What is the 4-7-8 technique promises to help you sleep in 60 seconds?

 

• The 4-7-8 technique promises to help you sleep in 60 seconds, and insomniacs are calling it a ‘gamechanger’

 

• If you're having trouble sleeping right now and haven't heard of the 4-7-8 technique, it's time to learn.

 

• It's been a rough couple of years, with our sleeping patterns suffering greatly. Those of us back at work are still coming to terms with the fact that we can't take a 'power' nap at 3 p.m. Even for those of us who continue to work from home, we know (deep down) that bringing our laptop to bed with us isn't exactly helping matters.

 

• We'd try any new sleep technique, relaxation-boosting mattress, or mindfulness app on the market at this point. Cue us obsessively googling 'how to sleep' (a term that 8 billion of us have searched for recently). 

 

• Fortunately, we discovered the 4-7-8 sleep technique. And, after putting it to the test for a week, we can confidently say it's one of the simplest and most effective slumber-inducing hacks we've ever discovered.

 

• The 4-7-8 method was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil, an integrative medicine specialist at the University of Arizona, and is based on ancient meditation and breathing-focused techniques.

 

• "It's the single best method I've found for getting back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night," Dr. Weil told MedicalNewsToday. "It's the consistency of doing this over a period of weeks, months, or years that produces the desired results."

 

• It should be noted that the 4-7-8 method may take a little longer than 60 seconds to help you drift off the first few times you try it. As Dr. Weil pointed out, the idea is that the more you practise it, the more effective it becomes. Also, if you have a respiratory illness or another condition that affects your breathing, consult your doctor before attempting the 4-7-8 method.

 

Here's how to do the 4-7-8 method...

1. Take a comfortable position and relax your entire body.

2. Inhale quietly for 4 seconds through your nose.

3. Hold your breath for seven seconds.

4. Exhale for 8 seconds through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.

5. Repeat the cycle as many times as you want.

 

• While more research is needed to prove its clinical efficacy, anecdotal evidence suggests that the rhythmic breathing technique can help boost feelings of relaxation and reduce anxiety. 

 

• As an added bonus, if you concentrate on your breathing, you will be distracted from other things (like writing work emails in your head or plotting your to-do list).

 

• Stick with it over the next few weeks, and we guarantee you'll be sleeping soundly in no time.