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Normal Breathing Rate for Adults: Breaths per Minute at Rest and Asleep

A normal adult breathing rate at rest is about 12 to 20 breaths a minute. How to count yours, what happens in sleep, and when a rate needs a doctor.

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Normal Breathing Rate for Adults: Breaths per Minute at Rest and Asleep

A normal breathing rate for an adult at rest is about 12 to 20 breaths a minute. That's the range the American Lung Association gives, and the one on MedlinePlus's page on rapid shallow breathing. Cleveland Clinic and MedlinePlus's vital signs page put the top at 18. It's a vital sign, and a number on its own can't tell you whether something is wrong. If you're breathless, or the rate comes with chest pain, blue lips or confusion, go straight to the red-flag box further down.

What is a normal breathing rate for adults?

Your breathing rate (respiratory rate) is how many breaths you take in a minute. One breath is one rise and fall of the chest, in and out.

Breaths a minuteWhere the figure comes from
Adult, awake and restingAbout 12 to 20; some sources say 12 to 1812 to 20: American Lung Association, MedlinePlus (rapid shallow breathing page). 12 to 18: Cleveland Clinic, MedlinePlus (vital signs page)
Adult, asleepAverage 15.4; 90% of nightly readings between 11.8 and 19.210,000 Fitbit users aged 20 to 69
Flagged as a concern, at restUnder 12 or over 25American Lung Association, Cleveland Clinic
Slow-breathing practiceAbout 6A pace used in studies, not a resting target

Normal covers a range. Cleveland Clinic says vital signs vary with age, sex, BMI and overall health, and the Fitbit data below show small differences by age and sex.

Counts taken in hospital are looser than the range makes them look. A US study of about 37,000 adult hospital stays found that recorded breathing rates bunched at 18 and 20, while heart rates, which are measured objectively, were spread roughly like a bell curve. The authors said the pattern suggests breathing rates are often recorded inaccurately, as spot estimates with 18 and 20 standing in for "normal".

Breathing rate and oxygen level are two different measures. Rate is a count of breaths. Oxygen saturation is how much oxygen your blood is carrying, read with a clip-on pulse oximeter.

How to measure your breathing rate

  1. Sit or lie down somewhere quiet. If you've just rushed up the stairs, wait until your breathing settles.
  2. Use a watch or phone timer and count your breaths for a full 60 seconds. Count each rise of the chest as one breath.
  3. If you can, ask someone else to count while you sit still. Cleveland Clinic notes it's hard to count your own breaths, especially if you're nervous or anxious.
  4. Note what you'd been doing. Caffeine, stress and pain can all raise the rate, so a count taken after coffee or a tense phone call may read higher than one taken at a calm moment.

Some smartwatches estimate your rate for you while you sleep. That's the next section.

Breathing rate when you sleep

Sleep changes how you breathe. In a 1982 sleep-lab study of 19 healthy adults, the breathing pattern in every stage of sleep was more rapid and shallow than when they were awake. Each breath was smaller (in REM sleep, about three-quarters of its waking size), so the total amount of air moved per minute fell.

The largest set of adult sleeping figures we found comes from wearables. Fitbit researchers estimated the night-time breathing rate of 10,000 users aged 20 to 69 in the US and Canada over two weeks in November 2020, with equal numbers of each sex and age band. The average was 15.4 breaths a minute, and 90% of readings fell between 11.8 and 19.2. They worked the rate out from small rhythmic changes in heart rate, in deep sleep where the signal allowed and otherwise light sleep, and checked the method against sleep-study measurements from 28 people, where it was out by about half a breath a minute on average. Three caveats: the authors work for Fitbit, they assumed, without being able to confirm it, that everyone in the sample was healthy, and they didn't exclude people with sleep apnoea.

Apple Watch also tracks your breathing rate as you sleep and shows the range it recorded for the night. Apple says the watch isn't a medical device and its breathing-rate readings aren't meant for medical use. For what its sleep stages mean, see our guide to Apple Watch core sleep.

Is 9 breaths a minute too low while sleeping? It's below almost every reading in the Fitbit data, where 95% fell between 11.2 and 20.0. A tracker reading is an estimate, so look at the trend over a couple of weeks rather than one night, and mention a reading that stays low to a GP. Separately, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine lists loud or frequent snoring, silent pauses in breathing, choking or gasping sounds and daytime sleepiness or fatigue as common signs of sleep apnoea. If you notice those, see a GP.

What changes your breathing rate

The American Lung Association lists these as things that can affect your breathing rate:

  • Exercise. Your muscles need more oxygen, so you breathe faster, more so when running than walking. If you're healthy, the rate drops back afterwards.
  • Stress and anxiety. The fight-or-flight response brings rapid, shallow breathing.
  • Altitude. Higher up, the air has less oxygen in it, so you take more breaths.
  • Smoking, alcohol, caffeine and other drugs. All can raise the rate.
  • Pain. It speeds breathing up.
  • Lung and heart conditions. Asthma, COPD, pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis can raise it, and heart disease can make breathing difficult. In an asthma flare-up the rate may go above 30, and people with COPD often breathe about 20 to 30 times a minute.

