A dysregulated nervous system can lead to insomnia, but you can breathe your way to better sleep. To help you fall and stay asleep, try this paced breathing technique.

Video: Using Paced Breathing For Insomnia

Paced Breathing for Insomnia Key Take-Away Points

Insomnia can occur when our autonomic nervous system (ANS) gets dysregulated.

This can happen when our:

  • Sympathetic nervous system becomes overactive.
  • Parasympathetic nervous system becomes underactive.

When this happens, it can increase the time needed to fall asleep, decrease the quality of sleep, and decrease the time spent sleeping.

One research article made the case that slow, deep breathing can be highly effective in helping people fall sleep and get back to sleep.[1] 

Paced breathing can help regulate the autonomic nervous system:

  • Decreasing the sympathetic nervous system
  • Increasing the parasympathetic nervous system
  • Increasing vagal tone

To practice paced breathing for insomnia:

  • Breathe at a pace of 0.1Hz, which is 6 breaths per minute
    • 5 second inhale, 5 second exhale OR
    • 3 second inhale, 7 second exhale
  • Try breathing at this pace for up to 20 minutes before bed.
  • When you wake in the middle of the night, use paced breathing to fall back to sleep.
  • You can also consider using paced breathing throughout the day to calm overarousal.

Helpful Links

More Posts On Sleep:

More Posts On Breathing:

Link to Research Article

Small Changes, Big Transformation

Paced breathing is one small change we can make to prioritize our health and build resilience. Wellness doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming. Give this practice a try this week and let me know how it goes!

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[1] Jerath, R., Beveridge, C., & Barnes, V. A. (2019). Self-Regulation of Breathing as an Adjunctive Treatment of Insomnia. Frontiers in psychiatry, 9, 780. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00780