Breathing Workouts to Sleep Better at Night

If you find yourself wide awake at night, and you’re worried that you’re not getting enough sleep already, perhaps some breathing exercises will help. Breathing exercises can help keep your nervous system calm which means that you can prevent insomnia from happening. The more you train yourself with your breathing, the more you get the hang of it, plus, you’ll be able to keep your stress levels at bay too, especially during the day. These breathing exercises will not only help you breathe better, but they will also make you fall asleep easily too.

What breathing exercises should you try? Here are a few to get you started.

Alternating nostril breath

You’ve probably noticed yourself panting when you are feeling nervous or excited which is not surprising given that your body is in a state of stress. On the other hand, nasal breathing helps keep your body in a calm and relaxed state. To do this breathing exercise, press one nostril close as you breathe in then as you exhale, close the opposite nostril. Continue alternating for a few minutes.

4-7-8 breathing

Let your lips part slightly as you exhale all the air inside of you. Press your lips afterwards as you inhale silently through your nose for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 counts. Exhale with sound for 8 seconds then repeat. You should do this breathing exercise four times to help you feel calmer and more relaxed.

Diaphragmatic breathing technique

For this breathing exercise, either lie on your back with your knees bent over a pillow, or you can sit down in a chair. Position one hand against your chest, and the other on the stomach. Do some slow breathing through your nose with your hand on the chest barely moving, while the hand on the stomach should follow the up and down movement of your breathing. Breathe slowly through your pursed lips afterwards. The goal here is to inhale and exhale without moving your chest at all. This breathing exercise is designed to slow one’s breathing while reducing oxygen needs to help strengthen your diaphragm.

These are just a few examples of breathing exercises that will help you sleep well at night. You should try one of these breathing workouts when you find yourself having trouble sleeping because you’ll find that it’s easier to rest at night this way.

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