'Simple' finger breathing trick can help you sleep 'easily and naturally'

21 February 2024 , 14:35

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The exercise is designed to bring you back into a calmer and more rational state of mind (Image: Getty Images)

Adults are advised to get around eight hours of sleep every night, but more than one in five are not getting the recommended daily amount of shut-eye.

Around a quarter of Brits confess that money worries are negatively impacting their rest, while 37 percent blame poor sleep on work concerns, Mental Health UK data has found. Amid the escalating cost-of-living crisis, many people are struggling to calm their anxious minds when they hit the hay.

Not only can sleep deficiency affect your alertness the following day, concerning research has shown that it can also increase the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. Fortunately, a leading hypnotherapist has created a simple finger breathing exercise to help tired Brits unwind into a restful snooze.

Clare Longstaffe, from Cavendish Cancer Care, developed the practice to help both patients and their loved ones cope with the impact of cancer. Working in partnership with MattressOnline, the expert explained how the self-hypnosis method can help people remain calm and reclaim their sleep.

The process involves a combination of touch and controlled breathing, cycling through a series of finger holds and hand movements whilst focusing on inhaling and exhaling deeply. It is designed to bring you back into a calmer and more rational state of mind during times of anxiety or restlessness.

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Studies have found that effectively controlling your breathing promotes the release of melatonin, the hormone produced by the pineal gland in your brain that is responsible for regulating the circadian rhythm and managing the natural sleep cycle.

Chloe Angus, wellbeing manager at Cavendish, said: "Our innate fight, flight stress response can cause us to automatically speed up or hold our breath in times of stress or general ‘busyness’ and most of the time we do not notice until we start to feel tension.

"In times of stress, if we can become aware of our breath and focus on slowing down and relaxing into our breath it can be helpful in moving to rest and digest." If you’re looking for new ways to wind down before bed, there’s no better time to try Clare’s finger breathing exercise below:

Start by laying or sitting down in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. Try to relax your breathing by inhaling more deeply and slowly than normal
Bring the fingers and thumb of one hand together in a relaxed pinched position. Using your other hand, cup and loosely rest your bunched fingertips in your palm. Count five relaxed breaths while keeping your hands in this position
Swap hands and count five breaths again.
Next, make a thumbs up with one hand and then wrap the fingers of the other hand around the opposing thumb. Loosely hold your thumb while you count five slow breaths. Then swap hands and count five breaths again.
Repeat this process on the rest of your fingers. MattressOnline suggests starting with the ring finger of both hands, before moving onto the index fingers, middle fingers, and finally the little fingers. Make sure to hold for five relaxed breaths every time.

Chloe said: "Once you have worked through each of those, you should find yourself in a really nice, calm, relaxed state. Your mind is distracted by counting and the different hand holds that you have worked through. Sleep should come quite easily and quite naturally."

She added: "Creating the habit of giving our breath some attention at different times of day can help to manage emotions and stresses, and give us moments to pause and re-centre ourselves in the present moment. We would recommend planning to practise breathing regularly when you are not stressed, if something is familiar to us, we are more likely to remember to use it when we need it most." For a visual understanding of the finger breathing exercise, visit HERE.