UNVAPD

Blog · 11 November 2026

Breathing Exercises for Cravings: 4 Techniques That Help You Quit Vaping

Part of what people miss about vaping isn't the nicotine. It's the breath: the long inhale, the slow exhale, the little pause in the day. Good news: you can keep that part. Slow breathing is one of the fastest, freest tools for getting through a craving.

Why breathing helps with cravings

Breathing out slowly activates the part of your nervous system that calms you down. It slows your heart rate and eases the restless, wound-up feeling that comes with a craving. It also gives you something to do with the minutes a craving lasts, and something to focus on that isn't the vape.

1. The long exhale (start here)

Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds. Breathe out through your mouth for 6 seconds. Repeat ten times. That's about a minute and a half.

Use it: anywhere, any craving. It's the simplest one to remember.

2. Box breathing

In for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Repeat four or five times.

Use it: when you need to focus, like before a stressful call or when you're angry.

In

4 seconds

Hold

4 seconds

Out

4 seconds

Hold

4 seconds

Box breathing: four sides of four seconds.

3. 4-7-8 breathing

In through your nose for 4, hold for 7, out through your mouth for 8. Do three or four rounds.

Use it: at night if cravings or restlessness keep you awake. See quit vaping insomnia.

4. The double inhale sigh

Take a breath in through your nose, then a second short sniff on top to fill your lungs, then a long, slow breath out through your mouth. Two or three of these can take the edge off quickly.

Use it: when a craving hits hard and fast.

Woman resting in a calm stretch on a yoga mat
Keep the slow breath. Lose the vape.

Tips

  • If you feel light-headed, slow down and breathe normally for a moment.
  • Practise when you're calm, so it's automatic when a craving hits.
  • Pair it with a trigger: three slow breaths every time you finish a meal or get in the car.

Hold something in your hand while you breathe, like a pen or a cold glass. It covers the hand-to-mouth habit too.

Guided breathing in your pocket

Unvapd, the app we built to help people quit vaping, has two guided breathing exercises, Calm Down and Box Breathing, one tap from the Home screen and from the Panic Button.

Sources and further help

Photos: rawpixel, public domain (CC0).

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