Your polygrapher will be happy if your breathing rate is between about 15 and 30 breaths per minute, or 2-4 seconds each. Pick a breathing rate within this range that is comfortable for you and take shallow--not deep--breaths. Each breath should be about the same length and well-rounded, that is, the transition between breathing in and breathing out should be gradual and not sudden, as with panting. Practice until it becomes second nature.

Normal breathing rate ranges from ten to twenty-four cycles per minute. Breathing rate below ten cycles per minute usually indicates that the breathing is under conscious control. Once the FP [forensic psychophysiologist, i.e., polygrapher] has established that any of the above behavior is deliberate, the subject should be admonished. If the subject persists with the countermeasure, the test should be terminated and a post-test interview should be conducted to resolve the matter.