How the 4-7-8 Technique Works: Helping You Sleep, Calm Your Mind, and Reduce Blood Pressure
This technique can help you calm down and fall asleep better. You can practice these breathing exercises before bed or during the day, whether sitting or standing, if you need to relieve stress.
Emotions and breathing are interconnected, as everyone knows from personal experience. When you are stressed, your breathing becomes faster; when you are calm and peaceful, your breathing becomes softer. However, few people realize that calm and nervous states correspond to two fundamentally different ways of breathing. There is a method that takes this into account and can help you regulate your breathing, thereby better managing your emotions and overall well-being.
The 4-7-8 method was created by Andrew Weil, a renowned physician and one of the promoters of integrative medicine, which combines evidence-based medicine and alternative practices. This method is not only a remedy for stress but also insomnia. It involves controlled breathing, consisting of a deep inhalation, a prolonged exhalation, and a breath hold. The goal of this technique is to relax the body by regulating breathing and encouraging you to breathe from the bottom of the chest, rather than the top, as is common in stressful situations.
- Sit upright with your hands on your knees, or lie down and relax completely.
- Relax your eyes and, if you prefer, close them.
- Concentrate on your breathing: inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. As you exhale, let the tip of your tongue touch the ridge of your upper palate near your upper teeth.
- Inhale calmly through your nose for four seconds.
- Hold your breath for seven seconds.
- Exhale forcefully through your mouth for eight seconds.
This entire process is considered one 4-7-8 cycle, which can act as a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system. Initially, you can repeat the 4-7-8 cycle about 10 times, then gradually increase the number of cycles to 20-25.
Weil explains that the breathing technique he developed increases the efficiency of oxygenation of the lungs and also affects the parasympathetic nervous system. And like with any other exercise of this kind, while doing them, you focus on the exercise itself and forget about the worries that stressed you.