Guides
4-7-8 breathing for sleep
General wellness information. Not medical advice, and not a substitute for professional care.
Nervio is a breathing timer for general wellness. It is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and not for emergencies. If you are in crisis, call your local emergency number or a crisis line. Stop if you feel dizzy or light-headed; if you have a heart, lung or other medical condition or are pregnant, check with a doctor first. Terms and disclaimer
4-7-8 breathing is a slow count people use as a wind-down before sleep: inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8. The long exhale is the main idea. The hold is only useful if it feels comfortable.
Nervio’s Sleep mode starts at that count. This link opens a 2-minute Sleep session. It is a few quiet minutes, not a promise that you will fall asleep.
The counts
Do this lying down or sitting somewhere you can rest. Do not do it while driving, in water, or anywhere drowsiness would be unsafe. Some people feel lightheaded with a long hold. If that happens, stop and breathe in your usual way.
- Inhale quietly for 4 seconds. You do not need a dramatic breath.
- Hold for 7 seconds, and only if that feels all right. If the hold feels tight or scary, skip it.
- Exhale slowly for 8 seconds, without forcing the last bit of air out.
- Rest a moment if you need to, then repeat for a few rounds.
If the hold is the part that bothers you, drop it. Calm mode is a simpler bedtime-or-daytime pattern: 4 seconds in, 6 seconds out, no hold at all.
Using Sleep mode
Sleep mode begins at 4 in, 7 hold, 8 out. A full round is 19 seconds, so two minutes is a handful of rounds. Quick is shorter if you only want one or two. When the time ends, you can mark Better, Same, or Worse. Worse makes the next session a little shorter. Better makes it a little longer. The exhale stays the longest part.
Dim the screen if you are already in bed. The phase word is large on purpose, so you can read Inhale, Hold, or Exhale without hunting. Sound is optional.
If sleep is an ongoing problem
A counting pattern will not fix a sleep disorder, pain, a new baby, or a schedule that never lets you rest. A clinician is the right person for that. Use this as a quiet few minutes at the end of the day.
If you are wound up rather than sleepy, box breathing is more even and less drowsy. If you are panicking, use the panic exercise instead of a long hold.