There have been times in my life when sleep has not come easy. Probably just like you, I have suffered through times of anxiety and sleeplessness where the alarm goes off in the morning and I know for a fact that I never slept more than two hours the entire night.

We need a good amount of sleep every night so our bodies and our minds can operate at full function effectively. Sleep is when our bodies repair themselves and our brain is able to clear out harmful toxins that affect our cognitive abilities. Just one night of sleeplessness can cause havoc on our lives for the entire week as you constantly try to play catch up. And if you can’t sleep for days at a time and are a true insomniac, there is nothing pleasant about walking around like a zombie during the daytime hours.

 

Solutions to Sleeplessness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you speak to a doctor about your problems with sleeping, they will probably recommend a couple over the counter items or even a prescription drug to help with the issue. I’m not sure about you, but I usually look for an all-natural solution to a problem before I try any medication.

 

Box Breathing

 

 

 

 

 

As you may have never heard of box breathing, there is a possibility that you would recognize it under another name like square breathing. It is the process by which a person will take slow and deep breaths to bring on relaxation. Police officers, medical professionals, educators, and even the military have used box breathing during strenuous moments to relieve stress.

 

Four Basic Steps to Box Breathing

 

 

 

 

 

 

Box breathing is like a form of meditation and there is nothing difficult about it. If you follow these four simple steps to box breathing, you just might be able to fall asleep quicker every night when incorporating this method into your life.

 

  • For a count of four, exhale deeply by eliminating all the air out of your lungs.
  • Now, with all of the air out of your lungs, count to four.
  • Next, inhale only through your nose also for a count of four (seeing a pattern here?).
  • Finally, pause for another four seconds while you hold the air in your legs and your chest swells and expands.

 

Keep repeating these four steps and soon enough you will not even have to concentrate to achieve this method. It will just become habit over time.

 

The Research States…

 

 

 

 

 

Rather than rely on my sole recommendation to try box breathing when having difficulty sleeping, there is plenty of research that proves it works in enabling better sleep. In fact, a 2015 study conducted by National Yang-Ming University in Taiwan demonstrated that by doing slow breathing exercises for 20 minutes before bed, the people would fall asleep three times quicker than usual and wake up less often during the night.

 

Give It a Try Tonight

 

 

 

 

 

You do not have to suffer through another night of tossing and turning in helplessness. Simply give box breathing a try and see how it works for you. It may take a little time to get the breathing pattern down, but once you do, you can count on falling asleep quicker and staying asleep as well.