatrics 2026). Slow breathing may help some people feel calmer; it is not a treatment for panic disorder.
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