I figured the 4-7-8 breathing thing was nonsense until a bad night in Des Moines proved me wrong

Casey Nguyen · 2026-10-19T12:35:04.887643+00:00

Three months ago I was lying awake till 2am scrolling my phone and a friend told me to try that 4-7-8 breathing thing instead. I rolled my eyes at first. Sounded like the kind of tip that comes with a motivational quote. But one night last month I was stuck in a hotel in Des Moines for a work trip and the room AC was rattling and I could not sleep at all. So I tried it out of boredom. Breathe in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8, repeat 4 times. I got through maybe three rounds and woke up at 7am with the phone still in my hand. Now I do it most nights and it works about 8 out of 10 times. Not magic but way better than staring at posts. Does it work better for some of you when you count out loud or just in your head?

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I figured the 4-7-8 breathing thing was nonsense until a bad night in Des Moines proved me wrong | Bedtime Phone Stories - Babble Community