Breathwork super coach and founder of @breathpod, Stuart Sandeman, joins us all the way from the UK to teach us how to breathe for better sleep. We saw him on goop, loved him, and now he’s got something special just for you, SWIISH Tribe…
Harnessing the power of breathing for better health and wellbeing, Stuart explains the (all-too underrated) benefits of breathwork for sleep. “A good night’s sleep, as we are aware of, is vital for productivity, our headspace, energy levels, immunity, athletic performance, and even weight management. The list goes on and on…” Stuart says. “But we don’t often think about the link between how we’re breathing and how we’re sleeping.”
Our brain autogenerates patterns of breath depending on the information it receives from the environment, our senses, and our thoughts. “The brain does not know the difference between a threat external from us, and a threat fabricated from thought alone. It triggers the same stress for a ‘fight or flight’ breathing response; short and shallow. In the case of sleep, if you’ve had a stressful breathing pattern due to the demands of your day then it’s most likely you’re stuck in that fight or flight breathing response when your head hits the pillow.”
Stuart explains that this makes the brain think that it’s in danger (as if a tiger were chasing you!), and as a result, you lose the desire to sleep. This then disrupts your entire sleep-wake cycle. Sleep hormones that should be released are instead replaced with cortisol and adrenaline (your stress hormones) making it harder to fall asleep. “It’s important that we override this with a bit of prep before we go to sleep so we can tell our brain and our body that everything is cool, super-relaxed, calm and ready to sleep.”
So, how can you do this? With this foolproof 1-min breathwork routine…
More from Stuart here…
Breathpod offers breathwork sessions in various formats (1:1, online, corporate and events) teaching people how to breathe for physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Catch Stuart’s free daily free breathwork on Instagram Live on @breathpod at 5pm AEST. For more, connect with Breathpod below.
Instagram: @breathpod
Website: https://www.breathpod.me/
Facebook: Breathpod
