4-7-8 breathing
Inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8: extends the exhale to activate parasympathetic recovery.
Why
A breathing pattern derived from pranayama and popularised by Dr. Andrew Weil. Long exhales relative to inhales bias the autonomic nervous system toward parasympathetic dominance. RCT evidence shows acute effects on heart-rate variability and blood pressure, plus improved post-surgical anxiety scores in a 2023 trial.
The technique
- 1
Sit or lie comfortably. Tongue tip lightly behind the upper teeth.
- 2
Exhale fully through the mouth.
- 3
Inhale through the nose for a count of 4.
- 4
Hold the breath for a count of 7.
- 5
Exhale through the mouth for a count of 8.
- 6
Repeat the cycle 4 times. That's one round.
When to use it
Lying in bed when sleep won't come, or in any acute-stress moment.
Markers this may influence
Evidence
Laborde 2022 Neurosci Biobehav Rev meta-analysis (223 studies) confirms slow-paced breathing reliably raises vagally-mediated HRV during and immediately after practice. The 4-7-8 protocol specifically has only small acute trials (Vierra 2022 Physiol Rep), so the effect on sleep is mechanistically plausible but not anchored to a large RCT.