Breathing rate calculator

How the calculation works

The respiration rate formula is simple: breaths per minute = breaths counted ÷ minutes of counting. Counting for 30 seconds and doubling the number is the common shortcut this tool uses; counting for a full 60 seconds is slightly more accurate because breathing is never perfectly even. One breath means one full cycle - an inhale plus an exhale.

What is a normal breathing rate?

A typical resting respiratory rate for adults is about 12 to 20 breaths a minute. Children breathe faster - the younger, the faster. Your rate naturally rises with activity, stress, heat or illness, and falls in deep rest; slow, relaxed breathing practice can put you below the typical range, which is usually fine.

How to get a good measurement

1. Sit quietly first
   Rest for a few minutes so you are measuring a true resting rate.
2. Do not change your breathing
   The hard part: counting tends to make people breathe differently. Let the breath do what it was doing.
3. Count full cycles
   One inhale plus one exhale is one breath - tap once per cycle.

Limitations

Self-counting is approximate: watching your own breath changes it, 30 seconds is a small sample, and a single number says little on its own. This tool is an educational estimate, not a medical measurement. If your rate stays high at rest, or you feel breathless, speak with a clinician rather than re-measuring. Breathing safety

Slower breathing, on purpose

Interested in what pace to aim for when you slow down deliberately? Around five to six breaths a minute is the most studied calm pace - see slow breathing, how slow breathing works, or try the Breathing Pace Finder. Apple Watch also records a nightly respiratory rate; BreathMate focuses on the breathing you do on purpose.