The 4-7-8 method that could help you sleep
可以帮助你睡眠的4-7-8方法
Falling asleep or coming down from anxiety might never be as easy as 1-2-3, but some experts believe a different set of numbers — 4-7-8 — comes much closer to doing the trick.
The 4-7-8 technique is a relaxation exercise that involves breathing in for four counts, holding that breath for seven counts and exhaling for eight counts, said Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, via email.
入睡或从焦虑中醒来可能永远不会像1-2-3那么容易,但一些专家认为,一组不同的数字——4-7-8——更接近于达到目的。
南加州大学凯克医学院(University of Southern California’s Keck School of medicine)临床副教授拉吉·达斯格普塔(Raj Dasgupta)博士通过电子邮件表示,4-7-8法是一种放松运动,包括吸气四次,屏气七次,呼气八次。
“What a lot of sleep difficulties are all about is people who struggle to fall asleep because their mind is buzzing,” said Rebecca Robbins, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate scientist in the division of sleep and circadian disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “But exercises like the 4-7-8 technique give you the opportunity to practice being at peace. And that’s exactly what we need to do before we go to bed.”
“It does not ‘put you to sleep,’ but rather it may reduce anxiety to increase likelihood of falling asleep,” said Joshua Tal, a New York state-based clinical psychologist.
哈佛医学院医学讲师、波士顿布里格姆妇女医院睡眠和昼夜节律紊乱科副科学家丽贝卡·罗宾斯(Rebecca Robbins)说:“很多睡眠困难都是因为人们的大脑嗡嗡作响而难以入睡。”。“但像4-7-8技术这样的练习让你有机会练习平静。这正是我们睡觉前需要做的。”
纽约州临床心理学家约书亚·塔尔(Joshua Tal)说:“它不会让你入睡,而是会减少焦虑,增加入睡的可能性。”。
How 4-7-8 works
4-7-8的工作原理
The 4-7-8 method doesn’t require any equipment or specific setting, but when you’re initially learning the exercise, you should sit with your back straight, according to Weil. Practicing in a calm, quiet place could help, said Robbins. Once you get the hang of it, you can use the technique while lying in bed.
During the entire practice, place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue behind your upper front teeth, as you’ll be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue. Then follow these steps, according to Weil:
4-7-8法不需要任何设备或特定设置,但根据Weil的说法,当你开始学习这项运动时,你应该坐直背部。罗宾斯说,在平静、安静的地方练习会有帮助。一旦你掌握了窍门,你就可以在躺在床上的时候使用这项技术。
在整个练习过程中,将舌尖放在上门牙后面的组织脊上,因为你将通过嘴在舌头周围呼气。然后根据Weil的说法,遵循以下步骤:
· Completely exhale through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
· Close your mouth and quietly inhale through your nose to a mental count of four.
· Hold your breath for a count of seven.
· Exhale through your mouth, making a whoosh sound for a count of eight.
· Repeat the process three more times for a total of four breath cycles.
· 通过嘴完全呼气,发出呼呼声。
· 闭上你的嘴,通过鼻子安静地吸气,直到心中数到四。
· 屏住呼吸数到七。
· 用嘴呼气,发出呼呼声,数到八。
· 重复该过程三次,共四次呼吸循环。
Keeping to the ratio of four, then seven and then eight counts is more important than the time you spend on each phase, according to Weil.
“If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep the ratio (consistent) for the three phases. With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply,” his website advised.
Weil认为,保持4、7和8的比例比你在每个阶段花费的时间更重要。
“如果你屏住呼吸有困难,加快运动速度,但保持三个阶段的比例(一致)。通过练习,你可以放慢速度,并习惯于越来越深地吸气和呼气,”他的网站建议。
What research shows
研究表明
When you’re stressed out, your sympathetic nervous system — responsible for your fight-or-flight response — is overly active, which makes you feel overstimulated and not ready to relax and transition into sleep, Dasgupta said. “An active sympathetic nervous system can cause a fast heart rate as well as rapid and shallow breathing.”
The 4-7-8 breathing practice can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system — responsible for resting and digesting — which reduces sympathetic activity, he added, putting the body in a state more conducive to restful sleep. Activating the parasympathetic system also gives an anxious brain something to focus on besides “why am I not sleeping?” Tal said.
