Key Takeaways...
Breathing is the most powerful way to reconnect to our spirit and our soul. It’s what connects body to mind, spirit to body.
The invisible parts of yourself are thing things keeping you awake.
Think about it…it’s your thoughts and emotions that are keeping you from sleep.
You’re worrying about the future which creates anxiety. You’re ruminating on the past which creates depression.
All of these thoughts and feelings are invisible. Yet they are preventing that which is physical (your body) from letting go and falling asleep.
Your breath is the bridge from physical to invisible and from invisible to physical.
You control your physical body and its processes through breathing. There is no other more powerful method to quiet your mind enough to fall asleep.
Because of this, I like to work on multiple layers when it comes to sleep.
Breathing correctly is just one aspect of being able to fall asleep effortlessly.
Tire Your Mind
I like to do everything I can physically during the day to make my body and my brain tired. Engaging in conversations that require me to have solutions for complex situations out is helpful. I like to be an emotional support to my twin boys and my wife. I like to do work that engages my mind.
This makes my mind tired.
Tire Your Body
Physically I like to exercise every day. I workout lifting heavy weight in the sun three times a week. The other four days I like to do some form of cardiovascular training. Normally that just involves a walk with our three dogs (Charlee, Coco and Frankie).
I also like to engage in stretching. This happens all throughout the day using my standing desk and yoga is a part of my nighttime routine to “wind down”.
I also like to take key supplements during the day and before bed like melatonin and magnesium. If I’m going through a very stressful life event where I cannot turn my mind off I’ll take specific supplements for that.
Then during the day I’ll make sure to watch the sunrise. This is a non negotiable. I’ll also block blue light by wearing blue blocking glasses and use Iris Tech on my devices. Then when it comes to night time we use special circadian lighting to make sure the light we’re exposed to, doesn’t deplete our melatonin stores.
Then when it comes time to sleep, I’ll usually start with the 4-7-8 breathing technique to slow down. Then I’ll put on my mouth tape (while wearing my red glasses) and then combine the Buteyko breathing technique with the cognitive conundrum brain hack that helps turn off your busy brain.
The reason I do it this way (if I have to, normally I’m asleep in about 10 minutes or less) is because when I do the 4-7-8 breathing technique I need to breathe through my mouth so I can’t do it with my mouth tape on.
After I do the 4-7-8 breathing technique, I’m relaxed and feel a sense of calmness. Then I put the mouth tape on and for the rest of the night I do the Buteyko breathing technique.
As I’m sinking into my pillow and getting more and more relaxed, I’m going through the cognitive conundrum techniques that I play in my head.
All of these work together to create a sleep routine that just works. If you try one thing like melatonin and you do it wrong, it’s not going to work. You need to stack all of these daily disciplines together in order for you to start moving the needle.
I’d like to share the top 3 breathing techniques that I’ve found work best for me.
You should pick one that works for you.
4-7-8 Breathing Technique
The 4-7-8 breathing technique involves a diaphragmatic style of breathing.
According to the National Cancer Institute:
Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as abdominal breathing, belly breathing, or deep breathing, is a relaxation technique that involves taking slow, deep breaths using the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. It can help increase oxygen levels, lower blood pressure and heart rate, and reduce muscle tension. Diaphragmatic breathing may also help relieve stress, pain, and anxiety.
Essentially diaphragmatic breathing involves belly breathing. This is where your belly expands and contracts with each breath you take. Air is getting into your upper and lower lungs filling all 5 lobes of your lungs.
How to do 4-7-8 breathing
- Close your mouth
- Place the tip of your tongue at the back of your front teeth
- Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds
- Breathe out through your mouth for 7 seconds. When you exhale through your mouth purse your lips together letting the air come out making a wooshing sound.
- When all the air is out of your lung, then hold for 8 seconds with your eyes closed and fully relaxed
- Repeat the 4-7-8 technique 10 times
I usually stop after 5 rounds of this because I’m already so exhausted and ready to sleep. At this time, I’ll put my mouth tape on, turn off my red lights and take off my red glasses and start doing the Buteyko breathing method.
Buteyko Breathing Technique
Some sleep coaches will recommend doing the Buteyko breathing method for 15 minutes before you go to sleep. I don’t really like doing that because this is the breathing technique that I’ll be doing all night long while I’m sleeping.
I like to do the 4-7-8 when I first get into bed, then put my mouth tape on, THEN do the Buteyko breathing technique while I’m doing my mental games to fall asleep.
You have to figure out what order and what nighttime routine you like. You might like a completely different order with other breathing techniques. Just find something that works for you.
What’s great about the Buteyko breathing technique is that it stimulates the vagus nerve which helps calm down your nervous system. It allows you to shift from sympathetic to parasympathetic.
According to the Cleveland Clinic…
The vagus nerve, also known as the vagal nerves, are the main nerves in the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls involuntary body functions like digestion, heart rate, and the immune system. The vagus nerve acts as a highway to the brain, sending information that helps regulate these functions, as well as mood and inflammation.
