What is the military breathing technique for sleep?

The method claims to put you to sleep in two minutes. Cleveland Clinic says that no studies have tested the method itself, and that no research shows a two-minute result. The parts of the method are standard relaxation techniques. They can help you wind down, but they do not make you sleep.

What is the military breathing technique for sleep? The Short Answer

Exercise	What to do	Count
Military method	Relax your body from forehead to toes, breathe with long exhales, picture a calm place	No fixed count
4-7-8 breathing	Breathe in through your nose, hold, breathe out through your mouth	4, 7, 8. Do 4 cycles
Slow belly breathing	Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth, into your belly	1 to 5 each way, for at least 5 minutes
Bedtime routine	Same bedtime, no screens for an hour, relax before bed	Every night

Use the timer on this page for the 4-7-8 counts.

The military method, step by step

Cleveland Clinic says that the steps vary from source to source. These are the steps it gives, with comments from sleep psychologist Dr. Alaina Tiani.

1. Lie down. Lie on your back in bed and close your eyes.
2. Relax your body from the top down. Start at your forehead and move down to your toes. Let your jaw soften. Drop your shoulders. Let your belly rise and fall with your breath. Let your feet fall to the sides.
3. Slow your breath. Take long inhales and even longer exhales.
4. Picture a calm place. Imagine a quiet scene, for example a beach or a mountain view. Use all your senses. If your mind wanders, bring it back to the scene.

The method gives no count for the breath. If you want a count, try 4 seconds in and 6 seconds out. This is our suggestion, not a step from the source. The timer on this page uses the 4-7-8 pattern, which has a fixed count.

About the name. Cleveland Clinic says that reports conflict about where the method started and whether the military teaches it. We found no primary source for the military origin. Supporters also say that you fall asleep in two minutes after six weeks of practice. Dr. Tiani calls this a bold claim that will not work for everyone.

Two more breathing exercises to fall asleep

4-7-8 breathing. Cleveland Clinic says to breathe in through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7 and breathe out through your mouth for 8. Do 4 cycles. You can do it lying in bed. Read the full steps in our 4-7-8 breathing guide.

Slow belly breathing. The NHS gives a simple exercise that you can do lying on a bed. Put your arms a little away from your sides, with the palms up. Let your breath flow down into your belly without force. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Count from 1 to 5 on each breath if this helps. Do it for at least 5 minutes. See belly breathing for more detail.

NCCIH names two more relaxation techniques. These are the same parts that the military method uses:

• Progressive muscle relaxation. You tense a group of muscles and then let the tension go. You move through the body one group at a time.
• Guided imagery. You picture a scene that you link with calm, and you try to feel that calm in your body.

Cleveland Clinic quotes sleep expert Dr. Michelle Drerup. She says that progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery bring a relaxed state of mind that helps you fall asleep.

What the evidence says about breathing and sleep

Breathing exercises are a wind-down tool, not a sleep treatment. NCCIH says that relaxation techniques on their own “don’t seem to be especially promising for sleep”. It also says that there is a small amount of low-quality evidence that relaxation techniques help with chronic insomnia.

The research on single techniques is small. A 2015 review found that autogenic training or guided imagery made the time to fall asleep shorter. But NCCIH reports that the treatments were no better than a placebo, and the 7 studies were small and of low quality.

The NCCIH sleep page says that cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the most strongly recommended treatment for insomnia. CBT-I often includes progressive relaxation, abdominal breathing and guided imagery. So these exercises can be one part of a treatment plan.

Do not try too hard. Dr. Tiani says that pressure to fall asleep fast can backfire and add to sleep anxiety. Dr. Drerup says that the harder you try to sleep, the less you succeed. Use the exercise to relax, and let sleep come when it comes.

A bedtime routine that supports the exercises

A breathing exercise works best as one part of a calm evening. NHS Every Mind Matters and the NHS insomnia page give these tips:

• Keep regular times. Go to bed and get up at similar times every day, also on days off.
• Stop screens early. Do not use phones, tablets or computers for an hour before bed.
• Relax for an hour before bed. The NHS suggests a bath or a book. Every Mind Matters lists breathing exercises, meditation and calm music.
• Write down your worries. Make a list of the things to do tomorrow before you go to sleep.
• Make the room quiet, dark and cool. Use earplugs, an eye mask or thick curtains if you need them.
• Go to bed when you are sleepy. The NHS says to go to bed only when you feel sleepy.
• Get up after 20 minutes. If you are still awake after about 20 minutes, get up and do a quiet activity. Go back to bed when you feel sleepy.

NCCIH says that relaxation techniques are generally safe for healthy people. Some people feel more anxious during them. If an exercise makes you feel worse, stop it and try a different one.

When to see a doctor

See a GP if you have had trouble sleeping for months, the NHS says. Also see a GP if changes to your sleep habits have not helped, or if insomnia makes daily life hard. A GP may offer CBT, face to face or as an online self-help programme.

Cleveland Clinic says that trouble falling asleep at least 3 times a week, with problems in the day, can be chronic insomnia. Dr. Drerup calls CBT-I a first-line treatment.

How Steady helps you practise at bedtime

The timer on this page is free and you do not need an app. Steady is a breathing timer for iPhone and iPad. It does not diagnose or treat a condition, and it does not treat insomnia.

• Relaxing Breath program. Steady has a built-in Relaxing Breath program (“Sleep Easy”) with the 4 – 7 – 8 pattern. See the breathing programs.
• A long exhale without a hold. Steady has no built-in program for the military method. Make a Custom Program with 4 seconds for Inhale and 6 seconds for Exhale. See custom programs.
• Eyes closed in bed. Turn on the Audio Guide or Vibration Feedback in Audio and Vibration Cues. Then you can follow the counts with your eyes closed. Add a background ambience sound if you like. See cues and ambience.
• A bedtime reminder. Set a Daily Reminder for the start of your wind-down hour. See reminders.

Some features need Steady Pro.

This guide is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor about symptoms.