Depends on whether you faint. If you do not: exhale slowly through pursed lips as the needle goes in, look away at something far, and keep the exhale going. If you do faint, or have ever come close: do not do relaxing breathing. Tense your legs and buttocks hard for ten seconds, release, repeat, which is applied tension, and ask to lie down. Relaxing a fainter drops blood pressure in exactly the wrong moment.
The steps
- Say it out loud: I get anxious with needles, or I have fainted before. They adjust.
- Non-fainters: nostril anchor, long exhales, eyes on the far wall, exhale as it goes in.
- Fainters: lie down if possible. Tense the legs and buttocks for ten seconds, release for twenty, repeat before and during.
- Everyone: hands open, jaw soft, one physiological sigh afterward.
- Sit for a minute before standing. Water and a snack if they offer.
When not to, and when to get help instead
Fainting at needles is a vasovagal response, common and not dangerous in itself, but falling is; always say so and sit or lie down. Breathing exercises that lower blood pressure are the wrong tool for fainters, which is a rare case of the book telling you not to use the book.
What the research says
Applied tension has randomized-trial support for blood-injection-injury phobia and is the standard clinical recommendation for fainters. Slow exhale breathing lowers arousal and modestly raises pain thresholds when relaxed rather than effortful. Looking away and a cough or a long exhale at the moment of insertion are common nursing advice with small-study support.
Other methods people use
Numbing cream for children and for adults who ask. Distraction (phone, conversation) is well supported in pediatric studies. Butterfly needles and a skilled phlebotomist are allowed to be requested.
Questions people also ask
Why do I faint when I get blood drawn?
A vasovagal reflex: heart rate and blood pressure drop together. It is common, especially when young, and it is why fainters should tense their muscles rather than relax before a needle.
Should I breathe in or out when the needle goes in?
Out, slowly, if you are not a fainter. The exhale lowers the startle and softens the muscle around the vein.
In the book
Techniques
Rooms
Two rules, no exceptions
Never practice any technique on this site while you are driving, operating machinery, or doing anything that needs your full attention. The slow ones can make you drowsy, faster than you’d expect. And never practice a breath-hold, bellows breath, or any vigorous breathing in or near water. Read Before you begin for the doctor’s list and the rest.
More in “The body”
- Can breathing exercises lower blood pressure?
- What breathing slows a racing or pounding heart?
- How do I breathe at the dentist or during a medical procedure?
- Does slow breathing help with pain?
Written by Eric Bradley. Last reviewed October 2026. One performer’s craft, offered for general information; not medical advice, mental health treatment, or a substitute for care.