{"id":148851,"date":"2025-06-01T07:09:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T07:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/148851\/"},"modified":"2025-06-01T07:09:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T07:09:13","slug":"how-to-breathe-your-way-to-better-sleep-and-lower-stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/148851\/","title":{"rendered":"How to breathe your way to better sleep and lower stress"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a saying that doing something straightforward is \u201cas easy as breathing\u201d. But perhaps breathing isn\u2019t so easy after all. \u201cWhile there is no way to do it \u2018wrong\u2019, I believe we can do it better,\u201d says Jamie Clements, a breathwork coach and the founder of the Breath Space, an online resource. \u201cDoing so improves not only your emotional and mental health, but also your physical health.\u201d <\/p>\n

Breathing exercises can help you to calm down, run a better 5k and focus more clearly. These are six to try. <\/p>\n

1. Control your breathing when you need to sleep \"Illustration<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard about counting sheep, but counting your breaths can also help you to drift off. Rebecca Dennis, the founder of the London breathwork practice Breathing Tree, says \u201c4-7-8 breathing\u201d \u2014 breathing in for a count of four, holding for seven and exhaling for eight \u2014 can lull you to sleep. \u201cIt\u2019s a deep, diaphragmatic breath,\u201d she says, which means breathing from the belly not the chest, \u201cand you\u2019re also distracting the mind.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2022 How to breathe better<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

2. Exhale for longer when you\u2019re stressed<\/p>\n

Holding our breath when we are stressed is a natural part of the fight-or-flight response, yet this does not relieve anxiety. Clements suggests practising \u201cextended exhale breathing\u201d instead. \u201cBreathe slowly in through the nose for a count of three or four and then exhale by blowing the breath back out of the mouth for a count of six, eight or ten seconds,\u201d Clements says. \u201cWhen we make our exhale longer than our inhale, our heart rate slows down and it brings down the overall level of stimulation within the nervous system.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Breathe through your nose when you\u2019re running\"Illustration<\/p>\n

We often pant when we run, a natural response from the body as it attempts to deliver more oxygen to our muscles. Yet learning to breathe through your nose instead is more efficient. \u201cWhen we breathe heavily we offload a lot of carbon dioxide, but we actually need that to help deliver the oxygen to where it needs to be in our muscles,\u201d Dennis says. \u201cBy breathing more slowly and more consciously through the nose, we\u2019re making our muscles more efficient.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you cannot do this, Dennis advises slowing down to a pace where you can. \u201cOver time it will get easier and eventually your performance will improve.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u2022 The 11 health benefits (and downsides) of running<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

4. Inhale twice when you\u2019re under pressure\"Illustration<\/p>\n

One way of quickly dispelling the feeling of being overwhelmed \u2014 when about to give a speech, for example, or preparing to walk down the aisle \u2014 is to do what is known as a physiological sigh. \u201cThis requires a big inhale through the nose followed by a second smaller inhale at the top of the breath and then a long, gentle exhale through the mouth in the form of a sigh,\u201d Clements says. This removes carbon dioxide efficiently from the lungs, making the body feel more relaxed. \u201cIt\u2019s used as a quick reset \u2014 just three to five breaths like that can work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2022 What stress really does to your body \u2014 and what to do about it<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

5. \u2018Box breathing\u2019 for focus<\/p>\n

When you need to get your head down to finish something, try box breathing, a method popularised by the US Navy Seals to help them to keep their cool in combat zones. Imagine you\u2019re \u201cdrawing a box\u201d with your breath, mirroring the four sides of a square, by inhaling for a count of four, holding for four, exhaling for four and holding for another four. \u201cIt\u2019s great for bringing your nervous system into a place of calm,\u201d Clements says. It helps to lower blood pressure and promote relaxation, giving your brain the space to get on with a task.<\/p>\n

6. Slow breaths for pain relief \"Illustration<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re struggling for breath because you\u2019re in pain, try \u201ccoherent breathing\u201d. Inhale and exhale slowly for equal counts (try five or six). \u201cThis helps to clear the stress hormone cortisol from the system,\u201d Dennis explains, \u201cmaking way for more of those pain-relief hormones.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a saying that doing something straightforward is \u201cas easy as breathing\u201d. But perhaps breathing isn\u2019t so easy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":148852,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[1630,105,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-148851","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114606857609697743","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}