This exercise can end your insomnia in 1 minute.

For most people, sleep is a gift, a joy, a relief. For others, however, lying on the pillow is the beginning of a long struggle to fall asleep. Those who do not have insomnia problems generally believe that those who cannot sleep do not get tired or feel sleepy, but not quite. The truth is that sleeping, contrary to what one might imagine, is not such an easy task.

The Mother Nature Network addressed this question and left us with an interesting question: is there a cure for insomnia? There are even a few tricks for when sleep decides to go away, just as there are a number of foods to avoid before going to bed and tips on what to wear to sleep well - spoiler: nothing!

The fact is that getting too little sleep is a bad deal for our health, and this is visible the day after a sleepless night: tiredness, irritation, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating and so on. It is even proven that important genes are "turned off" in people who sleep little - bizarre, right? And some say that the insomnia is to blame for the moon. And then you wonder, okay, but can you solve the problem? Maybe yes.

The cure"

As insomnia is an extremely common problem, so many researchers are striving for one day, perhaps to come up with some kind of cure. Dr. Andrew Weil, who has been studying insomnia for a long time at Harvard, believes that what can make a difference in this regard is some breathing exercises.

He knows that breathing is a key ingredient in meditation and yoga activities, which are two known for their power of body and mental relaxation. The truth is that deep breathing improves our body's oxygenation, which is great for lowering stress levels and thus falling asleep.

Dr. Jose Colon, who is also an insomnia expert, explains that when we fill our lungs with air, our heart beats faster; and when we empty our lungs, our heart rate slows down. By all means, exploring these factors can guarantee a good night's sleep.

The recipe

The breathing exercise you will now know is also called 4-7-8 or Relaxing Breathing. The promise is ambitious: After completing the following series, you may fall asleep in about a minute. Pay attention and good luck:

• Leave the tip of your tongue against the part of the gum just above your front teeth (in this case, the back of your teeth, toward the roof of your mouth) and keep it there while performing the exercise;
• Empty your lungs completely, exhaling through your mouth until you feel there is nothing left;
• Close your mouth and breathe through your nose as you count to four;
• Hold your breath and count to seven;
• Exhale completely through your mouth while counting to eight;
• Repeat this cycle three more times and sweet dreams.

The most important step in the process is holding your breath for seven seconds - this is the amount of time it takes for your body to get more oxygen and start getting relaxed enough to let you fall asleep.

According to Dr. Murray Grossman, when the exhalation time is longer than the inspiratory time, which is what happens in exercise, our brain gets the message that there are no threats or stressors around and guess what: It makes our body want to sleep.

Exercise is also good for reasons other than oxygenation - when we stay focused and start counting, our mind is also relaxed: at this point, we just think about the numbers, not about the rent we are going to earn or the scolding we take from the boss.

Grossman recommends that hypertensive people also perform this breathing exercise, as body relaxation also lowers blood pressure. For very stressed people, the doctor recommends that exercise be done up to 10 times a day - according to him, this will reduce the amount of stress hormones.

Doctors who study this breathing technique prefer not to say that it is a cure for insomnia, precisely because it may not work for everyone. Still, the results are quite positive, and you can test at home without any major difficulties.

Some cases of insomnia deserve more stringent treatments, as they may just be a symptom of some kind of sleep disorder - so when nothing seems to work, it is best to seek medical help. If you happen to try the 4-7-8- rule, then tell us if it worked.