It combats the fight or “flight” response.
Falling asleep on an airplane can be an uphill battle for various reasons, including cramped, upright seats, crying toddlers and more.
Fortunately, a travel expert has revealed a fool-proof breathing technique that allows passengers to zonk out like a baby in the most uncomfortable cabin — and without the aid of masks or pillows.
Dr. Rachel Keene unveiled the shuteye shortcut as part of a collaboration with travel experts at Ski Vertigo, who organize ski trips across Europe, the Daily Mail reported.
She pointed out that catching Zs at 30,000 feet can be trying even when dead tired. “The combination of dry air, background noise, low lighting and upright posture keeps the brain in a semi-alert state,” Dr. Keene explained. “So even if you’re tired, your body resists falling into a deep, restful sleep.”
To combat this inflight insomnia, she recommends employing the 4-7-8 breath technique, which involves inhaling for four seconds, holding one’s breath for seven counts and then exhaling for eight.
“If you repeat the exercise for two minutes, it slows your heart rate and tells your body it’s safe to rest,” Dr. Keene declared.
Based on an ancient yogic breathing technique called pranayama, this respiration rhythm works by calming the “fight or flight” response generated by the sympathetic nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
This is the part of the brain that causes people to be on high alert with a faster heart rate, shallow breathing and other stress symptoms.
The 4-7-8 technique counteracts this by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system — responsible for calming the sympathetic nervous system — and “helping you to shift back toward tranquility,” according to integrative medicine specialist Dr. Melissa Young.
“Yoga breathing techniques calm the body down and bring it into a more relaxed state,” she explained. “This kind of breathing can help us focus our mind and our body away from worries and repetitive thoughts.”
On a more basic level, this human snooze button “is a way to focus your mind on something other than your worries,” Dr. Young said.
And it’s not just those struggling with slumbering in the sky that benefit.
A 2022 study found that the method improves heart rate variability — the variation in time between beats — and blood pressure in young adults, especially those who don’t suffer from sleep deprivation.
It’s also a lot safer than sleep techniques like the “seatbelt hack,” a viral TikTok hack in which passengers curl their legs up on their seats and manacle them together with a seatbelt.
