Around the world, health authorities have been issuing advice and practical recommendations to help reduce the risk of sleep disorders, from limiting junk food and screen time to adopting relaxing activities before bedtime.
The internet, too, offers a plethora of tips for getting a (more) peaceful night’s sleep. Whether they hail from scientific studies or health professionals on social networks, they all aim to help the average person fall asleep and stay asleep for as long as possible.
Such is the case with a technique outlined by an American physician, Dr Kunal Sood, who specialises not in sleep disorders but in chronic and acute pain.
With a large TikTok community of no less than 2.2 million followers, the good doctor regularly offers health advice, covering everything from menstrual pain to sleep disorders.
And he recently shared a relaxation technique that could help you sleep better, or at least assist those who need a helping hand to enjoy truly restful, peaceful nights.
Six breaths per minute
According to the health professional, this trick involves adopting the “resonance frequency breathing method”, based on breathing exercises designed to help your breathing and heart rate synchronise.
To achieve this, you need to breathe six times a minute for five minutes, three times a day. To reach this frequency, you need to slow down your breathing, counting up to five for each inhalation and exhalation.
When breathing is slowed down “to a rate of about six breaths per minute”, Kunal explains on TikTok, “it will increase your heart rate variability, and this will activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which will help decrease your sleep onset and improve your sleep quality”.
It’s worth noting that this method is by no means new, having been developed decades ago, but it seems to be becoming increasingly widespread.
The health professional also evokes a study conducted by researchers in India, which reports reduced anxiety and improved cognitive function with this technique. From the comments posted under Kunal’s video, the method seems to be proving popular with TikTok users, who report feeling calmer, falling asleep more easily and sleeping better.
And if that doesn’t work, France’s national social security organisation recommends limiting the use of stimulants, such as caffeine, at the end of the day, as well as heavy meals and screen time. It advises regular physical exercise, and opting for relaxing activities before bedtime.
It’s also a good idea to stick to regular times for getting up and going to sleep, even on weekends, so as not to disrupt your sleep pattern.
