Many people struggle to sleep because stress, such as a cost of living crisis, causes a type of anxiety that makes it difficult to relax.
In fact, according to Mattress Online, one in three people in the UK are reported to suffer from insomnia, with an astonishing one-third struggling to get enough sleep. Masu.
Now, the company’s sleep experts have teamed up with hypnotherapist Claire Longstaff to share tips on how to use self-hypnosis to calm down when you’re feeling anxious.
Claire is a leading hypnotherapist at the charity Cavendish Cancer Care and has developed a range of finger breathing techniques to help patients and their loved ones cope with the effects of cancer. Claire knows this well.
Together, they compiled tips on a meditation technique known as “finger breathing.” This is a quick and easy self-hypnosis technique that will help you calm your nerves and get back to sleep…
What is finger breathing?
According to experts, “Finger breathing is a form of self-hypnosis that can be used to return to a calmer, more rational state of mind during times of anxiety or restlessness.”
“This involves a combination of touch and controlled breathing, repeating a series of finger holds and hand movements while focusing on deep inhalations and exhalations.”
They added that research has found that effectively controlling your breathing doesn’t just help you relax mentally.
They claim that it can stimulate the release of melatonin. Melatonin is “a hormone produced by the brain’s pineal gland, which is responsible for regulating the body’s circadian rhythm and managing natural sleep cycles.”
how to breathe with fingers
The sleep experts at Mattress Online teamed up with Cavendish to put together a five-step guide on how to incorporate finger breathing into your routine.
Step 1: Start by lying or sitting in a comfortable position. Breathe in deeper and slower than usual and relax your breathing.
Step 2: Bring the fingers and thumb of one hand together in a relaxed pinch position. With your other hand, place your bundled fingertips lightly on your palm. He counts five relaxed breaths while keeping his hands in this position.
Step 3: Switch hands and count for five breaths again.
Step 4: Next, hold your thumb up with one hand and wrap the fingers of your other hand around the opposite thumb. Holding his thumb loosely, he counts five relaxed breaths. Then switch hands and again count to 5 breaths.
Step 5: Repeat this process with the remaining fingers. That is, he wraps the fingers of one hand around the index finger of the other hand, takes five relaxing breaths, then switches hands and repeats the process.
Chloe Angus, Corporate Wellbeing Manager at Cavendish, explained this technique and how stress can affect our breathing.
She explained: “Our innate fight-or-flight stress response may cause us to automatically speed up or hold our breath during times of stress or general ‘busyness,’ but most of the time we don’t feel nervous. You don’t realize it until you start.”
She added that when you’re feeling stressed, if you can become aware of your breathing and focus on slowing down and relaxing into your breathing, it can help you rest and digest.
Chloe continues, “Developing a habit of paying attention to your breathing at different times throughout the day can help you manage your emotions and stress, giving you time to pause and refocus yourself on the present moment.” will give you.”
“It is recommended to schedule breathing exercises regularly when there is no stress. If something is familiar to us, we remember to use it when we need it most. It’s more likely.”
