The 4-7-8 Method To Fall Asleep In Less Than A Minute
There is nothing worse than spending the night awake in bed, trying to fall asleep and wishing you could rest because a hard day of work awaits you the next day. Not being able to sleep at night will affect your performance throughout the next day and is detrimental not only for your physical health, but also for your emotional well-being.
There are many tips to end insomnia that I have heard throughout my life, tips that I don’t know if they will work for others, but for me they are of no use. A glass of hot water before going to bed, a lime infusion, counting sheep… nothing at all.
However, it seems that the solution is learning to breathe. Today we will talk about the 4-7-8 method to fall asleep in less than a minute
The 4-7-8 method is one of the most powerful and effective relaxation techniques that can be practiced anywhere or anytime when you feel stressed or anxious. This technique is part of the Yoga breathing practice (Pranayama), and was popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil (Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona). In fact, the psychological benefits of yoga are many, you can see it in our article: “The 6 psychological benefits of yoga”
This method It is easy and simple to apply it takes little time to notice its effects, no equipment is needed to carry it out and it can be practiced anywhere, not only in bed to combat insomnia, but also to relax, for example, when one attends an interview. important work or a decisive exam.
According to Dr. Weil, the 4-7-8 breathing technique helps people fall asleep in just 60 seconds by acting as a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system which reduces stress and tension in the body.
How to do 4-7-8 breathing
To be able to use this method to fall asleep quickly follow this sequence of steps:
How it helps you start sleeping quickly
This technique allows you introduce oxygen in greater quantities into your body, which relaxes the parasympathetic nervous system and slows down your heart rate, promoting a state of calm. In this way, it rebalances the nervous system that can become overstimulated during times of stress.
When it’s time to go to sleep, insomnia can feed back into anxiety and stress, because when you see that you can’t sleep, you breathe faster and can’t relax. Without a doubt, this technique is effective in creating a connection between the body, breathing and mind, and helps you be more concentrated, away from those everyday thoughts that prevent us from sleeping
Likewise, breathing deeply and holding it increases intra-abdominal pressure, thus stimulating the vagus nerve, which sends signals to the brain so that the body reduces its state of alert and “fight or flight” characteristic of stressful situations.
You can learn more about how this technique works in the audiovisual content shown below:
Some tips to sleep better
This technique can be useful to relax at a certain moment and thus be able to find yourself in a better state to be able to fall asleep However, insomnia is caused by a series of bad habits that harm our physical and psychological health.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are having trouble sleeping and it has been going on for several weeks, you may need to visit a professional who will help you manage the problems that are causing your insomnia. Now, to sleep better you can try a series of habits that will be useful to you. They are the following:
1. Take care of your diet
How we eat and what we eat can affect our sleep. A balanced diet, not eating large dinners before going to bed or maintaining a more or less stable meal schedule promotes good sleep.
2. Take care of your environment
Environmental conditions influence sleep quality. Be in a room where you feel comfortable, with the television off, or sleep on a comfortable mattress with a suitable pillow they make a difference.
3. Don’t overdo it with a nap
Napping can be beneficial, for example, to perform better and be more productive. However, You don’t have to go overboard with the nap, the ideal is half an hour
4. Do physical exercise
Practicing physical exercise is healthy and, in addition, reduces stress and helps you fall asleep because you will be more tired after exercising.
