Slowing the mind and decongesting the nose are a big part of having good sleep.
This is a breathing tip for slowing down the mind, and lowering blood pressure, and decongesting the nose by increasing a molecule that is naturally made by the body, called nitric oxide. A side note: high blood pressure that is resistant to medication is a possible sign of a sleep disorder and needs further investigation.
The short version:
Breathe out for longer than you breathe in, and focus on the exhale. Do your best to breathe through your nose and keep your lips closed.
The tip:
- Xhalr.com is a free website that times your breathing for you. Start with what is a comfortable inhale for you, then exhale for one or two seconds longer than your inhale. Keep practicing and gradually increase both the inhale and exhale, breathing gently.
- Use your diaphragm to breathe, not your shoulders. You might find that your body is tight. Don’t worry, it will get better with practice.
Caution:
- If something hurts you feel dizzy, light headed, or see stars, stop practicing, and breathe normally. If it continues, see a health practitioner
Personal experience:
Many wellness classes that I have taken include proper breathing as part of their practice, such as yoga to Qi Gong. Some teach mouth breathing as part of the practice. For sleep, it is best to keep your lips closed and breathe through your nose.
There was a point in my life where I had poor sleep quality, a great deal of stress and high blood pressure. My medical doctor was also a yoga instructor and she suspected that I was holding my breath while running around my orthodontic practice. She recommended that I practiced proper breathing using the website Xhalr.com. She prescribed a twenty minute breathing break twice a day, but I saw improvement with just a few minutes and made me more aware of my breathing while I was working.
I’m impressed that the xhalr.com web site is free. I did some research and found that it is part of an Anxiety and Depression Organization.
Resource:
The book “Oxygen Advantage”, Patrick McKeown, has extensive documentation on how breathing can improve your health or make it worse, depending on how it is done.
There are many phone apps and websites that have more information about breathing, try a few and see what works for you.
“I’m incredibly thankful to Dr. Maruko for connecting me with the Xhalr website. It’s been a wonderful tool that I’ve been able to incorporate into my daily routine to learn to regulate my breathing.” – E.D.S.