Settling down for a good night of sleep seems like something more and more people find challenging as each year passes. Sleep deprivation only rises, and many folks have difficulty managing their sleep schedule.
The reasons for having trouble sleeping are legion in many respects. Where you live, where you sleep, what you eat, and what your routine is all contributing considerably to how we manage our resting time. However, one of the most critical factors in sleeping is much more straightforward - breathing.
In today's blog, we’ll look at the nature of sleep and how we can use breathwork to help ease ourselves into a nighttime routine that helps maximize the return we get from our resting hours.
Read on!
How to Sleep
It sounds like a strangely obvious idea, but not everyone has fully mastered the process of drifting off to sleep. Slumbering is a tricky thing to achieve in modern times, what with our menageries of digital devices that make it challenging to keep our attention away from. This doesn’t even factor in streaming services, and other forms of entertainment that make it feel like going to sleep causes us to miss out on all the fun.
The reality is that sleeping is much more than the act of sleeping – it involves an entire process of settling our minds and bodies down, allowing us to ease gently into a state that makes us feel relaxed and ready to nod off.
Sleep with Breathwrk
One of the critical components of ensuring a good sleep is changing how we breathe before we settle down. Breathing is fundamental to changing our mindset and can be a vital tool for ensuring our minds and bodies are in an ideal state to slumber.
Our Sleep breathing exercise is a perfect way to do with, with a process that acts like a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system – allowing us to relax and rest optimally.
Breathing to Sleep
To start this exercise, lay down on your back, ideally on your bed.
- Inhale through your nose for approximately four (4) seconds.
- Then, hold your breath for approximately seven (7) seconds.
- Finally, exhale for eight (8) seconds. This completes a full “round” of breathing.
- Complete eight (8) rounds of this exercise; by this point, you should feel restful and relaxed.
When engaging in this exercise, it's essential to ensure that when you inhale, you do so into your abdomen – expanding your stomach before allowing it to flatten during your exhale. Try to ensure you are not using your chest at any stage during the exercise.
For more information regarding how to manage your breathing for a more effective lifestyle, visit our other blogs ,here at ,The Exhale to get the latest tips and tricks. For free guided breathing exercises that you can take anywhere, try out the Breathwrk app ,here and enjoy a FREE 7-day trial with access to ,everything we have to offer!
And remember: Breathe Better, Live Better.
Ciao!
