The other night I was, once again, laying in bed unable to sleep. Not just like, ooh I should count sheep for a second kinda can’t sleep… we are talking full blown insomnia. I am the first to say, my sleep patterns & habits regarding sleep are shit. I stay up too late working, then I can’t wake up in the morning, I am always on my computer, my circadian rhythms are all f*cked up and I have had these kinda sleep issues since I was a kid.
It could be the circadian rhythm I was born with, or my bad habits around bedtime, or (most likely) a combo of both. Either way, when my head hits the pillow, my mind starts racing. It starts running through what needs to be done, every single life problem I have, worst case scenarios, things I need to buy at CVS, what I should wear the next day, what all my friends are doing (sleeping, probably), THE LIST GOES ON.
The go-to tips everyone always tells me are: get off the computer/stop watching tv an hour before bed (not happening), drink CALM magnesium, meditate before bed, sleepy time tea, melatonin pills, eat pistachios before bed, listen to soothing sounds, etc. etc.
I am sure those will help if you have minor sleep issues, but for me- those weren’t helping. SO- back to the other night that I couldn’t sleep for the life of me… it was nearing on 3:30am & sleep was not in my future. The anxiety started & I grabbed my phone to Google “how to fall asleep QUICKLY”. There, filling the screen, were articles about the 4-7-8 sleep hack. I tried it, and by minute two I WAS OUT LIKE A MF LIGHT!!! It was shocking, exciting, mind blowing, & just so damn effective that naturally- I had to share this amazing sleep hack with you guys! Let’s break it down:
THE 4-7-8 BREATHING METHOD FOR SLEEP
Breathing is a magical thing & just the act of focusing your breath can change your mood almost instantly, the 4-7-8 breathing exercise (aka “the relaxing breath”) is an ancient Indian practice called pranayamic breathing that literally means to “regulate your breath” & promotes some serious relaxation.
The act of breathing out, holding your breath, and breathing it in helps the oxygen circulate through your body & that is what produces that coveted relaxing feeling where you can actually shut down your mind & your eyes.
HOW TO DO THE 4-7-8 BREATH (IT’S EASY!!!)
STEP 1: place tip of your tongue against the back of your upper front teeth & keep it there for the following steps.
STEP 2: empty your lungs of ALL the air by breathing it all out through your mouth audibly.
STEP 3: close your mouth & simply breathe in through your nose for 4 counts.
STEP 4: Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
STEP 5: exhale completely through your mouth (make the sound you make when you breathe in yoga *WHOOSH*) and keep exhaling for 8 full seconds.
Rinse & repeat! Right now I need to do this breath for about 2 minutes to get to the place of sleep, but with practice the pros say you can get down to 60 seconds of breaths before lights out. I am more than fine with 2 minutes (record time for me), but if it doesn’t work right away for you or even the first night- keep trying! IT WORKS, I swear by it now, & it’s such an epic lil’ sleep hack!!!
**note: this breathing technique also works when you’re feeling high anxiety, stress, anger, and can even help to curb hunger cravings if you’re on a diet!