Which one to try
Start with the first. If it feels easy, try the others and keep whichever feels best.
A simple bedtime routine
You don't need a long ritual. This takes about five minutes.
- Put your phone face down, or across the room, and dim the lights.
- Get into the position you usually fall asleep in.
- Breathe normally for a few breaths and let your body get heavy.
- Start your pattern. Count slowly in your head, or follow a guide with your eyes closed.
- Keep going for a few minutes. If you notice yourself drifting, let the count go.
Try to do it at roughly the same time each night. Over a week or two, the routine itself starts to tell your body it's time to sleep.
If you wake up in the night
Waking up at 3am and lying there thinking is incredibly common. Instead of reaching for your phone, try a few rounds of extended exhale or 4-4-8 breathing right where you are. Keep your eyes closed and count slowly.
If you're still wide awake after twenty minutes or so, sleep experts generally suggest getting up and doing something quiet in dim light until you feel sleepy, then trying again.
What to expect
- It won't knock you out instantly.
- Breathing isn't a switch. It helps your body slow down so sleep can come more easily.
- Your mind will still wander.
- Every time you notice and come back to the count, you're doing it right.
- It gets easier with practice.
- The first few nights can feel awkward. Within a week, the counts usually start to feel natural.
Why slow breathing helps you sleep
To fall asleep, your body has to shift out of alert mode. Stress, screens, and a busy mind keep that alert system switched on. Your heart slows a little each time you breathe out, so a long, slow breath out, repeated for a few minutes, is a direct way to help that shift along.
In a small study of people with insomnia, practicing slow breathing for 20 minutes before bed helped them fall asleep faster and wake up less during the night.
Sleep researchers have suggested slow breathing as a useful addition to good sleep habits, because it calms the kind of alertness that keeps people awake.
Sources
- Tsai HJ, Kuo TBJ, Lee GS, Yang CCH. Efficacy of paced breathing for insomnia: enhances vagal activity and improves sleep quality. Psychophysiology, 2015.
- Jerath R, Beveridge C, Barnes VA. Self-regulation of breathing as an adjunctive treatment of insomnia. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2019.
Questions people ask
What is the best breathing exercise for sleep?
There isn't one best pattern for everyone, but those with a long breath out work well. Start with extended exhale breathing (in 4, out 8). For something heavier, try 4-4-8 or 4-7-8.
How long should I do breathing exercises before bed?
Three to five minutes is a good start. In the research on slow breathing and insomnia, people practiced for twenty.
Does 4-7-8 breathing work for sleep?
Many people find it helps them relax enough to drift off. Research on 4-7-8 specifically is limited, but slow breathing in general helps the body shift toward rest.
What if breathing exercises don't help me sleep?
They work best alongside good sleep habits, like a regular bedtime and less screen time at night. If you regularly struggle to sleep, talk to your doctor. Ongoing insomnia is very treatable.
A guide for bedtime
Orris has three sleep patterns, each guided by a glowing shape and gentle vibrations you can follow with your eyes closed. After 8pm, it suggests Sleep Prep automatically. It's free, with no account and no ads.
Last updated October 2026. Orris is a wellness app and doesn't replace medical advice.