What is the 4-7-8 method for improving sleep and what does it consist of?

Sleep hours play a vital role both physically and psychologically for people. Not sleeping eight hours a day will not allow your muscles to recover properly, your bones to strengthen, and your growth hormone to function properly. Here because, It is essential to create good habits that allow you to rest well at night, such as the 4-7-8 breathing technique.

Rest is also essential for the immune system to strengthen and avoid future injuries, in addition to the fact that it affects the mood of people who suffer from it a good sleep cycle It’s definitely better than the others. On the other hand, getting a poor night’s sleep can lead to negative health effects, from weight gain to heart disease or depression.

One of the techniques most recommended by specialists to promote relaxation and release stress is 4-7-8 breathing. Also known as relaxing breathingconsists of inhaling for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds and exhaling for 8 seconds.

This process is not only for relaxation, but is also recommended for people with insomnia problems and sleep. In fact, some claim you can fall asleep in less than a minute.

“To do these sleep exercises, it’s best to lie on your back, even if you normally sleep on your side, to get their full benefits. “Start doing them probably with 2 to 4 repetitions, but eventually work your way up to maybe 8,” he explains the “Runner’s World” portal.

“When you go to exhale, you have to expel all the air from your lungs for eight seconds. It is important to produce a loud sound, so it is quite a difficult technique and sometimes you may not be able to reach 8 seconds. But don’t worry, because the more times you do this breathing technique during sleep, the easier it will be to get there,” he adds.

However, the site clarifies that this is not a magical technique and must be accompanied by other techniques it will facilitate sleep and good rest, such as: avoiding heavy dinners or drinking many drinks before going to sleep.

Breathing techniques to get rid of insomnia

The “Mejor con Salud” portal has published a list of breathing exercises that will allow you to put aside insomnia and improve your sleep cycle:

• Diaphragmatic breathing: Diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing is the most classic way to relax the mind and body. Not only can we practice it to relieve insomnia, but it is also very useful for channeling stress, improving our attention, our digestion and our metabolism.
• Alternative nasal breathing: This exercise requires a little more practice and, although it may seem complex and even strange at first, it is actually very relaxing, cathartic, beneficial and very suitable for fighting insomnia.
• Intense breathing: The next breathing technique to combat insomnia is less well known. However, it will be very useful to combine it with any of the previous strategies. Repeat this technique 5 times and then breathe normally. Next, perform one of the breathing strategies described above.
• square breathing: It’s simple, it’s useful and, if we get used to practicing it every evening, after 10 days we will notice a great inner calm. Almost without us realizing it, it will generate an ideal relaxation in our brain that will allow us to fall asleep.