Bedtime Breathing
Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6, hold for 2. Pick a scene, press play, and breathe along with the indicator.
How to practise bedtime breathing
Bedtime breathing is an uneven pattern built for winding down: in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6, then a short hold of 2 before the next breath. The longer exhale and the brief pause at the bottom make it gentler than box breathing.
Do it lying down if you like. There is no need to finish the session; drifting off partway through is rather the idea. Set the length to an hour or eight hours and leave it running.
Why it works
Lengthening the out-breath relative to the in-breath is the part that helps most at night, encouraging the shift from alert to restful. Keeping a rhythm to follow also gives a busy mind something undemanding to settle on, instead of the day just gone.
You can read more about the evidence behind breathing exercises on our science page, or explore how breathing affects anxiety and sleep in Lungy Learn.
Try the real thing.
In the Lungy app, these scenes respond to your breathing! Download it free.
