Better Sleep by Breathing!

Breathing for Better Sleep?

Breathing seems like something that wouldn’t need teaching. The same could be said about sleep, but here we are. I have personally studied and practiced many breathing techniques including Box Breathing (used by US Navy Seals), Buteyko Breathing (which came out of the Soviet Space Program), and Wim Hoff’s Danish Iceman Breathing. All the techniques have their merit but in the end, I generally recommend and teach two much older breathing techniques in order to optimize my clients' sleep. For the purpose of sleep hacking, the wisdom of the ancients wins over modern ingenuity.

The first technique is probably familiar to those who take yoga. It is to be done during waking hours.

The second technique is to be done in bed. It is especially helpful to use when you’ve woken up at night, for a bathroom trip or for other reasons.

1. ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING - DAYTIME, TO SUPPORT SLEEP AT NIGHT.

This yogic breathing technique is a Productive Sleep hack for calming and minimizing anxiety and clearing the nasal passages for better breathing during sleep. Do Alternate Nostril Breathing as described or search for an instructional video using the term “Nadi Shodhana”:

Sit comfortably with a straight back, chin parallel to the floor, and mouth and lips gently closed.

Gently press the Right nostril closed with the Right thumb, breathe in through the Left nostril, pause and switch to press the Left nostril closed with the side of your ring or little finger. Breath out through the Right, then inhale in Right, pause to switch back to closing the Right with your thumb and exhale through the Left, and begin the cycle again. Use a slow count of 3 to 5 for each phase of respiration. The important thing is that each inhalation and exhalation be of approximate equal duration.

There’s always a brief hold before the next exhalation.

Practice for 3 to 10 minutes at a time, but it’s best to wait 2 hours after eating.

Stop if you experience lightheadedness, headache or any other discomfort.

Some people may have difficulty due to one side being partially blocked. If you continue the method, you may find that your nasal passages clear with time.

The technique above brings many benefits to the body and mind. As well as reducing anxiety (a key feature of insomnia), it also equalizes airflow through the sinuses and thereby influences equalization of blood flow to the frontal lobes of the brain as demonstrated by fMRI study. Plus, by opening the nasal passages, it can help avoid mouth breathing and snoring during sleep.

2. DEEP DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING (DDB) – IN BED RIGHT BEFORE SLEEP and UPON WAKING DURING THE NIGHT.

Diaphragmatic breathing (sometimes called horizontal breathing) is one of the quickest ways to hack the nervous system and achieve what I call the relaxation response, a state of calm that is conducive to sleep. Three to five breaths is sufficient. When you find yourself awake at night, do this (and optionally add a Productive Sleep aromatherapy hack) in order to fall back asleep quickly. Keep it simple, you don’t want to think too much or make a production of it.

Take 3 to 5 deep breaths with the following in mind:

a) Diaphragmatic breathing looks and feels like “belly breathing”. Air isn’t really going into your belly, but your belly moves to make room for your lungs to take in more air. If you are doing diaphragmatic breathing correctly, you will see or feel your belly expand with each breath. If you only see/feel your upper chest expand, you’re not doing it right. Putting a hand on your belly usually helps you get the feel for this, especially if it’s new to you.

b) Don’t worry about counting, timing yourself, or getting it perfect, that could be counterproductive. However, do breathe smoothly and deeply plus make the exhalation time longer than the inhalation time. If you breathe out through pursed lips it will automatically slow your exhale.

You can do this technique in any position so choose your preferred sleeping position. Practice some during the day so that you can get right to it at night. You can also use this technique anytime to calm your body and your emotions.

Wishing you peaceful and Productive Sleep,

Erik Spahn, MA, OT/L

Integrative Sleep Coach

© 2020 by Erik Spahn. All Rights Reserved.