Breathe: Reducing stress can help your brain
From Try This by The Washington Post
November 6, 2025 · 16 min · Season 9 · Episode 3
About this episode
The episode discusses the impact of stress on brain health and the benefits of breathing exercises to reduce stress and improve cognitive function.
When we’re in constant stress, our brains become less resilient. Chronic stress can lead to inflammation of the brain — increasing our risk of cognitive decline. Breathing exercises hold a lot of power for calming the body and brain. Host Cristina Quinn talks to Washington Post Brain Matters columnist Richard Sima , as well as neuroscientist and psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky from UCLA, about steps we can take to reduce stress and improve our brain health. Sima unpacks what inflammation does to our brains and why this can lead to more cognitive decline in the future. Lavrestsky walks us through her research on breathwork, yoga and other practices that have shown positive impacts on brain aging and cognitive health. For more on ways to reduce your risk of dementia, check out some of The Post’s reporting: How to calm your mind with breathing, according to science How to use your voice to reduce your stress and feel calmer Teen brains aged faster than normal from pandemic stress, study says 5-minute breathing exercises can improve your mood and reduce anxiety Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts .
People in this episode
Host: Cristina Quinn
Guests: Richard Sima, Helen Lavretsky
Topics covered
- stress reduction
- brain health
- breathing exercises
- cognitive decline
- neuroscience
- yoga
- mental health
Keywords
- stress
- breathing exercises
- cognitive decline
- brain inflammation
- mental health
- yoga
- neuroscience
- brain aging
- dementia
- anxiety
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UCLA, The Washington Post
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