I would argue that's counter to your intended point though. If you go into the E.R. or the hospital, one of the vitals they measure is in fact the number of breaths taken per unit of time. In a normally functioning human we don't have to worry about that metric because it is self regulating. If on the other hand you are in critical condition, measuring your breaths is a very important metric.

So as I've said elsewhere, the problem isn't measurement. The problem is as Deming said "The aim defines the system". Well thought out measures in accordance with clear goals and aims can be valuable. Like anything though, it requires careful consideration and may need to be revised based on outcomes.