The 4-7-8 technique is a relaxation exercise that involves inhaling four times, holding your breath seven times, and exhaling eight times, said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck Faculty of Medicine, via email.
“A lot of sleep disorders are about people who have trouble falling asleep because their minds are buzzing,” said Rebecca Robbins, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate scientist in the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “But exercises like the 4-7-8 technique give you an opportunity to practice peace. And that’s what we need to do before we go to bed.”
“It doesn’t get you to fall asleep, but may reduce anxiety to increase the likelihood of falling asleep,” said Joshua Tal, a New York State-based clinical psychologist.
How 4-7-8 works
The 4-7-8 method doesn’t require any equipment or special setup, but when you first learn the exercise, Weil says you should sit with a straight back. Practicing in a quiet, quiet place might help, Robbins said. Once you get the hang of it, you can use the technique in bed.
Throughout the exercise, place the tip of your tongue against the edge of tissue behind your upper front teeth as you exhale through your mouth around your tongue. Then follow these steps, so because:
- Exhale fully through your mouth and make a hissing sound.
- Close your mouth and breathe in slowly through your nose for a mental count of four.
- Hold your breath and count to seven.
- Exhale through your mouth and make a hissing sound while counting to eight.
- Repeat three more times for a total of four breathing cycles.
Keeping the ratio of four, then seven, then eight counts is more important than the time you spend on each phase, according to Weil.
“If you’re having trouble holding your breath, speed up the exercise, but keep the ratio (consistent) for the three phases. With practice, you can slow everything down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply,” his website advised.
What the research shows
When you’re stressed, your sympathetic nervous system — responsible for your fight-or-flight response — is overactive, making you feel over-stimulated and unwilling to relax and drift off to sleep, Dasgupta said. “An active sympathetic nervous system can cause a rapid heart rate and rapid and shallow breathing.”
The 4-7-8 breathing practice can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system — responsible for rest and digestion — which reduces sympathetic activity, he added, and puts the body in a state more conducive to restful sleep. Activating the parasympathetic system also gives an anxious brain something to focus on aside from “Why am I not sleeping?” said Tal.
While proponents may swear by the method, more research is needed to establish clearer links between 4-7-8 and sleep and other health benefits, he added.
“There is some evidence that 4-7-8 breathing helps reduce anxiety, depressive, and insomnia symptoms when comparing before and after the intervention. However, to my knowledge, there are no large randomized controlled trials specifically on 4-7-8 breathing. ‘ Thal said. “Research on (the effect of) diaphragmatic breathing on these symptoms in general is patchy, with no clear association due to the poor quality of the studies.”
“When you practice some of these activities, we see (an) increase in the amplitude of theta and delta (brain) waves, indicating you’re in the parasympathetic state,” Robbins said. “Slow breathing like the 4-7-8 technique reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and improves lung function.”
What to expect
The 4-7-8 technique is relatively safe, but if you’re a beginner, you might feel a bit groggy at first, Dasgupta said.
“Normal breathing is a balance between inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide. If you upset that balance by exhaling more than you inhale, it causes a rapid reduction in carbon dioxide in the body,” he said. “Low levels of carbon dioxide lead to narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. This reduction in blood supply to the brain leads to symptoms such as lightheadedness. That’s why it’s often recommended to start slow and practice three to four cycles at a time until you’re comfortable with the technique.”
Uncontrolled stress can come in the form of disrupted sleep, Robbins said. “But if we can manage our stress throughout the day (and) use some of these breathing techniques, we can put ourselves in the driver’s seat instead of becoming victims of events that happen in our lives.”
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