Do you struggle to sleep?

Do you ever struggle with sleep? Or wake in the middle of the night with the brain buzzing?

If you feel exhausted after a busy weekend or simply suffer from anxiety when lying awake in the early hours, then try this breathing technique used by the Navy Seals to calm down and focus in moments of stress.

‘Box Breathing’:

Breathe in through the nose for the count of 4
Hold the breath for the count of 4
Exhale through the mouth for 4
Hold the breath for the count of 4

And repeat for as long as you would like…

As a general rule, we tend nowadays to breathe really badly, so think about the following three things when you are going through daily life:

1) CLOSE YOUR MOUTH AND BREATHE THROUGH YOUR NOSE

Breathing through your mouth is inefficient, increases stress levels, blood pressure, snoring and sleep apnea. Nasal breathing lowers blood pressure, regulates the heart rate, and decreases snoring episodes.

If you want to go extreme you can try placing a strip of surgical tape across your mouth at night. As with all things, it takes a while to get used to but has huge benefits for sleep quality.

To add to that, nasal breathing releases 25% of the nitric oxide in your body which has amazing anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Mouth breathing does not release any nitric oxide at all… zero, leaving you much more susceptible to air borne viral infections. Not a good idea right now.

2) EXHALE FOR LONGER

The diaphragm (the muscle that draws air into the lungs) is a muscle just like any other. It needs to be exercised to its full range. Shallow breathing through the mouth does not allow the diaphragm to be used efficiently. Occasionally working to exhale all the air out of your lungs before inhaling again will help to stimulate the diaphragm.

3) SLOW IT DOWN

The perfect inhale is 5.5 seconds, same for the perfect exhale. I admit measuring that half a second is a tricky one, but just try breathing in and out for roughly 5 seconds each time and you will be on track to a healthier breathing system.

Joseph Pilates was a man before his time, as he knew all of this before the scientists performed all their latest research. Why do you think we breathe in and out for 5 during the Hundred? It was not because it was his lucky number!