The other benefit to doing the Buteyko breathing technique is that it lowers oxygen in the body. This has helps increase CO2 carbon dioxide. Ironically the less oxygen you breathe in, the more your body will utilize it using the Bohr Effect.
More carbon dioxide means more oxygen utilization. Seems counterintuitive but you’ll notice it to be true when you try it.
Think about somebody that has really bad anxiety and they suffer a panic attack. What do they do? They breathe into a paper bag to get more carbon dioxide in order to calm themselves down.
One thing you may notice doing the Buteyko breathing technique is that the glands in your mouth will produce watery saliva. This is normal. This means you’re calming down and relaxing.
Have you ever been sleeping so deeply that there’s a puddle of drool on your pillow? That means your body had a good amount of deep sleep.
On the other hand, if you have a dry mouth, that means your nervous system is in a sympathetic mode. This is the fight or flight response of your nervous system. The parasympathetic is the rest and repair arm.
You’ll notice more mouth breathing when you’re in a stressed state. I notice more mouth breathing if I’m going to give a speech. After a few minutes of mouth breathing my mouth is dry. That just means my body is in a stressed state.
This is why I like using mouth tape when I sleep.
How To Do Buteyko Breathing
You’ll want to focus on nasal breathing with the tip of your tongue placed on the back of your front teeth. Your breathing should be rhythmic while not focusing on your in and out breaths, in as much as the rhythmic cycle of air.
When you inhale and exhale it, should be all in one level very slowly. It should be very precise yet not deep and sudden. Each inhale and exhale should blend in with the middle part of not inhaling or exhaling.
Your breath should become one. Your inhale, exhale and in between become one constant action.
If you feel like your nose gets blocked (that could be a food allergy) you can use a nasal dilator to help open them up. They work well in combination with mouth tape.
Box Breathing Technique
You might like the box breathing technique. I’ve never really like it that much. I don’t know why. I’ve just found that the 4-7-8 technique combined with Buteyko works perfectly for me.
Just because I don’t really like this breathing technique doesn’t mean you won’t. It could be your favorite.
How To Do Box Breathing
- Inhale for 4 seconds
- Hold that breath for 4 seconds
- Exhale for 4 seconds
- Then hold with no air in your lungs for 4 seconds
- Repeat that process for 7 to 8 cycles
Runner Up
The runner up is something called Jacobson’s relaxation technique. It also goes by the name progressive muscle relaxation. The reason why I made this a runner up is because it doesn’t really involve breathing but a way of contacting and relaxing your muscles.
I like stacking and doing multiple things at once. If these breathing techniques are not working, I’ll combine them with the mental techniques described here. If these two things do not work I’ll add this Jacobsonian muscle relaxation technique to it.
That means I’m doing 3 things at once. I’ve had to resort to this only a few times in my life. If I have to do three techniques like this to fall asleep, I really broke my circadian rhythm that day.
Your circadian rhythm is a 24 hour diurnal bodily cycle. This means you can break it one day, and repair it the next day. It also means maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm is something you need to work on daily.
I digress…..
How To Do Jacob’s Relaxation
You inhale while you’re creating some stress or tension in a small area of muscles in your body. I like to start with my legs and work up to my head. Hold that contraction for 3-5 seconds.
Now exhale and relax those same muscles for 10-15 seconds. Notice the warmth in that part of your body. Notice the blood flow and feeling of calmness in your legs. Visualize all that tension in your legs fading away.
When I’ve done this technique I’ll 5 rounds per section of my body before moving to another area. Since I’m working from my feet to my head, I’ll do my legs first and then move to my stomach and do 5 rounds that way.
I rarely have to do this relaxation technique but it is quite fun.
Avoid This Breathing Technique Before Bed
The Wim Hof breathing method is extremely popular right now. This is the complete opposite of the Buteyko breathing technique. I look at the Wim Hof method as something I would do before a stressful situation.
Sometimes I’ll do the Wim Hof breathing technique before lifting a lot of heavy weight. I’ve seen people do it before getting up to give a speech or do cold plunging. I don’t look at it as something to calm the mind or nervous system. I look at it as a way to gain energy before engaging in an action that requires more energy.
Conclusion
I’ve found that if I do everything right during the day, I’m utterly exhausted by the time comes to fall asleep. If I need to, I’ll resort to some of these breathing techniques but most of the time I don’t have to. I do however use mouth tape every night which helps me feel even more alive when I wake up in the morning.
If you’re having sleep problems like insomnia I would encourage you to try one or two of these breathing techniques to see if it helps you fall asleep a little easier.
Try one at a time. Then add that to watching the sunrise with naked eyes and then add in blocking blue light etc. Keep adding things into your day that will help you sleep and over time as you reconnect to nature, you’ll notice you’ll be able to fall asleep a little faster and stay asleep longer during the night.
Remember, stack the odds in your favor.
Questions:
- Do you currently practice any breathing techniques?
- Have they worked or not?
- How long did you practice them?
Comment below.