You breathe all the time, probably without much thought about the depth and rhythm of your breath. When you are feeling stressed, you may notice that your breathing changes. You start to breathe quickly and deeply from your chest. Unfortunately, instead of helping you relax, rapid breathing only increases stress-related symptoms like dizziness and disorientation. These symptoms can make it almost impossible to sleep.
Breathing exercises for sleep and stress can help you reduce anxiety and stress and fall asleep. These are exercises where you breathe according to a set rhythm or pattern. Breathing exercises lower your heart rate and your blood pressure. If you're feeling significant stress, breathing exercises for sleep and stress can help you feel better and get a better night's sleep.
The Relationship Between Stress and Sleep
Imagine this: While hiking, you hear a loud, distinctive rattling sound. On the trail ahead, a rattlesnake curls up and warns you to back away. As you process your options, your body senses that you are in danger. The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands get to work. These organs, collectively known as the HPA axis, produce cortisol and other stress hormones to help you respond to danger. Cortisol enters your bloodstream and flows to the cells in your body so that you can respond to the threat. Your mind and senses are totally alert and ready to face the danger.
Even after the snake slithers away, you may still feel the effects of cortisol flowing through your body. Later that night, even though you are safe at home in your bed, your heart is still racing. You can't possibly fall asleep. On a normal day, cortisol production would decline throughout the day. As evening approaches, your body will produce melatonin to help you transition to sleep. If your cortisol levels are still high, your brain and body won't receive the necessary signals to lower your cortisol levels or produce melatonin.
Whether you're dealing with temporary or chronic stress that is interfering with sleep, you do have options.
Breathing exercises are an effective tool that can help you reduce your stress so you can fall asleep faster.
How Breathing Exercises Help with Sleep and Stress
Breathing exercises are a useful tool to reduce stress and improve sleep. When your body and mind are stuck in fight or flight mode, your heart races and your blood pressure rises. Studies show that breathing exercises have a positive effect on blood pressure and heart rate. Some study participants who tried breathing exercises saw their top (systolic blood pressure) and bottom (diastolic blood pressure) numbers decline between 6 and 11 points. Breathing exercises also reduce your heart rate by inducing deep relaxation.
Breathing exercises are a useful tool for people suffering from sleep disorders like insomnia. A study showed that patients who practiced breathing exercises for three months improved their sleep quality, duration, and efficiency. They also reported a decrease in sleep disturbances and daytime dysfunction.
How to Do Breathing Exercises for Stress and Sleep
There are many different types of breathing exercises you can do. Most help with both stress and sleep. You can try one or all of the exercises below and select the one that is best for you. These exercises work because you focus on your breathing and body movements. Depending on the exercise, you may focus on the rise and fall of your diaphragm or the expansion of your lungs.
Progressive Relaxation Breathing
Progressive Relaxation Breathing is a breathing exercise that helps you relax muscle tension caused by anxiety. As you breathe, you'll tense and release muscles in your body in a particular order. As you release the muscle, you'll induce a state of deep relaxation. You can perform this exercise sitting or lying down in a space with few distractions. Start this exercise by curling your toes and tensing your foot muscles. Hold this position for five seconds. Don't forget to breathe. Once you've relaxed your feet, you can progress to your lower legs, hips, stomach, chest, shoulders, face, and hands.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic Breathing is a stress management breathing technique that uses slow, deep breaths to relax you. To start this exercise, place one hand on your chest and one hand on your abdomen. Breathe in slowly through your nose using your diaphragm. Keep your chest as still as possible. Focus your attention on the rise and fall of your diaphragm. This exercise helps because it focuses your thoughts on your body, instead of your anxiety.
Box Breathing
Box breathing is a breathing exercise designed to help you cope with a stressful event so you can fall asleep. You can start this exercise by visualizing a box. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four. Then, hold your breath for a count of four. Exhale for a count of four, and then hold your breath for a count of four. If you can't breathe or hold your breath for a count of four, you can start with counts of two and increase the number over time.
4-7-8 Breathing
Like box breathing, 4-7-8 breathing focuses on inhaling, holding, and releasing your breath according to a set count. For this exercise, you'll inhale on a count of four, and hold your breath for a count of seven. You'll then complete the exercise by exhaling for a count of eight. This form of rhythmic breathing is popular in yoga because it helps you relax.
If you're experiencing a period of high stress that is affecting your sleep, these breathing exercises can help you reduce your stress levels. You'll experience better quality sleep so you can wake up feeling refreshed.
If your sleep continues to be off even after trying the above breathing exercises, try tracking your sleep with a tool like Pillow. Pillow provides a science-based analysis of your sleep patterns that can be very helpful to your doctor. Simply, save the tracking data and then share it with your provider. They may want to refer you to a sleep specialist for more in-depth testing or a sleep study.
