Sleep is at your fingertips – all you need to do is practice this simple technique:
- Place your tongue’s tip on the ridge of tissue right over your front upper teeth. Ensure that you hold your tongue in this exact spot throughout the exercise.
- Exhale entirely through the mouth, enacting a ‘whoosh’ sound.
- Now, close your lips and proceed to inhale deeply through your nose quietly. Make a mental count till 4.
- Hold your breath for a mental count of 7.
- Then, exhale fully through your mouth, once again making that whooshing sound for a count of 8.
- This was one entire breath. Inhale once more and then proceed to repeat this exercise thrice more. In total, you will be performing 4 breaths.
How Does This Work?
Going through the technique outlined above, you may have noticed a mental pattern of 4-7-8. This breathing technique fundamentally changes your anxiety-driven breathing pattern.
When you’re stressed out, you tend to take shallow breaths that don’t properly oxygenate your blood. Described as “a natural tranquilizer for your nervous system,” this technique promotes a quicker carbon dioxide eviction from your blood, which helps to preserve your bicarbonate pool better, thereby allowing your body to maintain a proper pH balance.
Dr. Weil asserts that a pivotal part of this technique is the holding of your breath. This is because those 7 precious seconds enable your lungs to get filled with sufficient oxygen, which will then circulate in your blood. It is this very step that produces that wonderfully relaxing sensation throughout your body. The 8-second exhalation then proceeds to get rid of a greater volume of carbon dioxide from your lungs. According to Dr. Weil, to learn how to fall asleep in only 60 seconds, you must practice this technique twice every day for roughly 6-8 weeks to become a master.
Despite your self-depreciating humor and the very entertaining memes on the Internet, insomnia in any form – acute or chronic – is not an issue to be dismissed. You don’t need to brave those ‘lengthy, dark hours of the night’ till your warped thoughts get the best of you. This technique could very well be the solution to your sleep problems. However, if the problem persists, it is best to consult a specialist for proper diagnosis and further treatment.
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