Your breath stops more often during work than you think (and that increases your stress)

You're sitting at your laptop.
Inbox open. One more mail. One more.

And somewhere in between... you stop breathing.

Not on purpose.
Not completely.
But just enough to put your body into a kind of pause mode.

What a lot of people don't realize:
During concentrated screen work, your body often enters a mild stress mode — without you noticing it.

And your breathing is one of the first things that changes.

What is email apnea?

Email apnea (also known as screen apnea) is unconscious holding or making your breathing shallow while using screen.

The term was introduced by researcher Linda Stone, who observed that around 80% of people change their breathing while working on a screen

It often happens when you:

• are focused
• responds quickly to messages
• or works under time pressure

Your body goes into focus mode.
But your breathing lags behind.

Why does this happen?

Your brain chooses focus over breathing

When you are deeply focused, your brain can temporarily suppress automatic processes to focus more energy on the task.

Even breathing.

👉 This explains why your breath shortens or “stops” during intense work

Your body interprets screen work as stress

Each email is a micro-incentive:

• something you need to solve
• something you need to comment on
• something that may be “urgent”

Your body responds physically to that.

👉 Breathing becomes more superficial
👉 Tension builds

Attitude plays a role

Sitting hunched over → less space for breathing

👉 Less deep breath, more chest breathing

What does this do to your body?

The problem isn't one moment.
The problem is that it happens hours a day.

Respiration research shows that it can disrupt the balance between oxygen (O₂), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitric oxide, which affects stress responses in the body

In addition, impaired breathing can activate the nervous system as if there is danger.

👉 Your body goes into a light “fight-or-flight” mode

Even when you're just sitting at your laptop.

Possible signals

• you unconsciously hold your breath
• you breathe high into your chest
• you sigh regularly
• you feel tension in the neck or shoulders
• you are tired after a day of “sitting”

👉 Your body is constantly trying to recover

What can you do (without changing your work)?

You don't have to change your work.
Just build in small resets.

1. Check your breath (30 seconds)

Place one hand on your stomach.

• in → belly moves
• out → belly sinks

👉 This brings your breath back to rest

2. Work in breathing pauses

Every 20—30 minutes:

• look away from your screen
• take 3 slow breaths

👉 reset your nervous system

3. Extend your exhalation

For example:

• 4 seconds in
• 6 seconds out

👉 this gives an immediate rest signal

4. Make it visible

The biggest problem:

👉 you don't notice

Awareness is the first step.

Only after that, change.

Why this is more important than you think

We optimize our:

• scheduling
• inbox
• productivity

But forget something more fundamental:

👉 how we breathe during the day

And that's where stress regulation starts.

Email apnea FAQ

What exactly is email apnea?
Unconsciously holding or shortening your breathing while using screen.

Is email apnea harmful?
Not directly on its own, but when it occurs daily, it can contribute to stress and fatigue.

Why does email apnea happen?
Because during focus, your brain temporarily suppresses automatic processes such as breathing.

How do you prevent email apnea?
By breathing consciously regularly, taking short breaks and extending your exhalation.

Lastly

Your body sits still.
But your breath tells a different story.

Maybe working behind a screen isn't the problem.

But how you breathe while you work... well.

Question for you:
Do you notice that your breathing changes during work?

‍

Resources

• ‍Stone, L. (2009). Diagnosis: Email Apnea — ob
• NPR/Body Electric (2024). Screen apnea: What happens to your breathing while using screen?
• Cyborg Anthropology. Email apnea — definition and physiological effects.
• Deseret News (2024). Impact of screen apnea on stress and bio
• Wikipedia. Email apnea — effects on energy, sleep and stress