Too wired to sleep? Try the physiological sigh
Too wired to sleep? Follow two real-time rounds of the physiological sigh: a breath in, a short second sip of air, then a long, slow exhale. Twenty-one seconds, no voice, just a ring that counts for you.
Watch on YouTube · SleepBetter channel · Sleep Tips & Sound Tests
Made with AI. Parts of this video are AI-generated (see “How this was made” below).
What it is
A timer, not a lecture. There is no voice: on-screen labels walk you through a double inhale and a long exhale twice in real time against a dusk lake picture. It is one of our “Try this tonight” Shorts. In a 2023 Stanford study of brief daily breathing practices, five minutes of cyclic sighing lifted mood and calmed breathing more than a mindfulness meditation of the same length. That is a lab finding about mood and breathing, not a promise that two rounds will fix a restless night.
Try it tonight
Breathe out fully first, then follow the labels. The long, slow out-breath is the part most people find settling. Two rounds is a start; a few minutes is plenty, and stop if you feel light-headed. Our free 4-7-8 breathing pacer and the 4-7-8 timer Short offer a different counted pattern. For a longer wind-down after the sigh, the guided sleep meditation for overthinking is the video this Short points to.
This is a relaxation exercise, not a medical treatment.
About these Shorts
Our “Try this tonight” Shorts each give you one simple technique to test in bed, with the source listed below. There is no voice: a ring or labels count for you over an AI-made picture.
Why a double inhale?
The second short sip of air before the long exhale is what makes this pattern a physiological sigh. Many people already sigh like this without noticing when they are stressed; doing it on purpose, slowly, is a way to borrow that reset when the mind is still racing at bedtime.
Transcript
There is no narration. The on-screen text, in order:
Too wired to sleep?
Try the physiological sigh
Breathe in
Sip in a little more
Long, slow exhale
Once more
How this was made
No voice. The dusk lake is an AI-generated still image; the counting labels, ring and soft pad underneath are made by SleepBetter.
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Free playerFree sleep sound player
Play white, pink, brown and green noise, rain and a lofi beat in your browser, with a sleep timer.
Free tool4-7-8 breathing exercise
A calm, on-screen pacer for 4-7-8, box breathing, cyclic sighing and slow breathing before bed.
Sleep videos and guided relaxation are for general wellness, not medical advice. If poor sleep is affecting your days, talk to a doctor or a sleep specialist.