breathing techniques for better sleep

Breathing Techniques for Better Sleep and Performance


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by Arianne Missimer

Do you ever wonder which breathing techniques for better sleep can also boost your performance? With so many options out there, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. In this guide, we’ll explore three effective breathing techniques for sleep and performance, focusing on diaphragmatic breathing, that can help you optimize your breath whether you’re looking to relax or perform at your peak.

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Diaphragmatic Breathing: The Key Technique

First, let’s start with diaphragmatic breathing, a natural breathing pattern we begin life with. This technique involves breathing deeply into the diaphragm rather than shallowly into the chest. It’s essential to compare nasal breathing to mouth breathing in order to understand how it affects your airway function and sleep. Position your tongue at the roof of your mouth, gently touching your top front teeth, and keep your teeth slightly apart.

As you breathe in, focus on expanding your abdomen in a 360° manner. This is key when breathing for performance because full expansion engages your core and improves oxygen intake. When you exhale, do so through the nose, allowing your abdomen to contract.

Mastering diaphragmatic breathing can improve relaxation and performance. Whether you’re aiming to calm your body before sleep or energize it before a big event, breathing techniques for strength and regulation are essential tools.

Airway Function: A Crucial Element for Sleep and Performance

Before diving further into breathing techniques, we need to address airway function. Difficulty breathing, congestion, and restricted abdominal expansion during inhalation can all hinder optimal breathing. 

Symptoms such as difficulty sleeping, mouth breathing, or snoring are indicators of airway issues that can affect both sleep and performance. Addressing airway function will help you get the most out of breathing techniques for sleep and performance.

Assess Your Breathing

Hi-Lo Breathing Test

To ensure you’re breathing efficiently, use the Hi-Lo breathing test. This helps identify whether your breathing is chest-dominant or diaphragmatic. Ideally, your shoulders and neck should remain still while your abdomen expands fully. Proper diaphragmatic breathing is essential for both breathing techniques for strength and relaxation.

CO2 Tolerance Test

Next, perform the CO2 tolerance test, which assesses how well your body retains carbon dioxide (CO2). Retaining CO2 is key to delivering oxygen efficiently to your tissues, making it critical when breathing for performance. If your CO2 tolerance is low, your breathing may not be optimized for sleep or performance, and improving it can enhance your overall breath control.

2 Breathing Techniques for Better Sleep and Performance

When considering breathing techniques for sleep or performance, the goal is to either upregulate or downregulate your nervous system. The vagus nerve, which passes through the diaphragm, plays a key role in creating a calming parasympathetic response (downregulation) or an energizing sympathetic response (upregulation).

Downregulating with Paced Breathing

Let’s start with downregulation because most people need help calming their nervous system. If you’re struggling to wind down before sleep or feeling stressed during the day, paced breathing is a great technique. The optimal pattern is to inhale for 5.5 seconds and exhale for 5.5 seconds, but it’s important to find the rhythm that feels safe for your body.

Begin by inhaling for 2 seconds and exhaling for 2 seconds. As you get comfortable, increase it to 3, 4, and eventually 5 seconds. Remember, your breath should feel natural—if pushing to 5.5 seconds feels uncomfortable, it could activate your sympathetic nervous system (stress response), which is the opposite of what you want. Ease into it, and focus on finding a calming rhythm that works for you.

Upregulating for Performance

For situations requiring focus and energy, like presentations or athletic activities, an upregulating breath is highly effective. This involves short breath holds to improve CO2 tolerance, which enhances breathing efficiency and helps sharpen focus. 

Start by inhaling through your nose, exhaling through your nose, and then holding your breath.

To increase the challenge, try walking or moving around during the hold. The key is to hold until you feel a strong urge to breathe, but always resume breathing calmly. 

If you’re gasping for air, you’ve gone too far. Over time, this technique can boost cardiovascular recovery and is useful for VO2 max training.

Share Your Experience

I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts on these practices—what you experienced and how they felt for you. 

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