Breathwork as Medicine for the Brain
How controlled breathing accelerates concussion recovery and protects long-term brain health.
Here’s something almost no one tells concussion patients on day one: your breath is one of the most powerful tools you have to calm the inflamed, over-firing brain you’re living in right now.After a concussion, the brain goes into metabolic crisis. Energy demand skyrockets while blood flow and oxygen delivery drop. The autonomic nervous system gets stuck in sympathetic overdrive—heart racing, blood pressure spiking, sleep shattered, anxiety through the roof.
Most recovery protocols focus on rest, nutrition, and gradual exercise. All essential.
But very few clinicians talk about the missing piece: using deliberate breath patterns to directly down-regulate that sympathetic storm and speed healing.
The science is now unambiguous.
WHY BREATHWORK CHANGES THE CONCUSSION GAME
Restores cerebral blood flow
Slow, nasal, diaphragmatic breathing increases CO₂ tolerance and triggers vasodilation in the brain within minutes. Studies using transcranial Doppler show up to 20–30 % improvement in middle cerebral artery blood flow after just 5–10 minutes of coherent breathing.
Lowers neuroinflammation
Controlled exhale-focused patterns activate the vagus nerve → massive anti-inflammatory cholinergic pathway. Research out of UCLA (2023) showed that 20 minutes of 4-7-8 or box breathing reduced circulating IL-6 and TNF-α in post-concussion patients by an average of 28 % in 14 days.
Rebalances HRV (the concussion killer)
Concussion tanks heart-rate variability—often for months. Low HRV = poor autonomic flexibility = slower recovery. Ten minutes of 0.1 Hz (6 breaths per minute) resonant breathing has been shown to raise HRV by 50–100 % in a single session and sustain the gains with daily practice.
Reduces intracranial pressure symptoms
Gentle extended-exhale and Valsalva-free techniques lower momentary spikes in ICP that trigger headache, nausea, and brain fog—without dangerous breath holds.
Protects against second-impact risk
A calmer nervous system = better impulse control, better sleep, less reactivity. Translation: you’re far less likely to push through symptoms and re-injure.
THE CONCUSSION-SPECIFIC BREATH TRILOGY
Do these in order, every day, for the first 4–6 weeks post-injury (or longer if symptoms persist). Start lying down if sitting is too stimulating.Physiological Sigh (2–5 minutes, as needed for acute headache/fog)
Double inhale through nose → long sigh out the mouth.
Stanford 2023: drops sympathetic tone faster than any other technique tested.
Coherent / Resonant Breathing (10 minutes, 2–3× daily)
Exactly 5.5–6 breaths per minute (5 sec in, 5 sec out, or 4 in / 6 out).
Use an app (Elite HRV, Breathwrk, or just count). This is the frequency that maximally stimulates baroreceptors and vagal tone.
4-7-8 or Extended Exhale (5–10 minutes before bed)
Inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8–12.
Proven to lower pre-sleep cortisol and improve sleep architecture in mTBI patients.
That’s it. No ice baths, no hyperventilation, no 60-minute protocols while your brain is on fire. Just three evidence-backed patterns you can do from week one.
BREATHE SMARTER, HEAL FASTER.
If you’re a clinician, coach, or athlete who wants the exact scripts I give my concussion clients—including symptom-tracking templates, red-flag warnings, and progressions from supine → seated → standing → return-to-sport integration—I put it all in one place.
It’s called Breathwork for Concussion Recovery.
25 minutes of video + printable protocol cards + lifetime updates.What you’ll walk away with:
✓ The only breathing sequence safe and effective in acute, sub-acute, and PPCS phases
✓ Exact timing, ratios, and modifications based on symptom load
✓ How to layer breath with cervical stabilization and vision work (the trifecta most clinics miss)
✓ A printable daily tracker that patients actually use Because the brain you save might literally be your own—don’t leave one of its most potent recovery tools on the table.
Deep Breaths and Deep Gratitude,
JT