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We all sometimes have trouble falling asleep. There are a few things that are frustrating and one of them is when you are tired and unable to fall asleep.
You had an amazing hot bath, you enjoyed your favorite hot drink, you even dabbed a few drops of lavender on your pillow. You put on some soft, soothing music. Unfortunately, nothing helped.
Wait, have you tried the 4-7-8 breathing trick?
We have heard about it too, but it’s been around for years. It is a holistic breathing technique that is used primarily to combat stress and anxiety.
However, it can also be used to help people who have trouble falling asleep. It makes sense when it helps with stress and anxiety. Those are often the main causes of insomnia (clinically called insomnia).
Alina Gonzalez explains the technique, which involves counting numbers up to thirty.
This woman swears by it because it changed her life.
But let’s get back to the 4-7-8 technique.
How do you do it correctly?
“Simply, you inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale through your mouth very slowly so that it lasts eight seconds.”
Alina Gonzalez points out that when you try it for the first time, you will feel like you need to breathe quickly or speed up the counting. But don’t do that and try to control yourself.
You must “stick” to the given numbers (or at least try to) and don’t take any breaks while doing it. In other words, repeat the 4-7-8 sequence disciplinarily, without reverting to normal, regular breathing.
If you maintain it, you will literally feel your heart rate slow down, your mind calm, and your whole body physically relax.
“This breathing technique engages the whole body into a rest mode and relaxes it as if you had taken a drug. I can’t even remember when I first managed to go through the entire 4-7-8 sequence,” says Gonzalez.
It’s that simple and yet it works. What’s the reason?
Alina Gonzalez’s partner, who is a licensed wellness coach, said about this technique that applying the breathing rhythm according to this numerical combination triggers a chemical effect on the brain, which in turn slows the heart rate and helps a person fall asleep.
“It works, it’s crazy,” this is how Alina Gonzalez described her experience with the technique.
“I couldn’t wait to test this trick. The next morning when I woke up, I couldn’t even remember when I got to the eighth second of the exhale. I fell asleep that quickly,” she adds enthusiastically.
So of course, anyone who regularly suffers from insomnia should try it. What results have those who tried it seen?
They no longer lay awake for hours waiting to finally fall asleep. They fell asleep. Then, when they accidentally woke up in the middle of the night, they used this technique again and fell asleep quickly. Sleep didn’t come instantly, but certainly quite fast.
How does it work?
Stress and breathing are inseparably linked. High levels of stress lead to shallow breathing and shallow breathing leads to more stress.
When we are nervous or stressed, our breathing speeds up and becomes shallow. Breathing deeply and slowly calms us mentally and physically immediately.
It is not unusual for people who are stressed or controlled by anxiety not to breathe sufficiently and for it to become chronic. They even unconsciously hold their breath.
“By extending your inhales to the count of four, you force yourself to take in more oxygen. By holding your breath for seven seconds, you allow the oxygen to affect your circulation.
Subsequently, by slowly exhaling over eight seconds, you expel carbon dioxide from your lungs.
This technique effectively slows your heart rate and increases the volume of oxygen in your bloodstream. You may even feel a bit lightheaded, as if you’re a little dizzy. The increase in oxygen volume in your blood has a similar effect to a mild sedative.
Immediately your heart, mind, and the entire central nervous system relax because you control your breathing and not the other way around,” explains Gonzales.
This breathing exercise is a useful breathing method. It has been an integral part of yoga and Eastern wellness practices for millennia. It was only recently incorporated into Western thinking and lifestyle.
We recommend that you give this breathing method a chance. If you want, you can try this exercise tonight.
We hope you finally sleep well.
