Breathing Exercises for Sleep: 5 Techniques to Try Tonight
Five breathing exercises for sleep with step-by-step instructions, how slow breathing calms the body, how to choose one, and the cautions worth knowing.
Relaxation
Relaxation techniques give a wired body and mind a clear, simple task to do instead of trying to force sleep. These step-by-step guides cover the methods with the best track record, how to practise them, and how to fit them into a bedtime routine.
11 guides
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4-7-8 Breathing for Sleep: How to Do It and What to Expect
How to do 4-7-8 breathing step by step, where the technique comes from, what the evidence honestly says, and when a gentler pattern is a better choice.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Sleep: A Step-by-Step Script
A full progressive muscle relaxation script for sleep, feet to face, with timings, why tensing first helps, adaptations for pain or injury, and the evidence.
Bedtime Relaxation Techniques: Which Ones Work and How to Choose
Bedtime relaxation techniques compared: breathing, muscle relaxation, body scans, meditation, sound, baths and reading, with a quick chooser for tonight.
In-depth guides
Bedtime Meditation for Sleep: A Beginner's Guide
Bedtime meditation for beginners: what it can and cannot do for sleep, three simple practices with steps, guided versus silent, and what to do if it wakes you.
Quick reads and specific questions
Body Scan for Sleep: How to Do It (With a Simple Script)
A simple body scan script for sleep, with pacing, what to notice, and why the aim is attention rather than relaxation. Falling asleep halfway through is fine.
Mindfulness for Sleep: Letting Go of the Effort to Fall Asleep
Mindfulness for sleep is acceptance rather than control: noticing thoughts without following them and dropping the struggle. Short practices, honest evidence.
Box Breathing for Sleep and Stress: The 4-4-4-4 Method
How to do box breathing (4-4-4-4) step by step, why the equal holds help some people and not others, how it compares with 4-7-8, and the cautions.
Gentle Bedtime Stretches to Help You Unwind
Seven gentle bedtime stretches described step by step, with safety notes for backs and joints, how to pair them with slow breathing, and why slow beats fast.
Guided Relaxation for Sleep: How It Works and Where to Start
Guided relaxation for sleep: what a recorded voice does for a tired mind, the main types, how to choose a voice and length, free sources, and listening in bed.
Yoga Nidra for Sleep: What It Is and How to Practise It
Yoga nidra explained: a guided, lying-down deep-rest practice that moves attention around the body. How it relates to NSDR, the evidence, and how to start.