4-7-8 breathing, step by step, with the numbers that matter
4-7-8 breathing means inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8, for four rounds. Six steps, how long it takes, and what the slow-breathing trials do and do not cover.
In this article7 sections
4-7-8 breathing is a counted breath: inhale through the nose for 4, hold for 7, exhale through the mouth for 8, and repeat for four rounds. Andrew Weil popularized it.
The six steps
- Anchor your tongue. Press the tip against the ridge just behind your upper front teeth. Leave it there throughout.
- Empty out. Exhale completely through your mouth, around your tongue, with a soft whoosh.
- Inhale for 4. Through the nose, quietly.
- Hold for 7. Still, not strained.
- Exhale for 8. Through the mouth, whoosh again.
- Do four rounds. Steps 3 to 5 make one round. Stay at four.
Numbers worth knowing
One round is 19 seconds counted at one per second. Four rounds take 76 seconds, and eight take 152. If the hold is too hard, speed up the count and keep the proportions, and sit down if you feel lightheaded.
What has it been tested on?
Slow paced breathing has small trials behind it, such as Laborde and colleagues (2019, 64 healthy adults, 30 evenings) and Tsai and colleagues (2015, 14 people with insomnia), but they used about six breaths a minute, a different pattern from this one. To judge your own result, time how long you take to fall asleep for a week. If the breathing does not work and you are still awake, the follow-up steps are in a six-step plan for a 3 a.m. waking.
Frequently asked questions
What breathing pattern did the Laborde trial use?
Inhale 4.5 seconds, exhale 5.5 seconds, about six breaths a minute, paced by a smartphone app for 15 minutes each evening over 30 days.
How many breaths per minute is 4-7-8?
About 3.2, at one count per second (60 divided by 19).
When can I do eight rounds?
Weil’s guidance, as reproduced in handouts, is to stay at four rounds for the first month and extend to eight afterward.