Breath Switch: Stress Relief

Breath Switch is a calm, simple guide to breathing exercises through one nostril or both in turn, built on three principles: privacy first, then reliability, then simplicity. Pick how you want to feel, follow the timer, and let your breath slow down.

Use it for stress relief after a long day, a few minutes of relaxation, a clearer head before work, or a slow wind down before sleep.

★ PRIVATE BY DESIGN
• Fully offline. The app has no internet permission
• No ads, no account, no tracking
• Your minutes, streak and settings stay on your phone
• Gentle reminders, only if you turn them on

★ RELIABLE: PACED LIKE THE STUDIES
• At the written pace every session runs at 5 to 6 breaths a minute, the slow rate used in published breathing research
• Every screen says which side to close and which to breathe through
• Pauses are short, used in one session only, and never held after the breath out

★ SIMPLE: ONE TAP TO BEGIN
• Pick Calm, Focus, Balance or Sleep and the session starts
• Sessions from 2 to 15 minutes, a little quicker or slower if you like
• A home screen widget to start Calm or Focus with one tap
• In English, German, Spanish, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Turkish

PICK HOW YOU WANT TO FEEL
• Calm: slow breathing through the left side for relaxation and stress relief
• Focus: a short right side session, or alternate nostril breathing before work or study
• Balance: classic alternate nostril breathing, also called nadi shodhana or anulom vilom
• Sleep: a soft left side session with a long breath out to wind down at night

EIGHT GUIDED SESSIONS
Left Side Calm, Moon Breath, Right Side Wake Up, Sun Breath, Alternate Nostril, Focus Reset, Alternate With Pause and Sleep Wind Down, each with simple steps and a short note on the science.

FOLLOW, LISTEN AND FEEL
• A planet of light: the open side glows and the closed side goes dark
• Or a simple bubble that grows and shrinks with your breath
• Calm music, a warm voice guide in English and soft tones as the breath turns
• A gentle hum in your hand that rises as you breathe in and fades as you breathe out
• The science in seven short pages, each with a chart and the paper behind it
• On work days, two calm check ins and a call to deep focus, only if you turn them on

BACKED BY RESEARCH
• A 2022 review of 223 studies found that slow breathing raises heart rate variability, a marker of the body's resting state (Laborde and colleagues).
• A 2023 meta analysis of 12 randomised trials linked breathing exercises with lower stress (Fincham and colleagues, Scientific Reports).
• A 2024 review found alternate nostril breathing was followed by somewhat lower blood pressure than in control groups, in trials of mixed quality (Nam and colleagues).
• In a 6 week study of 85 students, slow left nostril breathing was linked with a calmer heart rate, and right nostril breathing with a more active state (Pal and colleagues, 2014).
Most nostril breathing studies are small, and results vary from person to person.

BREATHE SAFELY
Breathe gently and never force air through a blocked nose. If you feel dizzy or light headed, stop and breathe normally. Skip the right side sessions and the pauses if you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, or if you are pregnant. Never practise while driving or in water.

Breath Switch is a relaxation and wellbeing app. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. It is not a treatment for anxiety disorders, sleep problems or high blood pressure. If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor before starting any breathing practice.