If you want better sleep, try these 3 breathing exercises to relax your mind and free your body of stress.
In my bestselling book Instant Calm, I explain how sleep is easily one of the most important things in our lives.
Sleep not only helps us to cope with the stresses of our day-to-day routines. It ensures that we can recover from illness and overcome injuries too.
No matter how hard you try to drift off into a peaceful slumber every night, things like anxiety, worry, tension throughout your body – and even a hot mattress – can keep you awake. Here is an additional resource about it.
Fortunately, there are things that you can do to improve your chances of a good night sleep – including mindful breathing.
If you experience a lot of stress and anxiety in your life, then a period of meditation before bed can be an excellent way to settle your mind and body. (Note: I also offer some breathing exercises in my video course The Anxiety Cure which can further guide your through meditation.)
The 4-7-8 breathing technique is commonly used in both meditation and yoga for relaxation.
You might not be able to hold your breath to those exact requirements initially. But do your best to get as close as possible. Eventually, you’ll start breathing slowly, and more mindfully.
When your body or mind is stressed, you breathe faster to take in more air. 
You can trick your mind into a state of relaxation simply by using your diaphragm to breathe.
This deep, focused breathing is excellent for taking your mind off the things that might have been causing you to feel stressed or overwhelmed. Additionally, deeper breathing helps to reset your autonomic nervous system.
Relaxing properly for a good night’s sleep isn’t easy. But you can make the process a lot simpler with some basic breathing techniques. When you start concentrating on your breathing, you’ll soon find that you relax and unwind, thereby putting your mind and body into the perfect state for sleep. Try each of the above techniques and eventually you’ll find one that work best for you.
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