Some medicines push the other way. The NHS lists breathing slowing down as a possible serious side effect of morphine, and says to call 111 if you think you're having one.

When a breathing rate is a problem

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Get help now (UK: call 999 or go to A&E. US: call 911) if you: (this list is from the NHS)

  • have severe difficulty breathing: you're gasping, choking or can't get words out
  • feel your chest is tight or heavy, or have pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw
  • have lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey (on brown or black skin this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands)
  • feel suddenly confused

Breathing very fast can also be a sign of sepsis. The NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if an adult is breathing very fast, is confused or slurring their speech, has blue, pale or blotchy skin, has a rash that doesn't fade when you press it, has a very high or very low temperature, or has symptoms you're worried might be sepsis. Don't drive yourself to A&E; ask someone to drive you or call an ambulance.

US: MedlinePlus says to call 911 if you're breathing fast and also have bluish or greyish lips, skin or nails, chest pain, your chest pulling in with each breath, a fever, or laboured breathing, or if you've never breathed this fast before. MedlinePlus also says fast, shallow breathing is generally a medical emergency unless anxiety is the only cause.

A slow or fast rate: a doctor quoted by the American Lung Association says a rate below 12 that comes with other symptoms such as drowsiness and confusion needs medical care straight away, and so does a rate above 25.

Contact NHS 111 if you have difficulty breathing (you may be more short of breath than usual), you feel sick or are being sick, you're coughing up blood, you have pain or swelling in one leg, or you have heart palpitations. See a GP if breathlessness gets worse with your normal activities or when you lie down, comes with swollen ankles, or you've had a cough for 3 weeks or more.

This page can't tell you what's causing a change in your breathing, and a home count isn't a diagnosis. NICE's sepsis guidance for clinicians assessing adults in the community who may have sepsis treats a rate of 25 or more a minute as a high-risk sign and 21 to 24 as a medium-risk sign. That is one row in a table of signs, where meeting any one criterion counts, and it's a tool for professionals, not a home test. If you think you or someone else might have sepsis, call 999.

This is general information, not medical advice. NSDR is not a treatment for any condition. If you're struggling, talk to your GP. UK: Samaritans 116 123. US: 988.

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From 12 to 20 breaths a minute to 6: what slow breathing does

A normal resting rate needs no changing. Slow breathing is a separate practice. You do it on purpose for a few minutes, then stop.

Researchers class anything from about 4 to 10 breaths a minute as slow breathing (the definition one 2017 review used). Most studies find that the rise and fall of heart rate with each breath is largest at about six breaths a minute. Heart rate variability biofeedback, also called resonance frequency feedback, has people breathe slowly while watching their heart rate, to find the pace that makes it swing most. That is around six breaths a minute and varies a little from person to person.

The research base is small. A 2018 review found just 15 studies of slow breathing in healthy adults aged 18 to 65 that met its strict criteria. Overall, slow breathing went with higher heart rate variability, and people reported feeling more relaxed and less anxious, though the authors called the evidence limited.

Breathing with long exhales has also been tested. In a 2023 Stanford trial of 108 adults, five minutes a day of cyclic sighing for a month raised daily positive mood more than mindfulness meditation did, and lowered the daily breathing rate recorded by a wrist strap more. Anxiety fell in the breathwork and mindfulness groups alike, with no clear difference between them. It was a remote, exploratory study that wasn't pre-registered. Our physiological sigh guide covers how to do it.

Six a minute is a pace to practise for a few minutes. It isn't a number to hold all day or a target for your resting rate. For other techniques, see breathing exercises for stress and breathwork before bed.

Never practise breathwork in water or while driving. Stop if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, and check with your GP first if you have a heart or lung condition.

FAQ

Is a respiratory rate of 20 normal?

Yes, 20 breaths a minute at rest sits at the top of the range the American Lung Association gives for adults, and the one on MedlinePlus's page on rapid shallow breathing. Cleveland Clinic's range stops at 18. A single count can be off for many reasons, so repeat it when you're calm. If your resting rate stays above 25, or you feel unwell, get it checked, and use the red-flag box above if you're breathless.

What is a normal respiratory rate for older adults?

We didn't find an agreed separate range for older adults in the sources we checked. A 2019 clinic study in Japan of 634 patients aged 60 to 99, attending regular appointments with no new symptoms, found the average rate rose with age, from 14.8 in their 60s to 17.1 in their 90s. The Fitbit data are for people asleep and stop at age 69; in them the average night-time rate drifted down a little, from 16.7 to 14.8 breaths a minute in women and from 15.5 to 14.8 in men, comparing people in their early 20s with people aged 65 to 69. If a reading worries you, ask a GP.

Is respiratory rate the same as oxygen level?

No, respiratory rate and oxygen level are different measures. The rate counts breaths per minute. Oxygen saturation is how much oxygen your blood is carrying, and a small clip-on pulse oximeter reads it from your finger.

How can I improve my respiratory rate?

A respiratory rate inside the normal breathing rate range doesn't need improving. It's a vital sign, like your temperature. If yours is often under 12 or over 25 at rest, or you're breathless, see a GP to find out why. Slow breathing exercises are a separate practice, covered above.

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