Can't Sleep? Try These 3 Breathing Exercises

It's late, you're wired, and the harder you try to sleep the more awake you feel. Breathing won't knock you out like a switch, but it will quiet a racing mind and nudge your body toward sleep. Try these three, in bed, lights off.

Why breathing helps you sleep

Sleep needs your nervous system in 'rest and digest' mode. A busy mind keeps you in low-grade fight-or-flight. Long, slow exhales are the fastest way to flip that switch — which is why every technique below leans on the out-breath.

1. 4-7-8 breathing

• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
• Hold for 7 seconds.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds.
• Repeat four times, then breathe normally.

2. Coherent breathing (5 and 5)

• Inhale for 5 seconds.
• Exhale for 5 seconds.
• Keep it smooth and let it get slower.
• Continue until you drift.

3. Extended exhale

The simplest of all: just make every exhale longer than the inhale. In for four, out for six or more. Let each out-breath feel like sinking a little deeper into the mattress.

A few sleep tips

• Breathe through your nose where you can.
• Don't chase sleep — aim only to relax, and sleep tends to follow.
• Keep the phone face-down; let a gentle audio or haptic cue pace you instead of the screen.

Need it right now? Open the quick-start page: Breathing exercise before sleep.