达斯古普塔说,当你压力过大时,负责你战斗或逃跑反应的交感神经系统会过度活跃,这会让你感到过度刺激,无法放松并进入睡眠状态。“活跃的交感神经系统会导致心率加快,呼吸急促和浅。”
他补充说,4-7-8呼吸练习有助于激活负责休息和消化的副交感神经系统,从而减少交感神经活动,使身体处于更有利于休息睡眠的状态。激活副交感神经系统也让焦虑的大脑除了“我为什么不睡觉”之外,还可以集中注意力。
While proponents may swear by the method, more research is needed to establish clearer links between 4-7-8 and sleep and other health benefits, he added.
“There is some evidence that 4-7-8 breathing helps reduce anxious, depressive and insomniac symptoms when comparing pre- and post-intervention, however, there are no large randomized control trials specifically on 4-7-8 breathing to my knowledge,” Tal said. “The research on (the effect of) diaphragmatic breathing on these symptoms in general is spotty, with no clear connection due to the poor quality of the studies.”
他补充说,虽然支持者可能会对这种方法信誓旦旦,但还需要更多的研究来建立4-7-8与睡眠和其他健康益处之间的更清晰联系。
“有一些证据表明,4-7-8呼吸有助于减少焦虑、抑郁和失眠症状,但就我所知,目前还没有专门针对4-7-8呼吸的大型随机对照试验,”塔尔说。“关于膈肌呼吸对这些症状的影响的研究总体上是零散的,由于研究质量差,没有明确的联系。”
A team of researchers based in Thailand studied the immediate effects of 4-7-8 breathing on heart rate and blood pressure among 43 healthy young adults. After participants had these health factors and their fasting blood glucose measured, they performed 4-7-8 breathing for six cycles per set for three sets, interspersed with one minute of normal breathing between each set. Researchers found the technique improved participants’ heart rate and blood pressure, according to a study published in July.
泰国的一个研究小组研究了43名健康年轻人中4-7-8次呼吸对心率和血压的直接影响。在参与者测量了这些健康因素和空腹血糖后,他们进行了三组每组6个周期的4-7-8次呼吸,每组之间间隔一分钟的正常呼吸。根据7月发表的一项研究,研究人员发现这项技术提高了参与者的心率和血压。
“If you’re practicing some of these activities, what we do see is (an) increase in the amplitude of theta and delta (brain) waves, which indicate one is in the parasympathetic state,” Robbins said. “Slow breathing like the 4-7-8 technique reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and improves pulmonary function.”
罗宾斯说:“如果你在练习这些活动,我们看到的是θ和δ(脑)波的振幅增加,这表明你处于副交感状态。”。“像4-7-8技术一样的慢呼吸可以降低心血管疾病和2型糖尿病的风险,并改善肺功能。”
What to expect
会发生什么
The 4-7-8 technique is relatively safe, but if you’re a beginner, you could feel a little lightheaded at first, Dasgupta said.
“Normal breathing is a balance between breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide. When you upset this balance by exhaling more than you inhale, (it) causes a rapid reduction in carbon dioxide in the body,” he said. “Low carbon dioxide levels lead to narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. This reduction in blood supply to the brain leads to symptoms like lightheadedness. This is why it is often recommended to start slowly and practice three to four cycles at a time until you are comfortable with the technique.”
“4-7-8技术相对安全,但如果你是初学者,一开始你可能会感到有点头晕目眩,”Dasgupta说。
“正常呼吸是吸入氧气和呼出二氧化碳之间的平衡。当你呼出比吸入更多的气体而打破这种平衡时,会导致体内二氧化碳迅速减少。”他说,“低二氧化碳水平会导致向大脑供血的血管变窄。大脑供血减少会导致头昏眼花等症状。这就是为什么通常建议慢慢开始,一次练习三到四个周期,直到你对这项技术感到满意。”
The more you practice the 4-7-8 technique, the better you’ll become, and the more your body and mind will incorporate it into your usual roster of tools for managing stress and anxiety, Dasgupta said. Some people combine this method with other relaxation practices such as progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, mindfulness or meditation.
Unmanaged stress can rear its head in the form of sleep difficulties, Robbins said. “But when we can manage our stress over the course of the day (and) implement some of these breathing techniques, we can put ourselves in the driver’s seat instead of being victim to events that happen in our lives.”
Dasgupta说:“你练习4-7-8技巧越多,你就会变得越好,你的身体和大脑也会将它更多地融入到你日常的压力和焦虑管理工具中。”有些人将这种方法与其他放松练习相结合,如渐进式肌肉放松、瑜伽、正念或冥想。
罗宾斯说:“无法控制的压力会以睡眠困难的形式出现。但是,当我们能够控制一天中的压力(并实施一些呼吸技巧)时,我们可以让自己坐在驾驶座上,而不是成为生活中发生的事件的受害者。”