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Try a Breathing Exercise to Ease Into Sleep

Inhale, exhale, repeat

By

Staying Sharp

Updated April 06, 2023

Updated April 06, 2023

A woman lying on a bed with her eyes closed

Stone Sub/Getty Images

Quick Win

Mindful breathing may be your ticket to a good night’s sleep.

Try This Today

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the bed.
Put your palm on your stomach and watch it rise and fall as you breathe.
Focus on the feeling of your abdomen naturally expanding and contracting through deep, relaxed breaths.

Why

This exercise is a form of controlled breathing commonly practiced in yoga. It can help relax your body and clear your mind so you have an easier time falling asleep. Deep breathing helps increase melatonin, the hormone produced by the brain that helps tell your body it’s time to fall asleep, according to a 2019 review article in Frontiers in Psychiatry.

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Legal Disclaimer: Staying Sharp, including all content and features, is offered for informational purposes and to educate users on brain health care and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Staying Sharp is based on a holistic, lifestyle approach to brain health that encourages users to incorporate into their daily lives activities that are associated with general wellness. Nothing in the service should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Features including the Cognitive Assessment and Lifestyle Check-Ins, Additional Tests, exercises, and challenges assess performance at a particular moment in time on certain discrete cognitive tasks. Staying Sharp games are intended for entertainment and recreational purposes only. Various factors may affect performance, including sleep, tiredness, focus, and other social, environmental, or emotional factors. Performance is not indicative of cognitive health and not predictive of future performance or medical conditions.

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