If you often struggle to fall asleep and roll in your bed
for hours, hers is a simple technique invented by Harvard professor, Dr. Andrew
Weil. The technique is called the 4-7-8 technique and has showed to be very
effective in falling asleep in less than 1 minute.
How to
perform the 4-7-8 technique:
Take the position that is most comfortable for you: sitting,
standing, laying. If you are sitting hold your back in a straight position. Put
the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth and hold it there during
this exercise.
Breathe through your lips so you make a sound similar to
blowing wind.
Breathe on your nose 4 times.
Hold your breath and count to 7.
Inhale through your mouth and count to 8 before you exhale.
This is one cycle.
Repeat this cycle 4 times. You may fall asleep before you
end up your last repetition.
Note:
Exhaling should be twice longer than inhaling. This is why it is important to
hold the relation 4-7-8 during the exercise. Set the counting during breathing.
Dr. Weil also recommends this technique in moments of stress
in order to handle your emotions better and have balanced reactions. You can
perform this exercise twice a day, once in the morning and one more time in the
evening.
How
does the 4-7-8 exercise work?
Anxiety and stress pump up more adrenaline in your
bloodstream. It makes your heart pump faster and your breaths shorter and
faster. Doing the 4-7-8 exercise prolongs your breathing and makes you inhale
more oxygen. And when you hold your breath, the oxygen spread through your
body. Controlling you exhaling will release the carbon dioxide out of your
system.
You will feel your heart slowing down and become sleepy
because of the sedative effect of this technique.