Box Breathing
4-4-4-4 · 3.8 breaths a minute
Steady and balanced, for stress and focus
4-7-8 breathing timer
Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7, and breathe out for 8. One cycle takes 19 seconds, about 3 breaths a minute.
4-7-8 Breathing4-7-8 · 3.2 breaths a minute
Cues
Keyboard, while the timer has focus
SpaceStart or pauseEscStopFFocus mode
Session complete
3 minutes · 12 cycles of 4-7-8 breathing
In the app, each session builds your streak and saves to Apple Health when you allow it.
How to do it
Sit with your back straight while you learn it. Rest the tip of your tongue against the ridge behind your upper front teeth and keep it there through the exercise.
- Breathe out through your mouth first, emptying your lungs.
- Breathe in quietly through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Breathe out through your mouth for 8 seconds, with a soft whoosh.
- That is one breath. Begin again with the next inhale.
Dr. Andrew Weil, who popularized the technique, says the ratio matters more than the exact seconds: if 7 is too long, speed the whole pattern up but keep the 4:7:8 shape.1 He suggests starting with 4 breaths at a time and building to 8. The 1-minute session is 4 cycles, so start there.
The long exhale is the part to protect. If you run out of air before 8, shorten the inhale rather than rushing the out breath.
Other breathing timers
The same timer for every pattern, plus the full comparison.
Extended Exhale
4-0-8 · 5 breaths a minute
Twice as long out as in, for quick calm
Coherent Breathing
5-0-5 · 6 breaths a minute
Six slow breaths a minute to settle the body
When people use it
People use 4-7-8 at bedtime, in bed with the lights off, or when they wake in the night. It is also used before something stressful, because the long exhale gives you something to follow when your breathing has gone shallow.
A 2026 systematic review of slow breathing before bed found that self-reported sleep quality and duration improved after practice in 7 of 9 studies. The studies that measured sleep objectively with polysomnography or actigraphy were inconclusive, and the review calls for longer, better-designed trials.2
A 2022 study of 43 healthy young adults found that 3 sets of 4-7-8 breathing improved heart rate variability and blood pressure immediately, particularly in participants who had not been sleep deprived. The sample was small and the participants were 19 to 25.3
What the research says
There is no large randomized trial of 4-7-8 itself. The technique comes from pranayama, and Weil describes it as a way to relax before sleep rather than a treatment for insomnia.1 Broader claims about how it works, or that it cures sleeplessness, go further than the evidence.
What the research does support is the general shape: slow breathing at fewer than 10 breaths a minute is associated with higher heart rate variability during practice and with reports of calm, though studies vary in size and method.4 At about 3 breaths a minute, 4-7-8 is slower than most of those protocols. That is another reason to start with 4 breaths rather than a full session.
Questions
Does 4-7-8 breathing make you fall asleep?
Not on its own. It gives you a slow, repetitive task at bedtime and may make it easier to settle. If you are still awake after several cycles, stop and read or rest instead of turning it into a test.
Can I do 4-7-8 lying down?
Yes. Sitting upright is easier while you learn the counts. Once you know them, lying in bed is fine.
How many cycles should I do?
Weil suggests 4 breaths at a time for the first month, then up to 8.1 The timer's 1-minute session is 4 cycles and runs 1:16, because a timed session finishes the cycle it is in; use Stop whenever you have had enough.
Is 4-7-8 safe for children?
Shorter counts suit children better, and holds should be gentle or left out. The guide to breathing with children covers short counts and leaving the holds out.
What if I can't hold for 7 seconds?
Use a smaller ratio, such as 3-5-6, or use the custom timer to set each step. The long out breath matters more than the number 7.
Is 4-7-8 the same as extended exhale breathing?
They share the 4-second in breath and the 8-second out breath, and 4-7-8 adds a 7-second hold after the inhale, which stretches each cycle to 19 seconds. Extended exhale (4-0-8-0) has no hold and takes 12 seconds a cycle, 5 breaths a minute. If the hold is the hard part, extended exhale keeps the long out breath without it.
Sources
- Weil, A. The 4-7-8 Breath: health benefits and demonstration. DrWeil.com.The steps, the 4:7:8 ratio and the advice to start with 4 breaths
- Eide, E. M., et al. (2026). Slow breathing techniques before bedtime and the effects on sleep: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 102284.The systematic review of slow breathing before bedtime and its inconclusive objective measures
- Vierra, J., Boonla, O., & Prasertsri, P. (2022). Effects of sleep deprivation and 4-7-8 breathing control on heart rate variability, blood pressure, blood glucose, and endothelial function in healthy young adults. Physiological Reports, 10(13), e15389.The 2022 study of 4-7-8, heart rate variability and blood pressure
- Zaccaro, A., Piarulli, A., Laurino, M., et al. (2018). How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353.The evidence on slow breathing under 10 breaths a minute
Wind down with BreathKit
Set a daily reminder for bedtime, breathe 4-7-8 with your eyes closed on Apple Watch, and see your streak on the Lock Screen.
