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Difficulty falling asleep, waking up at night, insomnia: sleep disorders affect a large part of the population, and can have disastrous consequences on health. An observation which is not unrelated to the myriad of tips offered on social networks to fall more easily into the arms of Morpheus. The latest consists of adopting a relaxation technique accessible to all, and – bonus – it is delivered to you by a health professional.
Health authorities are increasing the number of practical tips and recommendations to reduce the risk of sleep disorders, ranging from limiting junk food and time spent in front of screens to adopting relaxing activities before bed, but we can find on the web plethora of tips that would also allow you to enjoy (more) peaceful nights. Whether they come from scientific studies or health professionals on social networks, they all aim to help ordinary mortals fall – and stay as long as possible – in the arms of Morpheus. This is the case of a technique delivered by an American doctor, Dr Kunal Soodspecialized not in sleep disorders but in chronic and acute pain.
With a large community on TikTok, with no less than 2.2 million subscribers, this American doctor regularly offers advice on health, from menstrual pain to the virtues of cider vinegar and sleep disorders. Just a week ago, it was this last subject which was the subject of a publication (already) viewed more than 35,000 times. At stake ? A relaxation technique that would easily allow you to sleep better or, at least, help those who need it to enjoy truly restful and peaceful nights.
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Six breaths per minute
According to the health professional, this would involve adopting the cardiac coherence method, which is based on breathing exercises supposed to synchronize it with the rhythm of the heart. In other words, this would bring the respiratory and heart frequencies into resonance. To achieve this, you would have to force yourself to 6 breaths per minute, for 5 minutes, three times a day. It is essential to slow down your breathing by counting to five for each inhalation and exhalation to reach this frequency.
“By slowing your breathing to a rate of about six breaths per minute, you increase your heart rate variability, which activates your parasympathetic nervous system and helps improve sleep quality“, explains Dr Kunal Sood on his TikTok account. Note that this method is in no way innovative, work having highlighted it several decades ago, but it seems that it is increasingly widespread We also find it under another name on social networks, the 3-6-5 method, which uses exactly the same exercise.
The healthcare professional also shares a study, conducted by Indian researchers, who reported a reduction in anxiety and an improvement in cognitive functions with this technique. Based on the comments posted under Dr Kunal Sood’s video, it seems that this method makes users happy. “I really feel calmer and it helps me fall asleep“, “I do it all the time and since I started I sleep so well“, “It works great for sleep and anxiety“, are among the opinions shared by social users.
If it didn’t work, health insurance advises to limit stimulants at the end of the day, such as large meals and screens, to practice regular physical activity, to favor relaxing activities before bedtime, and to avoid taking a bath hot. It is also advisable to maintain your getting up and going to bed habits so as not to disrupt your sleep. So many recommendations to put into practice to try to find the sleep that ordinary mortals seem to lack so much.