What if you mastered a technique to relax or even fall asleep in just a few minutes? A Harvard physician, Dr. Andrew Weil, popularized a breathing exercise called the 4-7-8 to teach people how to fall asleep easily and help them relax. Want to test?
If, when you toss and turn in your bed without being able to fall asleep, you wonder how to fall asleep easily, the 4-7-8 technique might interest you, and even help you.
Inspired by the principles of yoga, it was developed by an American doctor, accustomed to TV sets and keen on alternative medicine, to help people fall asleep easily in less than a few minutes. So it’s worth looking into.
When nervous tension builds up
We all need a certain amount of sleep to recharge our batteries. Nights without sleep or punctuated by episodes of insomnia deprive us of a good recovery. In the long run, poor quality sleep can be detrimental to full health.
Nervous tension builds up and, the day after a bad night, we tend to become irritable or aggressive for no apparent reason. When the nights aren’t restful, the nerves don’t relax.
Among the most widely used practices for easy relaxation is yoga. This discipline, which brings body and mind closer, plays on breathing and the different postures of the body to relax the muscles. The primary objective: to feel good in your body and in your mind.
A technique inspired by yoga
the Dr Andrew Weila doctor and Harvard professor, used certain principles of yoga to develop a very simple breathing exercise that allows you to relax and fall asleep quickly.
He called this technique the 4-7-8 and it’s easy to understand why. According to him, it would have four main benefits:
- reduce anxiety and stress,
- help with falling asleep,
- control the urge to snack,
- control outbursts of anger.
If you are wondering how to fall asleep easily, you will be able to judge… With such a promise and given the simplicity of the technique, it would still be a shame not to try. You will admit that it will not cost you much.
How to fall asleep easily with the 4-7-8 technique?
So, now, how to fall asleep easily using the famous 4-7-8 technique? Relax with deep breathing and follow this protocol to the letter:
- Lie down.
- Stick the tip of your tongue to your palate just behind your incisors.
- Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale slowly by mouth for 8 seconds (not muffling the noise).
- Repeat the steps 4 times.
For the technique to work, be patient. This technique is effective if you take the time to master it and if you practice it at least twice a day. The first results will be concrete after a few days or a few weeks (depending on the individual).
