4-7-8 breathing: how to do it, and when to use it

What 4-7-8 breathing is

4-7-8 breathing is a slow breathing pattern with a long out-breath. You breathe in quietly through your nose for a count of four, hold for seven, then breathe out through your mouth for eight. The out-breath takes twice as long as the in-breath, and the hold in the middle slows the whole cycle right down.

It is also called the relaxing breath. The version most people learn comes from Dr. Andrew Weil, an American physician known for his work in integrative medicine, and the University of Arizona's Center for Integrative Medicine has published his instructions as a patient handout.

How to do it

Sit with your back straight while you are learning. Rest the tip of your tongue on the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth and keep it there the whole time; you will breathe out around it. Then:

1. 1Breathe out completely through your mouth, with a whoosh.
2. 2Close your mouth and breathe in quietly through your nose for a count of four.
3. 3Hold your breath for a count of seven.
4. 4Breathe out completely through your mouth, with a whoosh, for a count of eight.
5. 5That is one breath. Repeat three more times, for four breaths in all.

The ratio matters, not the speed

How fast you count is up to you. Weil's point is that the time spent on each phase matters less than the ratio between them. If holding for seven is a struggle, count faster and keep the 4:7:8 proportions; with practice, you can slow the count down and breathe more deeply.

If breathing out around your tongue feels awkward, try pursing your lips slightly. Always breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, and keep the in-breath quiet. The whoosh is only on the way out.

How often, and how many breaths

Weil recommends doing it at least twice a day, but keeping it short at first: no more than four breaths at a time for the first month. After that, if you want to, you can build up to eight.

He says that feeling a little light-headed the first few times is nothing to worry about, and that it passes. Feeling dizzy, short of breath or uneasy is different: stop, and breathe normally for a while.

When people use it

Weil suggests using it whenever something upsetting happens, before you react, whenever you notice tension, and to help you fall asleep. That last use is the one it is best known for. Once you have learned it sitting up, you can do it in any position, which is what makes it handy in bed. Typical moments to use it:

• In bed, when your mind will not settle.
• Before a call or a meeting you are dreading.
• After a tense moment, before you answer an email you might regret.
• Between tasks, as a short break that is not your phone.

4-7-8 or box breathing?

Both patterns slow your breathing down with a hold, but they feel different. Box breathing keeps four equal counts and adds a second hold with your lungs empty. 4-7-8 makes the out-breath the longest part, and the out-breath goes through the mouth.

Box breathing's equal counts are easy to keep up for several minutes, while 4-7-8 is meant to be done in short runs, four breaths at a time when you start. If you want something to do for longer, or the long hold does not suit you, box breathing, or simply breathing slowly with a long exhale, is a good alternative.

What the research says

Not a lot, yet. The 4-7-8 count has been studied much less than slow breathing in general. In one small study of 43 healthy young adults, published in Physiological Reports in 2022, three short sets of 4-7-8 breathing lowered heart rate and systolic blood pressure, both in a group who were short of sleep and in a group who were not. It measured the effect at the time, not over weeks.

So be wary of promises that it will put you to sleep in a minute. What it does give you is a slow, structured breath and something to count other than the thoughts keeping you awake, which is often what you need.

Cautions

4-7-8 breathing is gentle, but the long hold does not suit everyone.

• Do it sitting or lying down, never while driving.
• If the seven-count hold makes you anxious or breathless, shorten all three counts and keep the ratio, or try a pattern with no hold at all.
• Stop if you feel dizzy, faint or short of breath, and breathe normally until it passes.
• It is not a treatment for insomnia, anxiety or any other condition. If sleep or anxiety problems are affecting your daily life, talk to a doctor.

Using the 4-7-8 Breathing timer

The 4-7-8 Breathing timer does the counting: 25 seconds to settle, with a reminder about where your tongue goes, then eight rounds of four in, seven held and eight out, then half a minute of free breathing. A calm voice cues each phase, so you can follow it with your eyes closed.

Eight rounds is the full version. If you are in your first month, follow Weil's advice and stop after the fourth breath out, about a minute and 40 seconds in. For four equal counts instead, try Box Breathing.