Breathing exercises for sleep, step by step

Breathing for sleep means breathing slower than usual, with the exhale as long as or longer than the inhale, for a few minutes before bed. The best known is the 4-7-8 technique: breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 and breathe out for 8. It is not a treatment for insomnia, but it helps you relax, and that makes it easier to fall asleep.

Why slow breathing helps you relax

When we are tense, we breathe faster and higher in the chest. Breathing slower on purpose is one of the few things in the body we can regulate at will. A 2018 systematic review (Zaccaro and colleagues) gathered studies on breathing at fewer than 10 breaths per minute in healthy adults: it found more relaxation, less anxiety, and measurable changes in heart rate variability.

Two honest caveats: that review pools few studies (15), and it measures relaxation, not sleep. No breathing exercise has solid evidence that, on its own, it makes you fall asleep faster. What it does is help you wind down, and that is often the hard part.

The 4-7-8 breathing technique

It was popularized by physician Andrew Weil, who describes it as a relaxing breath based on yoga practices. Here is how:

Rest the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth and breathe out fully through your mouth.
Close your mouth and breathe in through your nose to a count of 4.
Hold your breath to a count of 7, without straining.
Breathe out slowly through your mouth to a count of 8.
That is one cycle. Repeat until you have done four.

How to adapt 4-7-8 if it feels hard

What matters is the ratio, not the seconds: the exhale lasts twice as long as the inhale. If holding for 7 is uncomfortable, count faster or shorten everything while keeping the ratio. And if you feel dizzy or short of breath, go back to normal breathing: it is not an endurance test.

Box breathing

Box breathing, also called square breathing, has four equal phases, like the sides of a box. Cleveland Clinic describes it as a simple technique to bring stress down:

Breathe in through your nose to a count of 4.
Hold to a count of 4.
Breathe out to a count of 4.
Stay empty to a count of 4, then start again.

What a study comparing it found

In a 2023 trial (Balban and colleagues, in Cell Reports Medicine), over a hundred people practiced box breathing, two other breathing techniques or meditation for five minutes a day over a month. The breathing techniques improved mood more than meditation, and the one that did it most was the one with a longer exhale ("cyclic sighing"). So if you want to relax for sleep, it is worth trying rhythms with a longer exhale too.

Coherent breathing and long-exhale rhythms

Coherent breathing is the simplest of all: breathe in for 5 counts and out for 5, with no hold. That is about six breaths a minute, within the slow breathing range of the studies. If the holds in 4-7-8 or box breathing leave you more alert than calm, this is a good place to start.

A middle step is to lengthen only the exhale: for example, in for 4 and out for 6. No holds, with the breath out longer than the breath in.

How to do it before bed

Do it lying down, or sitting up in bed, with the lights low.
Start with a few cycles, around five minutes. More is not better.
Breathe in through your nose. Counting keeps your mind from drifting elsewhere.
If a technique feels uncomfortable, switch to a gentler one. The one that feels effortless is the one you will keep doing.
Do it several nights in a row: like any habit, it pays off with practice.

A box breathing app: Mar de Tranquilidad

Counting in the dark gets tiring. Mar de Tranquilidad is the meditation app we made so you do not have to count: a sea generated by code breathes with you. When the wave rises, you breathe in; when it falls, you breathe out. No voice, no recorded audio. On the App Store it is called Sea of Tranquility.

Five rhythms: Gentle 3·5·1, Calm 4·6·1, Coherent 5·5, Box 4·4·4·4 and 4-7-8.
Sessions of 1, 3, 5 or 10 minutes, or endless.
Sleep mode on Apple TV: choose 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, the waves calm down and at the end image and sound fade out together.
Where to get it: on the App Store (Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac), on Google Play and on the web. A free download, with Pro as a one-time purchase.

When to see a professional

If you sleep badly most nights for weeks, if you wake up short of breath or with a racing heart, or if tiredness affects your day, see a doctor. Breathing is a tool to relax, not a substitute for a diagnosis or treatment. If you have a respiratory or heart condition, or you are pregnant, ask your doctor before practicing breath holds.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 4-7-8 breathing technique?

It is a slow breathing exercise popularized by physician Andrew Weil: breathe in through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7 and breathe out through your mouth for 8. Repeat four times. What matters is the ratio: the exhale lasts twice as long as the inhale.

Does 4-7-8 breathing help you sleep?

It helps you relax, and relaxing makes it easier to fall asleep. But there is no solid evidence that it makes you fall asleep faster on its own or that it treats insomnia. If you often sleep badly, see a professional.

What is box breathing?

It is breathing in four equal phases of 4 counts each: breathe in, hold, breathe out and stay empty. It is also called square breathing.

How long should I do it?

Five minutes is enough to start. With 4-7-8, four cycles are recommended at first. More is not better: if you feel dizzy, go back to normal breathing.

Is there a box breathing app that guides you?

Mar de Tranquilidad (Sea of Tranquility on the App Store) guides your breathing with a sea that rises and falls, no voice. It has Box 4·4·4·4, 4-7-8 and Coherent 5·5 rhythms, among others, and on Apple TV a Sleep mode that fades out on its own. It is a free download.