Extended Exhale
4 in · 6 out
Breathe in through your nose for 4, then out slowly for 6. There are no holds, which makes it the easiest of the four.
Good for: A first try.
Breathing exercises for sleep
Four slow-breathing techniques, each with a timed guide. Free, no sign-up.
Lie down, turn the screen down, press Start and breathe with the shape.
Ready when you are
4 in · 6 out
Session length
0:005:00
Press Space to start or pause. Turn on sound to breathe with your eyes closed.
Four breathing exercises for sleep
4-7-8 Breathing
4 in · 7 hold · 8 out
Breathe in through your nose for 4, hold for 7, then breathe out through your mouth for 8. Andrew Weil's handout says that if you have trouble holding your breath, speed the counts up but keep the 4:7:8 ratio.
Good for: If you like a count to hold on to.
Coherent Breathing
5.5 in · 5.5 out
Breathe in for 5.5 and out for 5.5 through your nose, smooth and even, with no holds. That works out at about five and a half breaths a minute.
Good for: A longer, steady session.
Belly Breathing
4 in (belly rises) · 6 out (belly falls)
One hand on your chest, one on your belly. Breathe in for 4 so the belly rises and the chest stays still, then let it fall for 6.
Good for: If your breath feels stuck in your chest.
When to do them
In bed, lights low, once you are ready to sleep. The sleep studies used set amounts of slow breathing right before sleep: 15 minutes each evening for 30 days in one trial, 20 minutes in another, and a single 30-minute session in a third. That is what they used, not a dose anyone has shown you need, so pick a timer length that feels easy.
Awake in the night? Read how to fall back asleep, or try the Back to Sleep session.
What the evidence says
Verdict: Mixed
- Slow breathing raises heart rate variability while you do it and straight afterwards (a 2022 review pooled 223 studies). Whether that carries over into sleep has been tested far less.
- In a 2023 Stanford trial (108 people enrolled), five minutes a day of cyclic sighing for a month raised daily positive mood and slowed breathing more than mindfulness meditation. Sleep did not change in any group.
- In a 2022 study of 43 healthy young adults, three sets of six 4-7-8 cycles lowered heart rate and systolic blood pressure straight afterwards. It did not test whether the breathing changed sleep.
Checked against PubMed on 13 November 2026.
For the longer read, with five techniques compared, see how to use breathwork for sleep.
Sources
- Laborde et al. (2022), Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews: slow breathing and heart rate variability, 223 studies
- Balban et al. (2023), Cell Reports Medicine: five minutes of daily breathwork vs mindfulness
- Vierra et al. (2022), Physiological Reports: 4-7-8 breathing in 43 healthy young adults
- Laborde et al. (2019), Journal of Clinical Medicine: 15 minutes of slow breathing before sleep for 30 days
- Tsai et al. (2015), Psychophysiology: 20 minutes of slow, paced breathing before sleep
- Kuula et al. (2020), Scientific Reports: one 30-minute slow breathing session before sleep
If breathing does not help
Breathing exercises are a way to wind down, not a treatment.
Questions
What is the best breathing exercise for sleep?
No study has ranked these four against each other for sleep. Pick the one that feels easiest (extended exhale if you are not sure) and try it for a week of nights before you switch.
How long should I do breathing exercises before bed?
There is no set rule. The sleep studies used 15 to 30 minutes of slow breathing right before sleep. The timer here runs from 1 to 10 minutes, so start short and add time if it feels easy.
Can breathing exercises help with insomnia?
For ongoing sleep problems, CBT-I (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia) is the recommended first treatment. Ask your GP. The research on breathing exercises and sleep is early: a few small studies, with mixed results.
Does the 4-7-8 method work?
In a 2022 study of 43 healthy young adults, three sets of six 4-7-8 cycles lowered heart rate and systolic blood pressure straight afterwards. That study did not test the effect of 4-7-8 on sleep, so whether it helps you sleep has not been shown there.
Is it safe?
If you feel dizzy, go back to normal breathing. Never practise breathwork in water or while driving. Skip intense breath-holding and hyperventilation techniques if you are pregnant, have epilepsy or have a heart condition.
More breathing
Guided session · 7 min · free
Lie down for 7 more minutes
Wind Down for Bed. Wind down for sleep with guided deep rest.
Play Wind Down for BedDon't listen while driving or operating machinery.