The quality of your night's sleep determines the quality of your next day. It's no secret that insomnia and short sleep at night lead to weakness and a feeling of fatigue in the morning. If poor quality sleep happens regularly, it is fraught with negative consequences for the human body. Therefore, it is important to give up late-night gatherings at work or study, and give the body a full rest. If you can't sleep, breathing exercises for sleep will help.
Causes of poor sleep
The most common cause of insomnia or poor sleep is stress and anxiety. A person continues to scroll through the thoughts of the day in his head, and this makes it impossible to sleep.
The reason may be unsuitable sleeping conditions. A stuffy room or too low a temperature can disrupt sleep.
Perhaps the person has lost his rhythm - he sleeps during the day, so he can no longer sleep at night.
Health problems can cause sleep disturbances. If you have insomnia, be sure to visit a doctor.
ENT pathology also sometimes worsens the quality of sleep. Before starting drug therapy, you can try to discharge yourself with special exercises.
If you have trouble sleeping
If you have trouble sleeping, know that you are not alone! According to the American Sleep Association, insomnia is a very common complaint these days. Thus, about 30% of American adults have short-term sleep disturbances, and more than 10% experience chronic problems falling asleep or constant daytime sleepiness.
In our fast-paced and fast-paced world, with a busy pace of life, when days are filled with household chores, endless work, financial difficulties, parental impotence and other emotionally draining situations, it can be difficult to relax, calm down and fall asleep.
Many of us in such a situation grab pills, but few people know that insomnia can be overcome not only with the help of sedatives and sleeping pills, but also with breathing exercises.
The benefits of breathing exercises for sleep
By performing exercises, a person will ensure the flow of oxygen to all cells of the body. This contributes to:
- Saturation of brain cells with oxygen, which will relieve nervous tension and improve cognitive functions.
- Cleansing the respiratory tract.
- Better functioning of all organs and systems.
- Increasing immunity.
- Relaxation of muscles.
In the process of concentrating on the method of performing the exercises, the brain switches from restless thoughts.
What do breathing exercises do for us before bed?
Most techniques for facilitating the process of falling asleep involve slow, deep inhalations and exhalations.
Firstly, it calms the central nervous system, and our brain suddenly begins to understand that it’s time to go and rest.
And, secondly, such breathing brings the body into a state of general slowdown. The heart no longer beats so fast, blood pressure may drop slightly, and the level of the stress hormone that blocks melatonin, which is responsible for a strong and healthy night's sleep, decreases.
This is all part of the relaxation process. A measured breathing rhythm will calm the mind and relax the body. The accumulated anxiety will be relieved as if by hand, you will learn to cope with stress more easily, and you will notice that breathing exercises are a great way to prepare for sleep.
Did you know?
Insomnia is the most common specific sleep disorder, with short-term problems reported by about 30% of adults and chronic insomnia by 10%.
Rules for performing exercises
Provide a flow of fresh air into the room, ventilate it before performing gymnastics. It is recommended to sleep with the window open.
Perform the exercises slowly and at a calm pace.
Ask your family not to distract you, get some privacy, and put your children to bed first. Turn off the TV, computer, put your phone away, dim the lights. Wear comfortable clothes made from natural fabric.
While doing gymnastics, breathe through your nose and close your eyes.
The connection between sleep and breathing
At first glance, it may seem that breathing and healthy sleep have nothing to do with each other. But if you try to fall asleep in a stuffy and hot room, being in an irritated state or worrying about important things planned for tomorrow, it becomes clear that without physical relaxation and mental balance, you can forget about a full night’s rest. Busy with restless thoughts and starved of oxygen, the brain is not able to completely switch off, preventing a person from falling asleep quickly. And correctly selected breathing exercises in this case help to reduce discomfort to a minimum, allowing the body to relax and tune in to rest.
These exercises will also help strengthen your immune system.
By regularly performing exercises of this kind, you can:
- cleanse the airways, getting rid of chronic respiratory diseases;
- improve blood circulation, providing brain cells with additional oxygen flow;
- relieve muscle spasms and get rid of pain;
- normalize the functioning of the nervous system, reduce emotional stress and mental fatigue;
- strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of developing many diseases of the endocrine, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems.
In addition, breathing exercises help the brain to distract itself from restless thoughts that prevent you from falling asleep quickly: performing such exercises requires full concentration on the alternation of inhalations and exhalations, leaving no time for the fears and anxieties accumulated during the day.
Breathing exercises for sleep - the best techniques
After all the preparatory procedures, you can begin performing gymnastics. Here are some of the best breathing exercises for sleep.
Full breath
The name of the exercise contains the whole essence of it. You need to lie on your stomach. Focus on your own breathing. After exhaling, we begin to inhale. First of all, we draw air into the lower parts of the lungs, the diaphragm should move down, and the stomach should increase in size.
To control the exercise, you can put one hand on your stomach, the other on your chest. Secondly, inflate the chest. Thirdly, raise the collarbones, freeing up additional space for air. This is followed by a three-stage exhalation in the reverse sequence.
First, we lower the collarbones, then we exhale from the chest, then “from the stomach.” Must be performed 5-8 times. The exercise is very relaxing. Indicated not only for performing before bedtime. In any alarming situation, you should perform it a couple of times and the anxiety will go away.
Lower breathing
Perform only the first part of the previous exercise. Breathe only with the diaphragm, that is, “inflate” your stomach and exhale the air.
