Breathing Exercises To Sleep Better

Do you have sleeping difficulty? One of the best ways to help you fall asleep is to follow breathing exercises. Specific breathing exercises can help in reducing uneasiness and anxiousness and let you de-stress at bedtime. Here are some simple breathing exercises you can try to sleep better.

4-7-8 breathing technique

4-7-8 breathing is a type of ‘Pranayama’. It can help lower your blood pressure and your heart rate, which facilitates relaxation and helps you fall asleep. Hers is how to do it-
Sit while keeping your back straight.
Place your tongue behind your upper front teeth throughout the exercise.
Breathe out air through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
Keep your mouth close and inhale through your nose while counting to 4.
While holding your breath, count to 7.
Then, while exhaling through your mouth, make a whooshing sound and count to 8.
Repeat these steps four times at the start, and then gradually increase to 8 times.
See that you maintain the ratio of time of inhaling, holding, exhaling as it’s the essential aspect of the exercise. You can count faster if you can’t continue holding your breath for the entire span, you will slowly get accustomed to the breathing exercise.

Diaphragmatic breathing

The diaphragm is a muscle that plays an essential role in breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is also known as belly or abdominal breathing. This exercise helps reduce tension, racing heart rate, and heavy breathing that can interfere with sleep.
You can either sit or lie down in a convenient position.
Keep one hand on your stomach and the other on your upper chest.
Focus on breathing into your belly, letting your stomach push your hand out while your chest stays still.
Release the breath, and your hand should go in as your belly draws in. Your hand on the upper chest should stay still.
Try this breathing technique for 3-10 cycles until you relax and fall asleep.

Box breathing

Box breathing is also known as square breathing. The meditative state of box breathing can reduce feelings of stress and increase happiness.
Breathe in gradually through your nose and count to 4.
Hold your breath and count to 4.
Exhale from your mouth slowly, in 4 counts.
Wait for 4 seconds and repeat.
This method helps you gain mental focus and relaxes your mind and body.

Bhramari Pranayama breathing

This breathing exercise can lower your heart rate and blood pressure. If anxiety and irritability keep you awake, ‘Bhramari Pranayama’ can help you relieve that tension, so your body is ready for deep sleep. These steps will help you perform the ‘Bhramari Pranayama’ breathing exercise.
Sit comfortably with your eyes closed.
Cover the cartilage of your ears with your thumbs.
Place your index fingers above your eyebrows and the rest of your fingers over your eyes.
Exert mild pressure to the sides of your nose and concentrate on your brow area.
Breathe out slowly through your nose, keeping your mouth closed, making the humming sound.
Repeat this process five times.

You can try any of the breathing exercises for a peaceful and relaxing sleep.