The Buteyko Method
Is less breathing, more?
The Buteyko breathing method trains people to breathe through the nose, more shallowly, and with regular breath holds. It's been studied mainly as a complementary, drug-free approach to managing asthma — but the evidence is mixed. Several studies point to better asthma control and fewer symptoms, while reviews and larger, older trials generally find no consistent gains in lung function or quality of life (Allaweh et al., 2026; Cooper et al., 2005).
The idea behind the method is to curb hyperventilation through controlled nasal breathing and breath-holding, supposedly by raising the body's tolerance to CO₂ and improving oxygenation as a result. But the science behind this is shaky: Bruton et al. (2005) point out that it's still unclear whether these altered breathing patterns actually raise CO₂ enough to explain the claimed benefits.
Sylvain, offering a critical perspective, notes that it's genuinely hard to pin down what drives any improvement. Buteyko bundles several different elements together, which makes it tricky to standardize or study cleanly. What does seem clear is that slower breathing — like slow-paced breathing at six breaths per minute — engages the vagus nerve and can have a calming, beneficial effect on the body (Laborde et al., 2022).
The bottom line: Buteyko breathing may help ease asthma symptoms and improve day-to-day control, but there's no solid evidence it actually improves lung function. It's a useful complement, not a replacement for medical asthma treatment.
It's a good thing when people take an interest in breathing techniques — just worth asking whether a given method is backed by real science, or whether what people are feeling is more of a placebo effect.
Written by Taren Vollstedt
A Podcast by WDR 5 Neugier genügt - das Feature I 25.06.2026 I 20:08 Min. I available until 25.06.2027 I by Gabriela Grunwald
Literature for further reading:
Allahaweh, A., Khalifa, M., Alomarı, O., Allahaweh, A., Alswaiti, Y., Eladl, H., Al-Khateeb, N., Allahaweh, J., Aldebei, Y., Khalil, A., & Bataineh, A. (2026). A29-10 The Effect of the Buteyko Breathing Technique on Quality of Life and Pulmonary Function in Asthma Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajrccm/aamag162.294
Bruton, A., & Lewith, G. (2005). The Buteyko breathing technique for asthma: a review.. Complementary therapies in medicine, 13 1, 41-6 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2005.01.003
Cooper, S., Oborne, J., Newton, S., Harrison, V., Coon, J., Lewis, S., & Tattersfield, A. (2003). Effect of two breathing exercises (Buteyko and pranayama) in asthma: a randomised controlled trial. Thorax, 58, 674 - 679. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax.58.8.674
Laborde, S., Allen, M., Borges, U., Dosseville, F., Hosang, T., Iskra, M., Mosley, E., Salvotti, C., Spolverato, L., Zammit, N., & Javelle, F. (2022). Effects of voluntary slow breathing on heart rate and heart rate variability:A systematic review and a meta-analysis.. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 104711 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104711