How long does a panic attack last?

Most peak within ten minutes and subside within twenty to thirty. Knowing that the peak is short is itself useful; the breathing shortens the tail rather than stopping the wave dead.

Should I breathe into a paper bag?

No. It is outdated and unsafe if the cause is not hyperventilation. A long exhale through the mouth achieves the same effect on carbon dioxide with no risk.

Does breathing work better than grounding techniques?

They do different jobs and combine well: the breathing lowers the physical alarm, grounding gives your attention something to hold. Use both if both help you.

Can breathing exercises trigger a panic attack?

Deliberate breath holds and forced deep breathing can, for some people. Nothing on this page involves either — the technique here is small breaths and long exhales, which move in the opposite direction.

How to stop a panic attack: what to do in the first two minutes

Your heart is going, your hands are tingling, the room feels far away and some part of you is certain this is the time it is something serious. It is not a failure of will. It is a physiological cascade, and the fastest way in is through the body.

Do this now

Two inhales, one long exhale

2 minute

Breathe in through the nose, normally.
Before breathing out, take a second short sip of air on top of the first.
Let the air out slowly through the mouth, all the way, longer than both inhales together.
Repeat three to five times. Most people feel the chest release by the third.
Then: nose only, small breaths, exhale longer than inhale, until the wave passes. It will pass — they always do.

Run it with a timer

Why the double inhale

The second, smaller inhale reopens air sacs that collapse during shallow rapid breathing, so the long exhale that follows clears more carbon dioxide. Your body already does this on its own — it is the shape of a spontaneous sigh, and the reason you sigh after crying. A randomised comparison at Stanford (Balban et al., 2023, Cell Reports Medicine) found five minutes a day of this cyclic sighing improved mood more than mindfulness meditation and lowered resting breathing rate over a month.

Why breathing and not reasoning

During a panic attack the parts of you that respond to argument are the last to come back online. Heart rate falls on every out-breath, so a long exhale is one of the few levers that acts on the alarm directly rather than through persuasion. Reasoning works afterwards; the breath works during.

Why it keeps happening

Panic attacks feed on a body that is already primed — short sleep, chronic over-breathing, a low tolerance for the sensations themselves. Retraining the resting pattern lowers the baseline the next attack has to climb from. That is prevention, and it is slower and more boring than the rescue technique.

What changes it, over a week

Twice a day, five minutes
Practise the double-inhale sigh when you are calm. The skill has to be automatic before it is needed.
All day
Nose breathing, mouth closed. Over-breathing during the day sets the stage for the next attack.
Evening
Ten minutes of slow breathing with a long exhale, lights low. Poor sleep raises the odds of an attack tomorrow.
Once
Tell someone. Panic disorder responds well to therapy, particularly CBT, and breathing works better alongside it than instead of it.

When this is not a breathing pattern

See a clinician — promptly, and before assuming any of this applies to you — if any of these describe you:

A first episode of chest pain, crushing pressure, or pain radiating to the arm or jaw — treat it as cardiac and call emergency services
Fainting, confusion, or weakness on one side
Attacks that are increasing in frequency, or that stop you leaving the house
Any thoughts of harming yourself — contact your doctor or a crisis line today
Panic that began after starting a new medication

This page is education, not medical advice, and no part of it is a diagnosis. Full disclaimer.

Questions people ask

How long does a panic attack last?: Most peak within ten minutes and subside within twenty to thirty. Knowing that the peak is short is itself useful; the breathing shortens the tail rather than stopping the wave dead.
Should I breathe into a paper bag?: No. It is outdated and unsafe if the cause is not hyperventilation. A long exhale through the mouth achieves the same effect on carbon dioxide with no risk.
Does breathing work better than grounding techniques?: They do different jobs and combine well: the breathing lowers the physical alarm, grounding gives your attention something to hold. Use both if both help you.
Can breathing exercises trigger a panic attack?: Deliberate breath holds and forced deep breathing can, for some people. Nothing on this page involves either — the technique here is small breaths and long exhales, which move in the opposite direction.

Put a number on it

Most of what is on this page tracks one measurement: the Control Pause. It takes sixty seconds, needs no account, and it is the thing that tells you whether any of this is working.

Take the free test