This Simple Breathing Technique Will Put You to Sleep in 10 Minutes
Earlier this year, an old technique reportedly used by the U.S. military back in the 1980s to help troops fall asleep in two minutes or less went viral after being resurrected by U.K. website Joe. Because, well, who doesn’t want to fall asleep fast?
One big problem: It probably won’t work for you, says Michael Breus, Ph.D., founder of The Sleep Doctor. While the method might be helpful for those in the military-a population that’s fit, healthy, and under a ton of stress-he isn’t confident that it would work the same way for the masses.
But that doesn’t mean breathing exercises won’t help you sleep.
Try this breathing exercise for sleep
Instead, Breus recommends a breathing exercise designed to slow your heart rate. “The body basically needs a heart rate of below 60 to enter into a state of sleep,” he explains.
Here’s how to do it:
The 4-6-7 technique
Breathe in for a count of 4 seconds
Hold breath for 6 seconds
Breathe out for 7
This should help you fall asleep within 10 to 20 minutes, Breus says. And more sleep means more energy to power through your day-and your ride.
How long should it take to fall asleep?
Even if that two-minute sleep trick did work, nobody should aspire to fall asleep in two minutes. In fact, Breus warns that if you can nod off that quickly, it’s actually a sign you’re sleep deprived. “It should take between 10 and 20 minutes to fall asleep,” Breus reveals.
[Find 52 weeks of tips and motivation, with space to fill in your mileage and favorite routes, with the Bicycling Training Journal.]
If you’re regularly struggling to drift into dreamland, clean up your sleep hygiene habits: Go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day (even on the weekends), keep your bedroom cool and dark, don’t allow pets to sleep in your bed with you, and avoid using electronics that emit blue light (like your mobile phone or tablet) in the evening. If the idea of giving up your phone at night is too much to bear, Breus recommends trying blue-light blocking glasses. His pick: Swannies, which are available on Amazon.
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