{"id":15,"date":"2025-10-01T13:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T13:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/good-worldwide.go-vip.net\/upworthy\/2025\/10\/01\/4-7-8-instant-sleep-hack-ex1\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T13:07:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T13:07:00","slug":"4-7-8-instant-sleep-hack-ex1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodinc.com\/qa-upworthy\/2025\/10\/01\/4-7-8-instant-sleep-hack-ex1\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor’s unique ‘4-7-8’ relaxation technique could help you fall asleep on-demand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s a rhetorical, but important question: Are you having a hard time falling asleep<\/a>? If so, you’re not the only one. Falling and staying asleep typically becomes more difficult as adults get older. We spend less time in deep sleep and REM sleep, and we struggle to fight off our worries and anxieties while lying in silence. Did you know there’s actually a name for the phenomenon<\/a> where you keep yourself awake by lying there and wondering why you’re still awake<\/a>? It’s called “spectatoring<\/a>” and it’s incredibly frustrating.<\/p>

Worse yet, the older we get the more likely we are to wake in the night and have trouble falling back asleep. This is why more and more Americans are turning to white noise, melatonin, meditation apps, special pillows, and anything they think can help them get most rest.<\/p>

Fortunately, a doctor has shared the \u201cmost powerful\u201d relaxation technique<\/a> he knows, and it doesn\u2019t require any equipment or cost a dime. <\/strong><\/p>


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\"sleep,
Ever stare at the clock and repeatedly wonder why you can't fall asleep? It's called Photo by Mpho Mojapelo on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> <\/p>

Dr. Andrew Weil has dubbed it the 4-7-8 method and it\u2019s backed up by science.<\/a><\/p>

<\/a>Dr. Weil is an expert in integrative medicine<\/a> and the founder and director of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona.<\/p>

<\/span>The technique is simple:
<\/p>

  1. Breathe in through your nose while you count to 4.<\/li>
  2. Hold your breath while you count to 7.<\/li>
  3. Exhale while you count to 8.<\/li><\/ol>

    It’s a unique protocol, especially when compared to another popular technique like Box Breathing<\/a>. Box Breathing calls for an inhale, hold, exhale, and another hold of equal time (4 seconds). The extended exhale, in particular, is what makes Dr. Weil’s 4-7-8 so original.<\/p>

    Here’s Dr. Weil explaining his method:<\/p>

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