Bedtime Breathing Timer
Follow the calm expanding circle for 3–5 minutes to slow your breathing, lower arousal, and drift off more easily.
Bedtime Breathing Timer
Choose a rhythm, press start, and breathe with the circle. Inhale as it grows, exhale as it shrinks.
Slow breathing is a relaxation aid. If breath-holding makes you light-headed, anxious, or uncomfortable, stop.
Why slow breathing helps you fall asleep
A bedtime breathing timer gives your nervous system something gentle to focus on instead of the racing thoughts that keep you awake. Slowing the breath — especially lengthening the exhale — shifts you toward the “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) state, lowering heart rate and the sense of arousal that fights sleep.
Recommended breathing rhythms
- 4-6 relax — inhale 4 seconds, exhale 6 seconds. The longer exhale is the most calming and needs no breath-holding.
- 4-7-8 — inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8. A widely used wind-down pattern (popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil).
- Box breathing — inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. A steady square rhythm used for calming focus.
Frequently asked questions about the Bedtime Breathing Timer
Everything you need to breathe along with confidence.
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