Breathing rate

Your breathing rate, also referred to as your respiratory rate, refers to the number of breaths you take each minute. A normal breathing rate will vary depending on someone’s age, but for adults over the age of 18, a typical breathing rate is around 12 to 20 breaths per minute. To measure your breathing rate, you can count how many breaths you take in a single minute or count for 30 seconds and then multiply the result by two.
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Breathing involves communication between both the brain and respiratory muscles. Sometimes, the body will need to adjust its breathing rate to accommodate things like exercise. For example, when the brain senses high carbon dioxide or low oxygen levels, it may increase someone’s breathing rate to normalize these levels.
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Things like exercise, injuries, emotions, and medical conditions can all affect your breathing rate. For example, conditions like heart issues, anxiety, dehydration, respiratory conditions (e.g., asthma, COPD, etc.), or a fever can increase your respiratory rate. Other conditions, like head injury, drug overdose, or sleep apnea can decrease your respiratory rate.
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An individual can use their breathing rate to inform on their exercise performance and assess recovery. They can also use it to evaluate anxiety levels, sleep quality, and stress management. Healthcare providers can utilize breathing rate to detect underlying conditions and support diagnoses.