Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of controlled breathing interventions in reducing substance craving among patients with substance use disorders.
Approach:
- Study Identification: Investigators searched eight databases through November 14, 2025, identifying 20 studies that met inclusion criteria.
- Meta-Analysis: Fifteen studies were included in the meta-analysis, focusing on patients with alcohol, nicotine, opioid, stimulant, or polysubstance use disorders.
- Intervention Types: Interventions included controlled breathing techniques such as heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB), resonant breathing, and yogic breathing.
- Outcome Measures: Substance use-related outcomes examined included craving, withdrawal symptoms, and substance dependence.
- Subgroup Analysis: A prespecified subgroup analysis compared HRVB with other breathing interventions.
Key Findings:
- Controlled breathing was associated with a small reduction in craving compared to control conditions across 12 studies.
- Heterogeneity was low, indicating consistent effects across studies.
- Four studies on withdrawal symptoms showed no statistically significant benefit compared to controls.
- Two randomized trials indicated significant pooled improvement in substance dependence, but based on few studies with substantial heterogeneity.
- No significant difference was found between HRVB and other breathing interventions in reducing craving.
Interpretation:
The evidence was strongest for craving reduction, while evidence for withdrawal symptoms and substance dependence was less certain.
Limitations:
- The analysis included quasi-experimental studies alongside randomized trials, leading to low certainty of evidence.
- Small number of studies evaluating dependence and withdrawal.
- Variability in intervention protocols and duration.
- Lack of long-term follow-up in many studies.
- Reliance on subjective outcome measures.
Conclusion:
Further high-quality randomized trials are needed to clarify the effects of controlled breathing on substance use-related outcomes.
Sources:
This content is an AI-generated, fully rewritten summary based on a published scholarly article. It does not reproduce the original text and is not a substitute for the original publication. Readers are encouraged to consult the source for full context, data, and methodology.
