Photo: Jasmine Dowling
Anyone who’s suffered through a sleepless night will know just how soul-destroying annoying it can be–the more you try to get some shut-eye, the more sleep seems to evade you. Well, this breathing trick might put an end to the special kind of hell that is insomnia.
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According to Good Housekeeping, the new method, called the “4-7-8 breathing technique” comes from Arizona-based doctor, Dr. Andrew Weill. He claims the trick acts like a “natural tranquilizer for the nervous system” and can help people fall asleep in just 60 seconds.
The technique seems pretty simple, and it’s all about exhaling loudly through your mouth and inhaling quietly through your nose. Here’s how it’s done:
1. Place the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth and keep it there throughout the entire breathing technique.
2. Breath out forcefully to make an audible “whoosh” sound.
3. Close your mouth and count to four while inhaling through your nose–softly this time.
4. Hold your breath while counting to seven.
5. Breath out forcibly again through your mouth in one long breath, making that “whoosh” sound again for eight seconds.
6. Repeat the cycle three times to make a total of four breaths.
This trick sounds almost too easy to be true, but there’s only one way to find out.
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