How to Get Ready for Bed

By Leisa Goins

Slow down to get your body ready for slumber

Breathe toward slumber
In a small Harvard study using yoga breathing techniques to treat insomnia, all subjects reported an improvement in the quality and quantity of sleep. “There is evidence that long, slow abdominal breathing will reduce anxiety and arousal,” says Sat-Bir Khalsa, Ph.D., director of the study and an instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Naiman recommends one breathing technique (similar to those Dr. Khalsa used in his research) called the 4-7-8 breath exercise. With your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth, just behind your upper teeth, exhale completely. Close your mouth and inhale through your nose for four counts. Hold your breath for seven counts. Then, exhale while mentally counting to eight. Repeat the cycle three more times. Both are important for restful sleep.

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