Breathing exercises for sleep: which ones work, and when to use them

Most advice about breathing for sleep stops at "take a deep breath". That is not much use at half past midnight. What follows is the small number of techniques that are actually worth learning, what each one is good for, and how to tell whether they are doing anything for you.

Why breathing affects how fast you drop off

Falling asleep is not something you can force. It happens when your nervous system stops treating the moment as important. Slow breathing, particularly a long exhale, nudges it in that direction: your heart rate dips slightly on the out breath, and repeating that pattern for a few minutes tends to settle a racing mind.

This is why the exhale matters more than the inhale. Any technique below that lengthens your out breath is doing the useful part. The counting is mostly a way of keeping your attention on the breath instead of on tomorrow's to do list.

The four techniques worth knowing

4-7-8 breathing

The best known, and the easiest to remember.

1. Breathe in quietly through the nose for a count of four
2. Hold for seven
3. Breathe out slowly through the mouth for eight
4. Repeat four times

If the hold feels uncomfortable, shorten everything while keeping the ratio roughly the same. A 3-5-6 pattern does the same job.

Box breathing

Four counts in, four hold, four out, four hold. Steady and undramatic, which is the point. It suits people who find 4-7-8 too breathless, and it is easy to do without counting on your fingers.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Also called belly breathing. Put one hand on your chest and one on your stomach, then breathe so that only the lower hand moves. Most of us breathe shallowly into the chest without noticing, and this resets that.

Worth practising during the day first. It is harder than it sounds when you are already tired.

The physiological sigh

Two inhales through the nose, the second one short and sharp on top of the first, then a long slow exhale through the mouth. Two or three rounds. This is the fastest of the four, and the most useful when you have woken at 3am with your heart going.

Which one to pick

• Mind racing, cannot switch off: 4-7-8 or box breathing, because the counting occupies the part of your brain that is busy
• Physically tense, shallow breathing: diaphragmatic breathing
• Woken suddenly, feeling wired: physiological sigh
• You have tried these before and found them fiddly: just lengthen your exhale so it is roughly twice your inhale, and stop counting

When to do them

Not at the moment you decide to sleep. Start ten to fifteen minutes before, lights already low, phone already down. Breathing exercises work best as the last step in a wind down rather than a rescue technique, although the physiological sigh is a reasonable exception.

If you are still awake after twenty minutes or so, get up and do something dull in dim light rather than lying there. Staying in bed frustrated teaches your brain that bed is a place where you lie awake.

What the evidence actually says

Slow breathing techniques are widely recommended for stress and sleep, and the NHS publishes its own breathing exercise for stress. They are free, carry no risk for most people, and can be done anywhere.

They are also not a cure for insomnia. If you have been sleeping badly for more than three months, or you are exhausted during the day despite spending enough time in bed, that is worth raising with your GP rather than working through breathing techniques on your own. Persistent insomnia has causes that no amount of counting will address.

When breathing on its own is not enough

For a lot of people, breathing helps with the settling but not with the environment. Light, noise and temperature usually matter more than technique. Blackout curtains, a cooler room and dealing with noise will each do more than any breathing pattern if one of those is your actual problem.

Some people find it easier to keep a routine when there is a physical cue attached to it. Our herbal sleep patches are designed to sit alongside a wind down like this rather than replace it, and there is a kids version for families trying to build a bedtime routine that sticks. Neither is a medicine, and neither will fix a sleep problem that has another cause.

Common questions

How long before breathing exercises work?

Most people notice something on the first attempt, in the sense of feeling calmer. Whether that shortens the time it takes you to fall asleep is a different question, and worth judging over a fortnight rather than a night.

Should I breathe through my nose or my mouth?

In through the nose for all four techniques. Out through the mouth for 4-7-8 and the physiological sigh, either for the other two.

Can I do these if I have asthma or a respiratory condition?

Check with your GP or asthma nurse first, particularly for anything involving breath holds.

Do breathing exercises help with insomnia?

They can make it easier to settle, which helps. They are not a treatment for insomnia, and long standing sleep problems need proper assessment.

Is it normal to feel light headed?

Occasionally, usually from breathing harder than intended. Everything here should feel unhurried. If you feel dizzy, stop and breathe normally.