Insomnia Cure: The Best Breathing Exercise to Prevent Insomnia

The best breathing exercise to prevent insomnia*

There is a simple breathing exercise for insomnia developed by Russian MDs. The exercise was used by many thousands of people in Russia taught to them by over 200 doctors. The exercise helps to fall asleep much sooner. (I translated many Russian medical papers.)

The following are preliminary requirements in order to stop or prevent insomnia:
1. Go to sleep when you are really sleepy.
2. Before and during sleep breathe only through the nose (if you cannot, learn the "Breathing exercise to unblock the nose").
3. Do not sleep on your back (if this is your problem, learn the therapy “How to prevent sleeping on the back”

Steps to follow (insomnia cure)

Relax all your muscles when you are lying in bed on your tummy or left side. Focus on your breathing for a minute. What do you feel? If the sensations are vague, take a deep but slow in-breath and relax to slowly exhale. Do you feel the airflow going through your nostrils? Do you have any sensations at the back of your throat? Are there any feelings about movement of air inside the chest and bronchi? What do you sense near your stomach?

Next, instead of taking your usual inhalation, take a slightly smaller inhalation (only about 5-10% less) and then immediately relax all muscles, especially upper chest and all other breathing muscles. Take another (smaller) inhalation and again completely relax.

With each breath, take a small or reduced inhalation and then completely relax. You will soon experience light air hunger. The goal is to preserve this light comfortable level of air hunger for 2-3 minutes.

The breathing can be frequent during this reduced or shallow breathing but this is OK. If you do the exercise correctly, you will notice the following signs:

- The arms and feet will get warm in about 2-3 minutes after starting the reduced breathing (this is the central sign);

- The nasal passages will become moist and the nose colder in about the same 2-3 minutes.

A more advanced version (insomnia cure)

A more advanced version of this exercise involves stress-free comfortable breath-holds for faster results. However, people who suffer from heart problems, hypertension, panic attacks, or migraine headaches should avoid any breath holds. These people can stick with the above-described version. How is this version with breath holds done?

After your usual exhalation, pinch the nose and hold your breath only until the first discomfort. Immediately release your nose, but instead of your usual inhalation, take a small inhale, and then relax for exhalation. Continue the reduced breathing as it is described above.

Conclusions

Our breathing pattern has profound effects on sleep. For example, breathing through the mouth affects many biochemical and physiological processes in the human body. Sleeping on the back can make breathing about 2 times heavier thus reducing oxygenation and triggering sleep apnea, mouth breathing, headaches, anxiety, panic attacks, and many other problems.

If you retrain your breathing pattern so that after your exhalation you can comfortably hold your breath for 40 or more seconds, your sleeping problems will disappear.

References: CO2 Effects Web Pages
Vasodilation: CO2 expands arteries and arterioles facilitating perfusion (or blood supply) to all vital organs
The Bohr effect How and why oxygen is released by red blood cells in tissues
Cell Oxygen Levels and oxygen transport are controlled by alveolar CO2 and breathing
Oxygen Transport depends on breathing and these two effects (Vasoconstriction-Vasodilation and the Bohr effect) are parts of two diagrams that summarize influences of hypocapnia (low CO2 content in the blood and cells) on circulation and O2 delivery
Free Radical Generation takes place due to anaerobic cell respiration caused by cell hypoxia. Hence, antioxidant defenses of the human body are also regulated by CO2 and breathing
Inflammatory Response is controlled by breathing since hypoxia leads to or intensifies chronic inflammation through over-expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor 1, while normal breathing reduces these processes
Nerve stabilization takes place due to calmative or sedative effects of carbon dioxide in neurons or nerve cells
Muscle relaxation or relaxation of muscle cells is normal at high CO2, while hypocapnia causes muscular tension, poor posture and, sometimes, aggression and violence
Brochodilation - dilation of airways (bronchi and bronchioles) by carbon dioxide, and their constriction due to hypocapnia
CO2: Best Natural Cough Suppressant and "home remedy" since it calms urge-to-cough nerve receptors located in the tracheobronchial tree and larynx
Blood pH regulation and regulation of other bodily fluids
CO2: Lung Damage Healer: Elevated carbon dioxide prevents injury and promotes healing of lung tissues
CO2: Skin and Tissue Healer
Synthesis of Glutamine in the Brain, CO2 fixation, and other chemical reactions
CO2 myth "CO2 is a toxic waste gas" myth
Breathing control How is our breathing regulated? Why hypocapnia makes breathing uneven and erratic?

Reference Web Pages: Breathing norms, Medical Graphs and Tables about Breathing Rates (Minute Ventilation) and Body Oxygen in Healthy, Normal and Sick People
Breathing norms Parameters, graph, and description of the normal breathing pattern
6 breathing myths 6 myths about breathing and body oxygenation (prevalence: over 90%)
Hyperventilation Definitions of hyperventilation: their advantages and weak points
Hyperventilation Syndrome in the Sick. Table 1. Western scientific evidence about prevalence of CHV (chronic hyperventilation) in patients with various chronic conditions (34 medical studies)
Normal Minute Ventilation in Healthy Subjects: Easy and Light Breathing (14 Studies)
Hyperventilation Prevalence Present in Over 90% of Normal People (24 medical publications)
HV and hypoxia How and why deep breathing reduces oxygenation of cells and tissues of all vital organs
Body oxygen test How to measure your own breathing and body oxygenation (a simple DIY test)
Body oxygen in healthy Table 4. CP (body oxygen level) in healthy people (27 medical studies)
Body oxygen in sick Table 5. CP (body oxygen level) in sick people (14 medical studies)
Buteyko Table of Health Zones with clinical description of most common zones
Morning HV Morning hyperventilation effect or how and why critically ill people are most likely to die during early morning hours

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