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Breathing for sleep ↓

Nocturne look · slow breathing · 15 minutes

Breathing exercises for sleep

By Simon Inges · Last reviewed against the sources below

A slow, quiet breathing routine is an easy way to wind down before bed. This page opens in Nocturne, Breathcharge's dark evening look, with 4-6 breathing: 4 seconds in, 6 out, six breaths a minute. That's the pace used in a sleep study that found better sleep after a month of evening practice.

Start a 15-minute wind-down

A bedtime breathing routine

  1. Get comfortable, lying down or sitting on the edge of the bed, with the lights low.
  2. Set it up once: in Settings choose Still music, turn on Get quieter as the session goes on and Dim the screen once I've started.
  3. Breathe with the moon for 10 to 15 minutes: in through the nose as it grows, a long, soft breath out as it fades.
  4. Let it go. If you drift off, the session simply ends at the next full breath.

Breathing exercises for bedtime

What the research says about breathing and sleep

Lung volume during one breath of 4-6 breathingOver 10 seconds: a 4-second inhale, then a 6-second exhale. Six breaths a minute. full empty Lung volume during one breath of 4-6 breathing in 4 s out 6 s 10 s per breath · 6 breaths/min
One breath of the 4-6 pattern this page starts with: six breaths a minute, with the longer half on the exhale.

The best evidence is for slow breathing at bedtime. In a 30-day trial, young adults who did 15 minutes of slow breathing at six breaths a minute in the evening reported better sleep quality than a group who spent the same time on social media. The study was small and relied on how people rated their own sleep, but it's the closest match to what you can do here.

4-7-8 breathing is popular, but less studied. A small study found heart rate a few beats lower right after a short 4-7-8 session. The claim that it puts you to sleep "in 60 seconds" has no peer-reviewed support.

Why it may help: slow breathing with a long exhale shifts the body towards its "rest-and-digest" mode and gives a busy mind one simple thing to follow, which is much of what a wind-down needs.

Want the bigger picture? Read how breathing affects your body and mind: the heart, the nervous system, blood pressure and mood, with illustrations and 20+ studies.

Make your phone a calmer bedside companion

Add Breathcharge to your home screen so it opens full screen, without browser bars, and works offline. During a session it keeps the screen awake, and on iPhone the music plays even with the silent switch on, so keep the volume low.

Keep exploring

Breathing safely

The slow patterns here are gentle, but holds and deep inhales can make you light-headed. Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy. Never practise breath holds in or near water, or while driving. If you are pregnant, or have a heart, lung or seizure condition or panic disorder, check with a clinician first. Breathing exercises can complement medical care but don't replace it.

Questions

What is the best breathing exercise for sleep?

Slow breathing at about six breaths a minute, such as 4 seconds in and 6 out, has the best sleep evidence: a 30-day trial found it improved self-reported sleep. 4-7-8 breathing is popular but has very little direct research.

How long should I breathe before bed?

Ten to fifteen minutes works well. The sleep study used 15 minutes in the evening.

Does 4-7-8 breathing really make you fall asleep in 60 seconds?

No study supports that claim. It may still help you relax, because the long exhale and slow rhythm are calming.

Will the screen keep me awake?

Nocturne uses a dark, warm screen with almost no interface, and you can let it dim after a few breaths or follow the music with your eyes closed.

Sources