I ditched coffee for breathwork to help beat the afternoon slump—and it’s made me more alert
It takes less than 10 minutes and you can do it while sitting at your desk
If you’re anything like me, by the time the clock hits 2pm, you’re reaching for an afternoon coffee for an energy boost.
No matter how much sleep I’ve had—or how productive my morning has been—when I’m working from home, the post-lunch crash always hits.
Keen to cut down on my caffeine intake and find a better way to beat the afternoon slump, I asked breathwork practitioner Ramon Ghosh for a technique that would restore energy and focus.
“Breathwork responses are always individual, but I find that an activating breathwork technique with a short sequence of intentional nasal breaths, coupled with gentle breath holds, gets my energy up and focus improved without leaving me overstimulated,” Ghosh tells Fit&Well.
Ghosh’s practice involves three to four rounds of 30 intentional breaths in and out through the nose followed by a breath hold.
The intentional breaths are controlled, purposefully overriding your body's automatic breathing.
It sounds simple, but there’s a science to it. The nasal breathing pattern can aid what’s known as the Bohr effect.
“When we breathe this way it can create a brief rise in CO2, lowering our blood pH and helping oxygen to be released into our tissues, which is what can make us feel more focused,” Ghosh explains.
The result? “A mind that’s clearer, a body that’s more awake, and a nervous system that’s more responsive,” Ghosh says.
How breathwork can help you feel energised
I regularly practice relaxing breathwork techniques when I'm feeling stressed, overwhelmed or struggling to sleep. Usually they leave me feeling calm and relaxed—but that’s not quite what I’m looking for in the afternoon when my energy is low and I’m already feeling sleepy.
There's a key distinction between Ghosh's activating breathwork practice and my usual relaxation techniques.
“Relaxation breathwork is designed to downregulate the nervous system into a parasympathetic/rest-and-digest state,” explains Ghosh. These practices involve reducing the number of breaths per minute, and regulating our breathing by making our exhales longer.
“With energising breathwork we’re activating our nervous system into a sympathetic state, so that we feel switched on,” Ghosh explains.
“This will often involve stronger breathing practices including breath holds to create a state of being alert, without pushing the body or mind into feeling wired.”
How to do Ghosh’s activating breathwork practice
Time: 5-7min
- Sit or lie comfortably with your body relaxed.
- Breathe intentionally through the nose for 30 rounds, keep the breath flowing, intentional and controlled. This should not feel at maximal effort.
- After 30 inhales and exhales, take a normal inhale through the nose, exhale normally through the nose, then hold the breath after the exhale until you feel a moderate urge to breathe—this should not feel like a maximum breath hold.
- Breathe in through the nose and recover.
- Take calm nasal breaths for around 10-15 seconds to recover.
- Repeat for three to four rounds
“Afterwards, sit still for a few breaths and notice how you feel,” advises Ghosh.
“The aim is not to push or strain, it is to create a controlled challenge, then return to calm breathing.”
If you’re trying breathwork for the first time, practice safely and ideally guided by a coach. Never practice this technique while driving, in water, or standing.
What happened when I tried Ghosh’s activating breathwork practice
I tried Ghosh’s practice throughout the working week. Every time I did it, I noticed my focus improved. Rather than feeling relaxed or drowsy like I would with downregulating practices, I felt grounded, calm, and ready to get on with the rest of my work.
In the middle of a deadline when I didn’t think I had time for breathwork, I almost skipped it and reached for a coffee instead. But, it took no longer than making a coffee would—and the benefits felt far greater.
Unlike my afternoon coffee habit, which could spike my cortisol levels and disrupt my sleep if I drank it too late in the day, Ghosh’s breathwork practice focused on nervous system activation in a controlled way and I could do it anywhere, anytime, and see instant benefits.
I did miss the coffee ritual though. There’s something about stepping away from my screen for a mid-afternoon pause and a hot drink that’s comforting. Instead of cutting it out completely, I’ve decided to swap coffee for tea alongside my breathwork, so I get the best of both worlds.
