These 3 Numbers Get Me Back To Sleep When I Wake Up At 3AM

Woman with insomnia sitting up in bedIt’s sometimes hard to take myself seriously when I write about the importance of sleep. Even though I know getting at least seven hours is key to a healthy mind and body, I’ve struggled to get to six a night for years.And though some techniques I’ve tried really have made a difference, I’m certainly not going to turn down potentially helpful new methods. So when Dr Lindsay Browning, psychologist, sleep expert and ambassador for And So To Bed, shared three numbers she thinks might send me back to the land of nod after a 3am wake-up, I tuned in. Her favourite breathing technique can help people whose stress and anxiety keeps them awake, after all (if that doesn’t describe me, I don’t know what does). I rely on the 4-7-8 breathing technique Dr Browning recommended a “simple yet powerful breathing method that helps slow your heart rate and relax your nervous system” called the 4-7-8 breathing technique. This is based on a yogic breathing method called pranayama.To master the method, she said, I should: Inhale through my nose for four seconds, trying to fill the bottom of my lungs with airHold my breath for seven secondsExhale slowly through my mouth for eight seconds. This should be repeated anywhere from four to eight times, she continued, “to calm your mind and ease into sleep.” I’ve been trying it for about a week now, and the results have been impressive: I’ve had two eight-hour nights (unheard of for me), compared to a previous weekly average of just over six hours’ sleep a night.My sleeping average across different weeks: 5 hours 3 mins on the left, 7 hours 46 mins in the most recent weekWhy does breathing matter?“Struggling to sleep can disrupt the brain’s ability to regulate emotions and manage stress,” Dr Browning says. “Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to increased cortisol, the stress hormone, making you feel more anxious and overwhelmed. Sleep also affects the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for emotional responses, causing you to react more strongly to negative situations.”The British Heart Foundation says that deep breathing can “trigger your body and mind to move from the tense fight-or-flight state to a calmer state,” helping to relax your mind enough to nod off.No wonder my sleep has improved so much...Related...From Skin To Sleep, This Is How Stress Impacts The Body By AgeThis Sleep Change May Reveal Increased Dementia Risk For WomenThe Most Important Sleep Rule For A Longer Life, According To Science

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