By Haylie PriceSaturday 14 Mar 2015Health and WellbeingReading Time: 2 minutes
There is nothing worse than watching the minutes (or hours) tick away while you’re in bed trying to get to sleep. You’ve got a big day planned tomorrow and if you know that if you don’t get a good nights sleep, you’ll be in big trouble. Often the stress of trying to fall asleep can make it even harder.
So how does one force themselves to fall asleep at the appropriate time?
You’ve probably tried the age old trick of counting sheep without success, but is it possible to trick your body into falling asleep in one minute or less? A new scientific survey says, yes.
Dr Weil claims that by following these simple steps, you’ll be off in dreamland before you know it. Apparently when we’re stressed, we’re actually under breathing. Stress and anxiousness causes adrenaline to course through your veins, causing increased heart rate and results in your breathing becoming quick and shallow.
The purpose behind the technique is to control your breathing, thus lowering your heart rate and calm your mind by focusing on a counting task.
To put the theory into practice, simply breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds and then exhale through your mouth for eight seconds. Repeat the process until you calmly fall to sleep.
Try giving this technique a go and let us know in the comments section below if it worked for you.
Image via freeimages.com; Article topic originally appeared on byrdie.com.