Paced Breathing for Hot Flashes: Evidence

Does paced breathing help hot flashes?

This is not medical advice — it is general information based on what you searched for that may help.

General information based on published sources and the symptoms you searched for. This isn't medical or legal advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Please consult a doctor about your own symptoms. If your symptoms are severe or sudden, seek urgent care.

Our verdict: Not recommended as a treatment for hot flashes (Level I).

Paced breathing — slow, controlled breathing exercises, often practiced at a set rate during a hot flash or preventively — is a commonly suggested self-help technique for hot flashes. After reviewing the randomized trial literature in its 2023 Nonhormone Therapy Position Statement, The Menopause Society placed paced respiration specifically in the not recommended category for vasomotor symptoms, at Level I — meaning the evidence against it as an effective treatment is fairly strong, not merely inconclusive.

Why this one gets a clear "no," not just "unclear"

A Level I "not recommended" rating is different from "not enough research yet." It means well-designed trials specifically tested paced breathing against hot flash frequency and severity, and it didn't hold up as an effective treatment.

That doesn't make breathing exercises useless for everything — slow breathing remains a reasonable general relaxation technique with no downside. The verdict here is narrower and more specific: don't rely on it as your main strategy if hot flashes are significantly affecting your life.

What actually has evidence behind it

Hormone therapy: The most effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms in women without contraindications.
CBT and clinical hypnosis: Level I non-hormonal options with no drug interactions.
Non-hormonal prescription options: Including SSRIs/SNRIs, gabapentin, and NK3 antagonists, all Level I.

Use our Does it work? evidence checker to compare every graded option by symptom.

Since paced breathing isn't an effective treatment on its own, which Level I option would best fit my situation?

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Questions people ask

Does slow, paced breathing help hot flashes?

According to The Menopause Society's 2023 review of the trial evidence, no — paced respiration is specifically classified as not recommended for vasomotor symptoms, and this is a Level I rating, meaning the evidence against it is fairly strong, not just inconclusive.

Is paced breathing still worth doing for any reason?

Slow breathing can be a generally useful relaxation and stress-management tool, and it carries no risk. The point of this verdict is narrower: it isn't an effective treatment specifically for reducing hot flash frequency or severity, so it shouldn't be relied on as your main strategy if hot flashes are significantly disrupting your life.

References

Shufelt CL, Brown V, Carpenter JS et al.. The 2023 nonhormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause (The North American Menopause Society, now The Menopause Society), 2023.

The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement Advisory Panel. The 2022 hormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause (The North American Menopause Society, now The Menopause Society), 2022. Funding: Funded by donations to the NAMS Education & Research Fund; the statement reports no commercial support. Individual panel disclosures not yet reviewed..