Breathing exercise · 4 · 7 · 8
How to use 4-7-8 breathing for bedtime, when you are too tired to try hard
The pattern is 4 · 7 · 8, which is in for four, hold for seven, out for eight.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Take 4 counts to breathe in, hold for 7, and 8 to breathe out. Keep the out-breath unhurried. Too tired to try hard is exactly the right amount of tired for this. The body is the most reliable place to begin.
Why it can help
The out-breath is where the release happens. The in-breath is just the setup.
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 8 rounds this practice runs 152 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you are tired but cannot afford to be
- in the car, parked, before you go inside
- when you have read the same paragraph three times
Tips
- Two minutes done properly beats ten minutes done while checking your phone.
- Keep the effort mild. If you can hear yourself breathing hard, slow it down.
- A hold should feel like a pause, not like running out of air.
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.