How the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique Can Help You Fall Asleep—Here’s How to Do It

If you find yourself struggling to fall asleep, there’s an easy breathing technique that can quickly calm your racing thoughts and soothe your restless body in just a few minutes. This simple technique, called the 4-7-8 breathing method, was created by Andrew Weil, M.D., a professor of medicine and public health and the founder of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. 

The 4-7-8 breathing method is rooted in the ancient yogic practice of pranayama, which involves consciously controlling your breath and encompasses numerous breathing techniques and patterns. Yoga and pranayama, practiced for thousands of years in Eastern cultures, made their way into Western culture in the 1800s and have continued to grow in popularity over the past two centuries. Breathing practices, such as slow breathing, deep belly breathing, and single-nostril breathing, help counteract the overactive sympathetic nervous system (the stress system), manage anxiety, and encourage deep relaxation.

Steps to Follow

You can practice the 4-7-8 breathing method anywhere and anytime—whether you’re lying in bed trying to sleep, preparing for a stressful meeting, or after an intense conversation over dinner. Here’s how to get started.

1. Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of four.
2. Hold your breath at the top for a count of seven.
3. Exhale slowly through pursed lips for a count of eight. 

Suzanne Bergmann, LCSW, a psychotherapist at Joshua Tal, PhD, and Associates in New York City, suggests repeating this cycle four times when you begin. 

According to Bergmann, "The pause between breaths helps you focus on slowing your breath, ensuring that both your inhalation and exhalation are complete." She further explains that the extended exhalation allows you to empty your lungs more thoroughly than with your natural breath, allowing your body to take in more oxygen on the following inhale.

If you skip the pause, you might start breathing too fast or even hyperventilating, she explains. It could feel uncomfortable initially, so try to breathe gently, not forcefully, and if you feel lightheaded, speed up the counts (there’s no need for perfect timing).

Benefits of the 4-7-8 Breathing Method

It helps quiet your mind.

Feeling anxious? Your mind can’t focus on two things at once, so by doing the simple 4-7-8 breathing exercise—counting each inhale, holding your breath, and counting the exhale—you create a distraction from racing or unwanted thoughts.

It activates your diaphragm, an essential muscle for breathing.

By engaging in deep, controlled breathing like the 4-7-8 technique, you activate your diaphragm, improving both your breathing efficiency and your posture. This key muscle lies just beneath your lungs and plays a vital role in the process of inhaling and exhaling. 

It induces profound relaxation and assists in falling asleep.

"Breathing exercises aid sleep by activating your parasympathetic system and promoting relaxation," says sleep expert Cheri D. Mah, M.D., M.S. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is responsible for calming your body’s functions, in contrast to the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which triggers your body’s fight-or-flight response, leading to increased heart rate, anxiety, and alertness. Both systems are essential for survival, but they must be balanced—and many of us remain in the heightened state of stress without realizing it. (It’s no surprise that sleep eludes you when your nervous system is out of sync!)

Breathing with intention and focus helps to soothe and relax your nervous system, and by extension, your body and mind. Studies show that slow breathing, in combination with healthy sleep habits, can be more effective in combating insomnia than hypnosis or pharmaceutical treatments.

It significantly reduces chronic stress when practiced regularly.

While it’s not an instant fix and does require some practice, over time, learning to manage your nervous system and stress response can lead to significant improvements in your overall health. As Bergmann points out, "Reducing stress can lessen anxiety, lower blood pressure, boost mood, and ease muscle tension."