Simple breathing trick to help you drop off and sleep better at night

24 September 2023 , 06:37

743     0

A good night's sleep is important for your overall wellbeing (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

People can drop off and have a better night’s sleep by using a clever breathing technique, said an expert.

Sleeping well has a whole host of important health benefits from boosting your mood, reducing stress to physical repercussions. If you're having trouble sleeping, knowing how to sleep better can make a big difference, states the NHS. Ways to improve the quality of your sleep can include having a good routine, eating and exercising or using techniques to be more relaxed.

The NHS states: “Sleep problems are common, and the reasons we struggle to sleep are likely to change throughout our lives, for instance, illness, work or having a baby are possible causes. A few sleepless nights are usually nothing to worry about, but it can become an issue if a lack of sleep starts to affect your daily life.”

Expert Navsah Ridan Karamehmet has shared a breathing technique called Chandra Bhedana that helps to bring on sleep. “Chandra Bhedana is a technique that provides both physical and psychological relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. It helps to cool down the body, lower the blood pressure and relieve stress,” she states.

How to practice Chandra Bhedana?

A twitching eye can sometimes be serious - signs, symptoms and when to see a GP

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight.

2. Place your index and middle fingers on your forehead.

3. You will alternate your thumb and ring finger to close your right and left nostrils.

4. Close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through the left.

5. Close the left nostril with your ring finger and exhale through the right.

Navsah, the founder of Breath Hub, said that you should practice it for 10 rounds and feel the calming effect. She continued: "If you are new to breathwork, you can keep the duration of inhalation and exhalation equal. As your practice improves, extending the exhalations twice as long as the inhalations will increase the technique's effectiveness. As you progress, you can also add a breath-hold by closing both nostrils after you inhale."

She says how insomnia, waking up during the night and getting up in the morning feeling unrested are typical in modern life where people do not look at the reasons behind it. And she added that it is "something we secretly boast about at times we stay up late working."

Another useful breathing technique that is well known for reducing anxiety and worry is the 4-7-8. This is done by inhaling through your nose for four seconds, holding your breath for seven second and then breathing out slowly for eight seconds. The key to these times is not the length but the ratio, said Navsah.

Tim Hanlon