Breathing exercises for a better sleep: tips and techniques recommended by experts

How breathing affects sleep

Sleep and breathing expert Dr Mayank Shukla of the Asthma and Sleep Institute explains that breathing affects sleep by controlling how much oxygen reaches the brain during the night. By breathing well during the night, the amount of oxygen you give to your body increases. This means more oxygen will reach your brain, giving you better overall brain health, sharper focus and increased productivity. More oxygen will be received by your organs and tissues, meaning you’re likely to feel more energised throughout the day as well as have better recovery times after sport.

If you aren’t breathing properly during sleep, you can wake up feeling tired and as though you haven’t had a proper rest. Poor concentration, mood swings, headaches and low mood can also be side effects of not breathing properly at night. If this continues for an extended period, your risk of high blood pressure and heart conditions also increases.

Benefits of breathing techniques for sleep

There are both physical and mental benefits to pre-bed breathing exercises, and not all of them come when your eyes are shut. Some of the advantages of breathing exercises can be felt prior to sleeping, and many come throughout the next day.

Mental benefits

Experts from the mindfulness and meditation app Headspace explain that breathing exercises before bed can help us relieve stresses that have built up over the day and make us feel more relaxed. This helps us get to sleep quicker and means the time with our heads on the pillow is increased. The next day it’s likely you will feel more energised and productive, and less irritable because of this.

• Sign up for a 14-day free trial at Headspace

Mental health charity Mind also says that good quality sleep, which can be aided by breathing techniques, can help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Without good sleep, it’s common for people to struggle with concentration and making decisions, adding to feelings of sadness. Tiredness might also make people feel they are becoming lazy and make them more susceptible to missing activities which raise their mood, such as sports.

Physical benefits

Research by psychologists from the Massachusetts General Hospital showed that one benefit of breathing exercises before sleep is the calming of the central nervous system. Having a calm nervous system means that your sleep will be deeper and of better quality. Doing the exercises can also help to slow down your heart rate, which signals to the body that you are ready to sleep, and can make the process of falling asleep quicker.

As Dr Mayank Shukla said earlier, many of the physical advantages of breathing exercises come as a result of the increased oxygen the body receives during the night as your breathing becomes more efficient. Among these are better recovery times, more energy during the day, a healthier heart, increased productivity and a more robust immune system.

Three breathing techniques for better sleep

Breathing techniques for better sleep are easy to follow and can be memorised quickly after you’ve practised them a few times. We’ve provided three breathing exercises that can help your snoozing quality – give them all a go and see which one you like best. You don’t need to dedicate a long time to it, just start with 5-10 minutes of controlled breathing each night.

Deep breathing

Deep breathing is one of the most simple breathing exercises to do before bed. It’s really easy to follow, and effective for calming the mind and relaxing the body.

1. Sit or lie down and make sure you’re comfortable. A bed is a great place to do this
2. Rest one hand on your chest and put the other on your stomach.
3. Breathe in slowly through your nose, and don’t stop until it feels like your belly is full of air
4. Breathe in for a slow count of seven seconds
5. Once you’ve breathed in, exhale slowly out of your mouth for another count of seven, until you feel your lungs have completely emptied
6. Repeat this process for 5-10 minutes every night

Box breathing

Box breathing is also known as square breathing and is practised by repeating a simple series of exercises, each lasting four seconds.

1. Sit or lie down and make sure you’re comfortable. A bed is a great place to do this
2. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds
3. Hold the air in for four seconds
4. Exhale for four seconds to empty your lungs
5. Hold your breath for another four seconds
6. Repeat this process for 5-10 minutes every night

4-7-8 breathing

This exercise isn’t as complicated as it might sound and is a great way of lowering your heart rate and relaxing you before bed. The sounds made are meant to help with managing anxiety as well as counting the exercises.

1. Sit or lie down and make sure you’re comfortable. A bed is a great place to do this
2. Start by breathing out of your mouth until your lungs are empty; you should make a 'whoosh' sound while doing this
3. Breathe in quietly through your nose for four seconds
4. Hold the air in for seven seconds
5. Exhale through your mouth for eight seconds, making a whooshing sound and making sure your lungs are empty at the end
6. Repeat this 4-7-8 sequence around four to eight times each night

Tips for incorporating breathing techniques into a bedtime routine

One of the most effective ways to use breathing techniques for better sleep is to incorporate them into a bedtime routine, so they become second-nature. Breathing exercises require consistency, so it’s important to keep them up. If you’re finding you struggle to stick to your breathing exercises before bed, we have some tips to keep you driven and disciplined.

Incorporate breathing exercises into relaxing bedtime rituals

Establishing a set time or process for going to bed every night can help you find the right point to practise daily breathing exercises. The exercises are unlikely to help if you don’t have a healthy ritual involving a period of slowing down and relaxing before bed. The aim of this is to lower the heart rate in preparation for sleep. Examples of activities to add to a relaxing routine include taking a warm bath or shower, listening to calm music, reading a book and drinking herbal tea. By pairing breathing exercises with a relaxing bedtime ritual, you can create a routine that promotes relaxation and sleep.

Sleep expert and neuroscientist Matthew Walker says that during the period before you want to sleep, it’s best to avoid hard exercise, caffeine and screens, as these will make it harder to sleep and therefore make your breathing exercises less effective.

Pairing breathing exercises with other relaxation techniques

To make breathing exercises work better, you can pair them with other, more formatted relaxation techniques. Practising some of these before your breathing exercises will help put your body and mind in a calmer space and can enhance the effectiveness of your breath work. Progressive muscle relaxation is one of these techniques.

1. Start by taking a few deep breaths and taking a few seconds to relax
2. Then, tense the muscles in your toes and feet for a few seconds
3. Release the tension and relax. Then start working your way up the body
4. Tense your calves, quads, hips, chest, neck etc, until you’ve tensed all the muscles in your body
5. After every tense, make sure to completely relax the muscles, and don’t tense too hard or for too long
6. Once you've moved up the body, start one of your breathing techniques

How to track your progress and monitor results

Once you've sorted a nighttime breathing routine, you should track your progress and results. By recording these, you can identify any adjustments you need to make and monitor what's working for you. Tips to track your breathing exercises include:

1. Keeping a sleep journal to record which exercises you did, for how long, and your sleep quality after them
2. Using an app or wearable device, such as a Fitbit
3. Writing notes during the day if you feel your mood, energy levels or overall wellbeing is improved

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