Breathing exercises for sleep using the “4-7-8” method
This is the most popular and effective breathing exercise for sleep. Throughout the entire exercise, the tongue is pressed against the tubercle of the upper palate behind the front teeth. You need to start by exhaling deeply through your mouth. Next, inhale through the nose, accompanied by a count to 4. Then hold your breath, count to 7 in your head, while pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
After this, exhale through the mouth with a count of 8. The exhalation is noisy. Repeat several times. The creators of the technique claim that this way you can fall asleep in one minute.
Breathing exercises for sleep “Anti-stress”
The technique of execution corresponds to the procedure of full breathing. Additionally, you need to exhale noisily, making hissing sounds. At the same time, imagine how all the negative things leave you along with the exhaled air.
Count to 10, while imagining the numbers
When performing this exercise, you need to ensure that the inhalation cycle corresponds to one number, and the exhalation cycle corresponds to another.
You can try all the exercises and choose the technique that suits you.
Sleep and its standards
Sleep is a very important physiological process. After all, it is in their sleep that children grow. This can be explained by the fact that during sleep the body produces growth hormone - somatotropin. Its production peaks from about midnight to 3-4 am. Therefore, it is important for proper development and growth to adhere to a daily routine, which will benefit not only the child, but also rest for the parents. However, the older he gets, the less time he needs to sleep. A child aged 2 to 4 years needs 16 hours of sleep, a child aged 5 years needs 13 hours, a child aged 6-7 years needs about 12 hours, and teenagers need 9 hours of sleep.
There are a huge number of ways to quickly put your child to sleep. An important role in choosing a method suitable for your baby is played by his age.
There are a huge number of ways to quickly put your child to sleep.
First, let's look at several effective ways to put a baby to sleep.
Contraindications
Before deciding to perform breathing exercises, you should definitely consult a somnologist, because
it is possible that the causes of insomnia are much more serious than those that can be cured by breathing exercises Despite all the obvious effectiveness and safety of breathing exercises for combating insomnia, in some cases such exercises should be performed with caution. This is about:
- infectious diseases;
- old age;
- acute or chronic forms of respiratory diseases (obstructive bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, etc.).
In addition, sometimes insomnia can have quite serious causes, for which breathing exercises alone will not be enough to overcome. Therefore, when faced with a similar problem, it is better to consult a doctor who will help you choose the best treatment option for each specific case.
And the most important thing that should not be forgotten when deciding to cope with insomnia with the help of breathing exercises is that any exercise of this kind should be performed with pleasure, accompanied only by pleasant sensations. You should not force your body, because in this case there will be no question of healthy and sound sleep. For the same reason, the pace of training should be increased gradually, without trying to complete all the exercises in full in the first days. It is important to closely monitor your well-being and at the first signs of fatigue or dizziness, take a break, giving your body the opportunity to adjust to continuing exercise.
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The effect of breathing on sleep quality
Poor quality of sleep, and even more so its partial or complete absence, has a detrimental effect on well-being and health. We are talking about both immediate consequences - daytime lethargy, apathy, inability to concentrate, and long-term consequences - the occurrence of diseases of the nervous system. In some cases, of course, sleeping pills help, but constant use of such medications for chronic insomnia is dangerous. Moreover, you have to gradually increase the dosage.
In addition to addiction, frequent use of sleeping pills can lead to amnesia, poor coordination of movements, and problems with speech clarity. There is a high risk of overdose, the consequences of which can even be fatal.
Breathing exercises that will help restore quality of sleep are a publicly available practice that do not require financial investment or special skill. People of any age, gender, and physical fitness can do this kind of gymnastics. It does not require any equipment, special clothing or conditions. The only thing you need is the desire to forget about insomnia and patience.
It’s hard not to agree with the phrase from the famous movie: “All diseases come from nerves!” When we go to bed in the evening, it is not always possible to fall asleep quickly. The events of a difficult day, full of impressions, scroll through your head. We evaluate our reaction to them, worry about conflict situations, and make plans for tomorrow. In such circumstances, the brain simply cannot send signals to the nervous system that will allow the body to relax and fall asleep.
Breathing exercises will help you move away from memories of daytime events and experiences, and the nervous system will relax, smoothly transitioning into a healthy sleep.
Positive effects of gymnastics
In the short term, proper breathing techniques will help you fall asleep quickly, significantly improve the quality of your sleep, and create conditions for the body to fully recover during the night’s rest. Regular exercise also brings great benefits to your overall health.
Here are the main consequences:
- Improving blood flow, saturating the brain sufficiently with oxygen.
- Normalization of the central nervous system.
- Strengthening the immune system, while reducing the possibility of a wide range of diseases.
- Improving the functioning of the respiratory system will help you forget about colds.
- Leveling psychological stress, getting rid of muscle pain.
Even if there are no problems with the quality of sleep, you feel excellent, then breathing exercises will be an effective preventive measure that will allow you to maintain good health throughout your life.
To enhance the effect
The results of using breathing exercises for insomnia will appear much faster if you combine it with additional factors that help you fall asleep quickly. First of all, for a sound and healthy sleep, you need a properly organized sleeping place - best of all, if it is a high-quality orthopedic mattress and a special pillow. In the absence of disturbances in the functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, the latter can be abandoned altogether - this will significantly improve cerebral circulation and ensure the health of the cervical spine.
