iBreathe – Relax and Breathe

Update: I love this app. But, honestly, I didn’t like the tip jar button on the finish screen. However, I understand better now that the developer really does want to make the app available to the most people for the most economical price. I know it can help with day to day stress. I use it all the time. Even though I paid for the app (to remove ads) I’m also fine with giving a tip to help support the app and further development knowing now that I know my tip will make the tip jar button disappear. That part wasn’t clear to me. I appreciate the developer reaching out and explaining their rationale for tip jar. Karma points to you for wanting to help as many people as possible. Old review: I understand you don’t want to increase the cost of the app and you say that the “tip jar button” after the session is meant to not be intrusive, but it is. And to me, after paying for the ad free version and supporting the app, the tip prompt is stressful after doing the breathing. Exactly opposite of what the app is intended for. Just raise the cost of the app. People will pay it. Honestly, I don’t even want to use the app anymore because of that tip button. I don’t have a good solution for you, but I’d pay $5 as a tip to never see the tip jar button again. I will gladly change my review if you are able to come up with a better solution than the tip jar button.

iBreath is a great app that has been very valuable in my life as of recent. With my final exams coming up and a huge end-of-semester workload, I have found myself stressed and overwhelmed almost constantly. After downloading and using this app for a week long period, it became a must for getting started on my homework, preparing for an exam, and other life stresses. Inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 7, and then exhaling for 8 may seem like a simple process that may not do too much, but it actually does a number of things to help you reduce your immediate stress. One example is that it allows you to have a larger intake of oxygen. People who suffer with anxiety tend to experience rapid, shallow breathes from their chest. This pattern may disrupt the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels that are typically kept in balance as people breathe. The 4-7-8 breathing method provides people who may suffer with these symptoms a good way to regulate their breathing when they start to feel stressed, overwhelmed, or just breathing in a non-efficient way. Another example where this breathing exercise can benefit users is when an individual has high blood pressure. Slow, deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system which decreases the heart rate and dilates blood vessels, reducing overall blood pressure. As your breathing becomes slower, your brain associates it with a state of relaxation, which causes your body to slow down other functions. I’ve really enjoyed this app and will continue to use it, and I encourage others to do so as well!

This app has been very beneficial to me leading up to finals week. I downloaded this app to see if it would help me decrease my stress levels during the two week period I spend completing my assignments for the semester, and studying for my final exams. The breathing interval of inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 5 and exhaling for 6 really helped slow my heart rate down when I began to get stressed out about different assignments. Slowing down the heart rate helps to decrease stress levels because when the heart rate is fast, your oxygen intake is lower, which can actually stress you out more. I also used this app before taking one of my tests, because I tend to get bad testing anxiety. Doing a breathing exercise prior to taking my test calmed me down quite a bit, and now I don’t think i’ll be able to test without doing it. Since I was calmer during my test, I did better on it than I had on others in the same class. Doing breathing exercises lowers anxiety levels because you can feel you’re chest tightening when you’re anxious, and taking deep breaths relieves this. Another reason why breathing exercises are beneficial is because without that anxious feeling, I am happier than usual after doing my breathing exercise.