Breathing for insomnia: 7 minutes, before an exam

About this practice

For the times before an exam when insomnia takes up more room than you would like — 7 minutes, breathing. A guided session of about 7 minutes, suited to all levels. Nothing is recorded and no account is needed.

What this works on: insomnia

Insomnia is often maintained by the fear of not sleeping. Anticipating a bad night raises arousal at bedtime, which produces the bad night.

It tends to show up as:

• Dreading bedtime
• Hours awake with a busy mind
• Sleeping worse as the week goes on

Removing the pressure to sleep is the active ingredient. This gives you something to do that is not trying.

Doing this before an exam

• Do it outside the hall, before you go in
• Do not revise during it — that raises the noise
• Aim to arrive early and steady rather than late and reading

Last-minute revision mostly raises arousal without adding recall. Arriving settled is worth more.

How breathing works

A breathing practice uses the breath as the object of attention and as the control lever. Because exhaling slows the heart through the vagus nerve, it acts on the nervous system directly rather than through thinking.

• Keep the exhale longer than the inhale — that is the active ingredient
• Count the exhales and start again whenever you lose count
• Do not force depth; let the breath find its own level

What happens, minute by minute

1. 0:00Then find the nearest sound. It's probably your own breathing.
2. 0:12There is no target number here. Only the next breath, and then the one after it.
3. 0:27Let your attention rest on the out-breath. The in-breath can take care of itself.
4. 0:41For the next few minutes, the only job is to notice what's already happening.
5. 0:55Let the in-breath be short and the out-breath unhurried.
6. 1:06Feel the air move past your upper lip. It's the coolest spot on the way in.
7. 1:21Let the whole of your left foot be heavy.
8. 1:32Notice your fingers, one by one, starting with the little finger.
9. 1:44Notice your ribs on both sides. Wide, not squeezed.
10. 1:55You are allowed to be unimpressed by the wide-awake mind at 2am. Indifference is a legitimate response.
11. 2:10You have been carrying the counting of hours until morning for a while. You can set it down for the length of this session and pick it up after.
12. 2:31Notice your toes, starting with the big one on the left.
13. 2:43Nothing changes for a moment.
14. 2:52Let each breath out be a small letting go of the muscles around your ribs.
15. 3:06Notice your ears, which mostly just receive things.
16. 3:17You might be planning something. Notice the planning, then come back.
17. 3:29Silence for a few breaths. Nothing to do in it.
18. 3:41Your anchor for the next few minutes is the breath itself. Nothing else needs following.
19. 3:55Notice anything you're holding onto from earlier today.
20. 4:06Let the exhale fall out rather than pushing it.
21. 4:17A few quiet breaths. That's all this is.
22. 4:28Let the frustration of not sleeping be exactly as big as it is, and let your breath be exactly as slow as it is. They can coexist.
23. 4:48You do not have to solve the wide-awake mind at 2am in these few minutes. Your only job is to keep breathing while it is here.
24. 5:07Notice if your breathing is faster than you expected. Don't correct it. Just note it.
25. 5:21Notice the difference between a thought and the space around it.
26. 5:33If you've lost track of where we were, you haven't lost anything important.
27. 5:46I'll be quiet for a moment. Stay with the breath.
28. 5:58If the breath feels tight, do not deepen it. Just watch it, and let it find its own depth.
29. 6:14Come back to the room through your senses, one at a time.
30. 6:27When you're ready, look around properly.
31. 6:37Let your body keep settling.

Questions people ask

Meditation is a practice, not a treatment. If you are dealing with ongoing distress, please also reach out to a professional.