Sleeping or escaping from anxiety may never be easy, but there is a breathing method, such as the 4-7-8 exercise, that may help in that, according to what CNN quoted some experts as saying.
Dr. Raj Dasgupta, associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California, said 4-7-8 is a relaxation exercise that involves breathing in and counting for four, holding that breath for a count of seven, and exhaling for a count of eight.
Also known as “relaxing breathing,” the 4-7-8 exercise has ancient roots in pranayama, the yoga practice of regulating breathing, but was popularized by integrative medicine specialist Dr. Andrew Weil in 2015.
“A lot of sleep difficulties arise in people who struggle to sleep because their minds are occupied,” said Rebecca Robbins, a Harvard medical professor and associate scientist in the Division of Sleep Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
She added that “exercises like 4-7-8 give the opportunity” to help sleep, and “that’s exactly what we need to do before we go to bed.”
“It doesn’t make you sleep, but it may reduce anxiety to make you more likely to fall asleep,” said Joshua Tal, a clinical psychologist in New York State.
How to do exercise 4-7-8
The 4-7-8 exercise doesn’t require any specific equipment or preparation, but when you first learn the exercise, you should be sitting with your back straight, according to Will. Robbins said working out in a quiet place can help, and the exercises can be done in bed.
During the entire practice, place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth, where you will exhale through your mouth around your tongue. Then follow these steps, according to Will:
Exhale completely through your mouth, making a noisy sound.
Close your mouth and inhale softly through your nose for a count of four.
Hold your breath and count to seven.
Exhale through your mouth, making a noisy sound for a count of eight.
Repeat the process three more times for a total of four breathing cycles.
And when you feel stressed, your nervous system is overly active, leaving you feeling overstimulated and unwilling to relax and transition to sleep, Dasgupta said.
He added that practicing 4-7-8 breathing can help activate the nervous system responsible for rest and digestion – reducing activity and putting the body in a state more conducive to restful sleep. There is some evidence that 4-7-8 breathing helps reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and stress.
The 4-7-8 exercise is relatively safe, but if you’re a beginner, you may feel a little dizzy at first, according to Dasgupta.
“Normal breathing is a balance between breathing in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. When you disturb this balance by exhaling more than you inhale, it causes a rapid decrease in carbon dioxide in the body,” he said.
“Low levels of carbon dioxide lead to narrowing of the blood vessels that supply the brain with blood. This decrease in blood flow to the brain leads to symptoms such as dizziness. For this reason it is often recommended to start slowly and practice three to four cycles at the same time.”