Sleep: the struggle is real. You can’t keep your eyes open after lunch at your desk and you definitely can’t keep them closed when you’re lying in bed.
4-7-8 breathing technique, an exercise which is meant to calm your body and your mind as you focus completely on your breathing.
Method has been pioneered by Harvard-trained Dr Andrew Weil
'It is utterly simple, takes almost no time, requires no equipment and can be done anywhere.'
It was last year when I was struggling to sleep due to the stress I got working. Few months where I need to finish one project and achieve the desired target. So.. I was suffering nervous, anxiety, sleepless and tiring daily journeys.
After trying diferents tricks: develop a bedtime routine, Take a warm bath before to go to bed, exercise routine, change sleeping position... and seeing that the situation was not changing, I had the luck to find the 4-7-8 breathing technique one day I was explaining this problem to a friend. I remember he said: "Try this method and your life will change".
The 4-7-8 trick goes like this:
- Breathe in through your nose for four seconds.
- Hold your breath for seven seconds.
- Exhale through your mouth for eight seconds.
The studied combination of numbers has a chemical-like effect on our brains, and would slow my heart rate.
The first time he explained me this, I was thinking... it's going to be impossible! But surprisingly well, it works perfectly. It's true that the first days it take more time to relax as I was concentrated to do it well. But since the first day I tried the method, I was sleeping really fast! I didn't remember even how many times y repeat the process, I would say... less than 5!