{"id":1130388,"date":"2021-09-16T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1130388"},"modified":"2021-09-16T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T11:00:00","slug":"want-to-fall-asleep-fast-try-the-4-7-8-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1130388","title":{"rendered":"Want to Fall Asleep Fast? Try the 4-7-8 Method"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wellness<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Want to Fall Asleep Fast? Try the 4-7-8 Method<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Hannah Coates<\/span> and Margaux Anbouba<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Frederic Leighton 1830-1896. Flaming, June 1895. Oil on canvas (120.6 x 120.6 cm). Ponce, Museum of Fine Arts. (Photo by: Photo12\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/span>Getty<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Whether a poor night\u2019s sleep is just an occasional thing or you\u2019re one of the increasing number of people suffering from a frustrating and persistent abundance of them, there is a simple technique that requires little more than your own body to help you fall asleep\u2014and fast. The 4-7-8 method is a breathwork practice rooted in the ancient yogic tradition of pranayama (or breath regulation), which helps relax the body and mind and subsequently eases you into sleep.<\/p>\n

But first, a bit of reckoning: \u201cResearch has shown us that sleep is not an optional activity,\u201d says David F. Dinges, PhD, in his study that lists the physical and mental effects of a bad night’s sleep. Truly, it hurts your entire body, impairing cognition and shortening your ability to focus. Oh, it also puts you in a bad mood.<\/p>\n

The man behind the 4-7-8 method, Dr. Andrew Weil, the founder and director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, has dubbed it a \u201cnatural tranquilizer for the nervous system.\u201d It works by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our rest and digest mode, while switching off the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers our stress response (or fight or flight mode).<\/p>\n

Not only can this kind of deep and rhythmic breathing help you get to sleep quickly, but it also reduces anxiety, can help us manage everything from cravings to anger, and helps with the normal functioning of processes like digestion in the body. Given so many of us are chronically stressed, it pays to incorporate techniques like this into your day-to-day routine.<\/p>\n

You can do the 4-7-8 to help you get to sleep, in the middle of the night when you wake up, or at any point during the day when you want to feel calmer. However and whenever you do it, Dr Weil advises performing the technique regularly and consistently\u2013ideally, twice a day\u2013to see long-lasting and life-changing results.<\/p>\n

So, how to do it? The ultra-simple breathing exercise goes like this:<\/p>\n

1. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four seconds.<\/p>\n

2. Hold your breath for seven seconds.<\/p>\n

3. Exhale for eight seconds, making a \u201cwhoosh\u201d sound through pursed lips<\/p>\n

4. Repeat up to four times, twice per day.<\/p>\n

Have a beauty or wellness trend you’re curious about? We want to know! Send<\/em>\u00a0Vogue’s senior beauty & wellness editor an email at\u00a0beauty@vogue.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: http:\/\/vogue.com\/article\/4-7-8-sleep-method<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wellness Want to Fall Asleep Fast? Try the 4-7-8 Method By Hannah Coates and Margaux Anbouba December 10, 2025 Frederic Leighton 1830-1896. Flaming, June 1895. Oil on canvas (120.6 x 120.6 cm). Ponce, Museum of Fine Arts. (Photo by: Photo12\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Getty Whether a poor night\u2019s sleep is just an occasional thing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1130389,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-1130388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-vogue-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1130388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1130388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1130389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1130388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1130388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1130388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}