It doesn’t matter if you’ve had a bad day or can’t wind down or if restlessness is in the body or the mind. When you can’t sleep, you need help, and you need it fast.
The good news is that breathing in specific ways can help you get to sleep, stay asleep, and experience more profound levels of sleep. Just like Goldilocks, you will find the breathing exercise that’s just right!
Let’s dive into some breathing exercises for sleep recommended by former insomniacs.
Stress: The #1 Cause of Insomnia
Though many things can contribute to not being able to fall asleep and stay asleep, stress is the number one factor for most people. Unfortunately, insomnia can become an issue when we do not attend to reducing our stress. And what happens if we continue the cycle of stress and insomnia?
According to WebMD, “Lack of sleep can make you moody, cranky, anxious, and depressed. It could also be harder to think straight or remember things…Insomnia is linked to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.”
In short, we end up feeling even more stressed without proper deep sleep! What can help with stress reduction? Breathing! What can help with sleep issues? Breathing!
Deep Breathing Exercises
Victory Breath
This breathing technique also goes by the names ocean breath (because of its sound) and ujjayi breath (a Sanskrit word that means victory). But how is breathing a victory? It conquers unwanted thoughts. Can I get a hip, hip hooray?
Victory breath is also very relaxing, especially if you enjoy the sounds of the ocean—no need for a white noise machine when you can make your own ocean whooshing sound.