Are you breathing well?

When you are anxious, worried, or worn out, do you notice a change in how you breathe?

Chances are you either start breathing through your mouth or take too many quick breaths that put you further into panic mode. While you can’t consciously control your breathing when you’re asleep, your daytime breathing pattern largely lays the groundwork for either functional or dysfunctional breathing at night.

So, if you can fit in even a few minutes of focused, calm breathing before you turn in each evening, you can set yourself up for higher quality sleep. Here are three proven protocols to try, along with a brief explanation of why each is effective.

Breathing Technique #1 — 1:3:2 Protocol

The notion of holding your breath might not sound very relaxing. In fact, it can seem downright daunting. Yet there is plenty of research that supports regular submaximal breath holds (i.e., those you don’t have to hold for too long) can increase your body’s carbon dioxide tolerance.

For athletes, this means you can exert yourself harder and longer while training and can breathe shallower and less often when at rest. This breath work can help you counteract the common practice of over-breathing, which throws off your carbon dioxide to oxygen ratio.

Even when people switch to nasal-only breathing, many continue taking giant gulps of air that keep their body in an overly stressed and hyper-alert state, not to mention relying too much on secondary respiratory muscles and not enough on the diaphragm and intercostals that should be running the show. Doing so continually can contribute to muscle soreness and headaches.

This is why a protocol like the 1:3:2 suggested here or box breathing (e.g., a four-second nasal inhale, four-second hold, four-second nasal exhale, and four-second hold) can help your body build up its CO2 tolerance and get more comfortable with calm, almost nonchalant nasal breathing that can keep you relaxed in even the most adverse situations.

Inhale through the nose for five seconds

• Hold for 15 seconds (don’t worry if you can’t do a 15-second hold – build up to it slowly)

• End with a nasal exhale for 10 seconds

• Spend five to 10 minutes on this protocol each evening, or any other time you feel stressed out

Breathing Technique #2 — 1:1 Protocol

Again after reviewing the research, the best breath pattern to encourage high heart rate variability (HRV) and a balanced autonomic nervous system is a five-second inhale and five-second exhale.

It’s also the easiest pattern to practice and get comfortable with. This isn’t to say that you have to stick to a rigid timed pattern. In fact, some people (me included) find it stressful to count the number of seconds they’re inhaling or exhaling for. So feel free to get creative with this 1:1 protocol or the 1:3:2 and 1:2 patterns. The very act of breathing through your nose and focusing exclusively on it — particularly when life gets hectic — will help you re-centre yourself and find a sense of calm.

• Inhale through the nose for five seconds

• Exhale through the nose for five seconds

• Practice frequently, especially when you’re feeling stressed or anxious

Breathing Technique #3 — 1:2 Protocol

While an even 1:1 inhale-to-exhale ratio is best for improving your HRV, other breathing patterns can be beneficial in different ways. There’s an increasing amount of research to show the efficacy of exhales lasting seven seconds or longer. One option for the timing of your inhalation-to-exhalation breathing cycles per minute is to use a 4:8 ratio of four-second inhalations and eight-second exhalations.

You could start this kind of pattern with a three-second nasal inhale and six-second exhale, then progress to the 4/8 pattern, and finally to 5/10- and even 6/12-second inhales and exhales. Doing so will have a calming effect by allowing you to tap into the parasympathetic branch of your autonomic nervous system via the vagus nerve. This threads through your diaphragm, which is the prime mover of nasal breathing. While it is also involved in less functional breathing patterns, a moderate depth nose-only breath will require the diaphragm to play a bigger part in your respiration.

• Start by inhaling through your nose for 4 seconds

• Exhale through the nose for 8 seconds

Breathing isn’t the only way to wind down after a hard training session, gruelling race, or tough day at the office. But it is the easiest and most efficient method for changing your physical, emotional, and mental state for the better.