What is a normal respiratory rate?
Your respiratory rate is how many breaths you take in one minute, counting an in-breath and out-breath as one. It’s one of the four main vital signs, alongside temperature, pulse and blood pressure.
For a resting adult, it’s 12 to 18 breaths per minute. Work that out over a day (1,440 minutes) and you get roughly 17,000 to 26,000 breaths, almost all of which you didn’t notice.
How do you check your breathing rate?
- Rest firstSit quietly for a few minutes. Right after climbing stairs is not your resting rate.
- Set a 60-second timerIt’s tempting to count 15 seconds and multiply, but a full minute is more accurate.
- Count each riseWatch or feel your chest or belly. One rise equals one breath.
- Try not to control itThis is the hard part. As soon as you notice your breath, you’ll want to steer it. Getting someone else to count helps.
What is a normal respiratory rate for children?
It’s higher, and it falls quickly in the early years. A large Lancet review of children’s vital signs found a median of 44 breaths per minute at birth, down to 26 at age 2, with the rate continuing to fall into early adolescence.
Published charts vary, so we’re not reproducing a table of “normal” bands for each age. If you’re worried about a child’s breathing, look at how they’re breathing as well as the number, and ask a doctor. Grunting, sucking in under the ribs, or blue or grey lips or skin mean you should call your emergency number.
When is breathing too fast or too slow?
Cleveland Clinic flags a resting rate under 12 or over 25 as possibly linked to an underlying condition. A single number isn’t a diagnosis. Fever, exercise, anxiety and many other things change your rate. But pay attention to the whole picture:
- You’re more short of breath than usual, or struggling to get words out
- You have tightness or pain in your chest
- Your lips or skin look pale, blue or grey
- You feel suddenly confused
Any of those: treat it as urgent. There’s more in the safety note at the top of this page.
Is breathing six times a minute bad for you?
Done on purpose for a few minutes, if you feel comfortable, it’s what many breathing exercises involve. Slowing your breath deliberately while awake is very different from a resting rate that sits low with no effort, which is the kind doctors want to look at.
Researchers usually define slow breathing as under 10 breaths a minute, and a 2018 review linked it with higher heart-rate variability, while noting small, mixed studies. Stop if you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, and if you have a heart or lung condition, ask your doctor first.
Feel six breaths a minute
Ten seconds a breath, in for 5 and out for 5. Stop any time, and go back to normal.
5 in · 5 out
Follow the orb: in as it grows, out as it shrinks.
Seconds per phase: 5 in · 5 out. Turn on JavaScript to use the timer.
Runs in your browser: nothing is saved or sent. For haptic taps with your eyes closed, or on your wrist, use ATHA on iPhone or Apple Watch.
How many breaths per minute is each pattern?
Here’s the maths for the ten patterns built into ATHA: 60 divided by the seconds in one full breath.
| Pattern | Timing | Breaths per minute |
|---|---|---|
| Energizing Breath | 2-0-2-0 | 15 |
| Quick Reset | 3-0-5-0 | 7.5 |
| Morning Reset | 4-1-4-0 | 6.7 |
| Coherence | 5-0-5-0 | 6 |
| Extended Exhale | 4-0-6-0 | 6 |
| Calming Breath | 4-0-6-2 | 5 |
| Slow Breathing | 6-0-8-0 | 4.3 |
| Deep Relaxation | 5-2-8-0 | 4 |
| Box Breathing | 4-4-4-4 | 3.75 |
| 4-7-8 Breathing | 4-7-8-0 | 3.2 |
Common questions
Is 20 breaths per minute normal?
It is a little above the 12 to 18 resting range. After activity, or with a fever or stress, that can be expected. If it is your resting rate and you feel unwell or short of breath, check with a doctor.
Is 10 breaths per minute too low?
It is under the usual resting range for adults. Doing it on purpose in a breathing exercise is different from having a resting rate that low without trying. If your resting rate is low and you feel unwell, talk to a doctor.
Does your respiratory rate change when you sleep?
Yes. It generally slows during sleep. Your brain keeps adjusting your breathing automatically.
Can an Apple Watch measure respiratory rate?
Apple Watch can record a respiratory rate during sleep through Apple’s own Health features. ATHA doesn’t measure your breathing: it only guides a rhythm.
Why does my breathing change when I think about it?
Breathing runs automatically, but you can override it. As soon as you pay attention, you start steering it. That’s why it’s more accurate if someone else counts for you.
Where does ATHA fit in?
When I built ATHA, I wanted people to be able to pick a rhythm without doing any of that maths. It’s why the app has moments like I need a moment and Slow down, and why you’re never asked to count. It doesn’t measure your breathing, so it can’t tell you your rate. For that, use a timer, or ask a doctor.
Did you count your breaths while you read this? Everybody does. Thanks for reading.
Indie iOS developer, and the maker of ATHA. Say hello on Instagram or at solostaseraofficial@gmail.com.
Sources
Checked on 3 November 2026.
- Cleveland Clinic: Vital signs · Last updated 15 March 2023.
- Fleming S et al. Normal ranges of heart rate and respiratory rate in children from birth to 18 years of age. The Lancet, 2011
- NHS: Shortness of breath · Page last reviewed 30 January 2024.
- NHLBI: How your body controls breathing · Last updated 24 March 2022.
- Zaccaro A et al. How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2018
ATHA is a breathing and mindfulness app, not a medical device, and this guide is general information, not medical advice. It doesn’t diagnose or treat any condition. For a symptom that is persistent, severe or worrying, talk to a doctor. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.