Wouldn’t it be great if there was something you could to reduce stress and anxiety while simultaneously improving your sleep and mood? As it turns out, there is. Engaging in simple breathing exercises for sleep can improve your sleep and overall well being.

An Explanation of Deep Breathing Exercises and Their Benefits

You might laugh at the idea of doing breathing exercises since the human body breathes on its own without anyone having to think about it. While that’s the case, breathing exercises require you to be conscious of the way you’re breathing. When you change the manner in which you breathe deliberately, you can change how you feel and how your body responds to the things that are happening around you.

Through breathing exercises, you’re able to alert your nervous system, which manages your body’s response to stressful, anxiety-ridden situations. As a result, your heartbeat will slow down, your shallow breathing will cease and your palms will stop sweating as your mind reaches a calmer state.

Here are some of the benefits that engaging in breathing exercises regularly can provide:

• Improves conditions for people suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Lowers blood pressure naturally, the result of which is a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
• Reduces anxiety in people who suffer from chronic anxiety as well as those who deal with anxiety on occasion

While those benefits are impressive in their own right, improved sleep is arguably the leading benefit that breathing exercises can provide. Deep breathing exercises enable your body to override the system that manages your fight-or-flight response in deference to your parasympathetic system. Your parasympathetic system is the one that manages your body’s ability to relax. Put simply, deep breathing tells your body that it’s okay to relax and get some rest.

Breathing Exercises For Sleep You May Want to Try

Now that you’re familiar with breathing exercises for sleep in general and their benefits, you’re probably eager to try a few. As you try them, remember they’ll require some practice and it may take some time for you to experience the benefits of breathing exercises.

4-7-8 Breathing

To start this exercise, put the tip of your tongue against the top of your mouth above your teeth. With your tongue in position, completely exhale through your mouth powerfully enough for you to make a noise. Close your mouth and inhale gently through your nose as you count to four in your head.

Hold your breath for a seven-count. Exhale forcefully through your mouth again as you count to eight. Repeat this exercise at least three more times.

Pursed Lip Breathing Exercise

To start, relax your shoulders and breathe in normally as you mentally count to two. Pucker your lips as if you’re going to whistle and exhale as you count to four. Repeat this cycle several times.

Breath Counting Exercise

Close your eyes and sit comfortably. Take a couple deep breaths and then breathe as you normally would. As you exhale, count to one and then count to two the next time you exhale. Increase your exhalation count until you’re exhaling to the count of five. When you’ve reached the five-count, start over again until you’ve gone through the process multiple times.

Find The Right Mattress For You at Ben’s

While breathing exercises can certainly facilitate sleep, so can a comfortable mattress. Find a mattress that can improve the quality and duration of your sleep at one of our Atlanta-area retail locations or by shopping with Ben’s online today.