Breathing exercise · 4 · 7 · 8
4-7-8 breathing after a long day
A 4 · 7 · 8 rhythm — in for four, hold for seven, out for eight.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
In for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. The exhale is longer than the inhale — that is the entire instruction. Use it at the end of a long day, not at the start of one. Nothing abstract for the next few minutes.
Why it can help
This ratio is used a lot before sleep, because a long exhale is what your breathing already does as you fall asleep.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 7s | 4s |
| Exhale | 8s | 11s |
One round is 19 seconds. At the default 5 rounds this practice runs 95 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when your thoughts are moving faster than you are
- in a hospital corridor, waiting for news
- after a long drive, to shake off the alertness
Tips
- If you wear a watch that tracks breathing, ignore it while you do this.
- Try it once with a hand on your ribs so you can feel whether they are moving.
- Holding your breath is optional in every exercise here. You can always breathe through instead.
Please note
If holding your breath makes you dizzy or uncomfortable, skip the holds entirely and breathe slowly and evenly instead. Never push through lightheadedness. If you are pregnant, or manage a heart, blood pressure or lung condition, check with a doctor before doing breath holds.
If this rhythm does not suit you, try Uneven box breathing, Coherent 4-4 breathing for bedtime, when you are too tired to try hard or How to use Coherent 5-5 breathing for travel days.