Can’t sleep? Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique that claims to help you nod off in 60 SECONDS

• Method has been pioneered by Harvard-trained Dr Andrew Weil

• It involves regulating your breathing to various counts of 4, 7 and 8

• It lets oxygen better fill the lungs, calms the mind and relaxes muscles

You’ve tried a warm bath, a hot, milky drink and even counting sheep, but you’re still lying wide awake wondering why you can’t fall asleep.

Now, one scientist claims he has a way of getting insomniacs to slip into a slumber in just 60 seconds – and it doesn’t involve prescription drugs or strange lighting.

Dubbed the 4-7-8 breathing technique, the method is described as a ‘natural tranquiliser for the nervous system’ helping to reduce tension in the body.

HOW IT WORKS

The technique is based on pranayama, an ancient Indian practice that means ‘regulation of breath.’

The Harvard-trained doctor behind it claims that 4-7-8 is such a powerful technique because it allows oxygen to better fill the lungs.

‘This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system,’ he says.

This extra oxygen can have a relaxing effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes a state of calmness.

FALL ASLEEP IN 60 SECONDS

1. Exhale completely through your mouth while making a ‘whoosh’ sound.
2. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
3. Now hold your breath for a count of seven.
4. Exhale completely through your mouth, making another whoosh sound for eight second in one large breath.
5. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three times for a total of four breaths.

It may sound too easy to work, but you shouldn’t judge it before you try.