How Breathing Impacts Performance: The Hidden Driver Behind Workplace Success

In the race to optimise workplace performance, businesses are overlooking a fundamental lever that could transform their results: breathing.

This is the first in a three-part series exploring how functional breathing helps shift state and combat the pervasive stress response within organisations.

The Crisis You Can’t See

A March 2025 PwC report, “Turning the Tide on Economic Inactivity”, reveals a troubling trend: 4.4 million UK workers—one in ten—are considering quitting, with mental health cited as a primary driver, especially among those under 35. The financial impact is staggering: businesses are losing billions in productivity and talent while pursuing surface-level fixes.

Even more concerning, 81% of businesses report that stress-driven inactivity is hurting productivity, and 79% are losing key talent. The report confirms what many of us have suspected: workplace stress has reached crisis levels, and traditional solutions aren’t addressing the root causes.

The Overlooked Performance Variable

While companies invest millions in wellness programs, productivity tools, and leadership development, they’re ignoring 20,000 daily opportunities to optimise human performance at the most basic biological level—each breath we take.

What shows up as common workplace challenges may often the downstream symptoms of dysfunctional breathing:

• The post-lunch concentration crash

• Decision fatigue during critical negotiations

• Creative blocks during innovation sessions

• Communication breakdowns under pressure

• Diminished strategic thinking capacity in leadership meetings

These aren’t inevitable byproducts of corporate life—they’re physiological responses that can be regulated, beginning with the breath.

The Science of Breathing and Performance - The Impact

Under pressure, most professionals slip into shallow, rapid breathing—triggering a sympathetic nervous system response that directly impairs executive function, decision quality, and creative problem-solving.

Breathing may be personal, but the science is clear: regulated, functional breathing improves cognitive performance and has an impact on performance. That said, we must honour the nuance—what works for one may not work for all, and understanding your unique breath pattern is the key. Still, adjusting your breath—even in small ways—can deliver powerful results.

Stanford’s Dr. Andrew Huberman puts it bluntly: “Breath shifts your state fastest.” Rapid, shallow breaths push us into reactivity. Controlled breathing pulls us into presence.

Here’s what the research shows:

• Executive Decision Quality: Diaphragmatic breathing reduces stress and enhances attention—supporting cognitive flexibility, risk assessment, and judgment (Hopper et al., 2019).

• Innovation Capacity: Slow breathing improves divergent thinking, a key skill in generating new ideas and solving complex problems (Colzato et al., 2017).

• Team Communication: Rapid breathing has been linked to reduced emotional regulation and social cognition, impacting how we connect and collaborate under pressure (Porges, 2009).

The Business Cost of Every Breath

For executives, poor breathing habits mean making decisions while physiologically compromised. How many strategic missteps are happening in your business simply because no one is breathing optimally?

For teams, dysfunctional breathing contributes to the so-called “meeting hangover”—that lingering mental fog and disengagement post-meeting that Harvard Business Review has called a silent productivity killer.

Starting Simple: The Business Edge Protocol

Unlike typical corporate wellness initiatives, breathing optimisation offers measurable performance improvements—without massive investment.

Try this protocol:

1. Sit upright with shoulders relaxed (especially during high-stakes meetings)

2. Close your mouth and breathe exclusively through your nose

3. Inhale slowly, directing the breath into your abdomen

4. Exhale slowly through your nose, feeling your abdomen contract

5. Maintain a breathing rate of 5–6 breaths per minute during critical thinking tasks

Use this before big decisions, high-stakes conversations, or anytime clarity matters. The results can be immediate—sharper thinking, steadier emotions, better communication.

Beyond Wellness: Performance Enhancement

While competitors are investing in coffee stations and mindfulness app subscriptions, you could be gaining a genuine competitive edge by training your teams to breathe better.

This isn’t about wellness. It’s about tapping into the body’s innate systems to enhance focus, reduce reactivity, and access strategic clarity on demand.

As Patrick McKeown, developer of The Oxygen Advantage® programme, puts it:

“The secret to improving your performance lies not in working harder but in harnessing the power of your own physiology.”

With PwC’s report highlighting widespread disengagement and stress-driven exits, businesses need smarter, simpler tools. Breathwork isn’t a fringe wellness trend. It’s a science-backed shift in how we operate.

The Bottom Line

Stress is costing your business more than you think—and it’s showing up in poor decisions, stifled creativity, and disengaged teams. Breathing is the hidden performance lever sitting right under your nose—literally.

By training your people to breathe better, you create clearer minds, better conversations, and sharper execution.

📩 Stay tuned for the second post in this series next week—or get the full report now and join a Breath Mastery Lab during Stress Awareness Month this April 2025.

Note: This article shares general insights on breathing for performance, not medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional before starting any breathwork, especially if you have pre-existing conditions. Results may vary. Use at your discretion.

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