4-7-8 breathing timer
In for four.
Hold for seven.
Out for eight.
Press start and follow the ring. It counts for you, so you can close your eyes and listen to the tones instead of watching a clock.
Ready when you are
Four cycles, about a minute and a quarter
How to do 4-7-8 breathing
- Sit or lie somewhere comfortable and breathe out completely through your mouth.
- Close your mouth and breathe in quietly through your nose while you count to 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 7.
- Breathe out through your mouth for a count of 8.
- That is one cycle. Do four, then stop.
What is worth knowing first
- The ratio matters more than the seconds. If holding for seven feels like too much, use “Shorter counts”. It keeps the same 4:7:8 pattern at a quicker pace.
- Four cycles is plenty to begin with. The technique was popularised by Dr. Andrew Weil, who advises beginners not to do more than four in a row.
- The evidence is thin. Slow breathing is widely used to relax, but there is little clinical research on this exact pattern. Many people find it calming; nobody can promise it will put you to sleep.
- Stop if you feel light-headed, and breathe normally. If you have asthma or another breathing condition, check with your doctor before doing breath holds.
Steps follow the Lakeridge Health patient handout (adapted from Andrew Weil, last reviewed February 2025), in our words, checked November 10, 2026. General information, not medical advice, and not a treatment for insomnia or anxiety.
When the breathing is done
Give the whole evening a clear ending.
Sleepward is an iPhone app for people who stay up late because the evening is the only time that feels like theirs. Its four-minute evening reset lets you empty your head into a private Brain Dump and pick up to three things for tomorrow.
Then it protects a stretch of time that is yours, and winds down with a slowly darkening screen and white, pink or brown noise on a fade-out sleep timer. It never scores your sleep and never breaks a streak.
Get Sleepward on the App StoreFree: the evening reset, Brain Dump, tomorrow’s three things, Your Hour, wind-down, sleep logs and white, pink and brown noise. Sleepward Pro is an optional upgrade. No account, no ads. Requires iOS 18 or later. Details checked against the App Store listing on November 10, 2026.
Publisher disclosure: Honest Little Apps publishes both Sleepward and this page. This is not an independent review. This page is a separate web companion, not a feature of the app. This breathing timer is not part of the app. Sleepward is a routine and journaling tool, not a medical device.
Questions
What is the 4-7-8 breathing technique?
It is a slow breathing pattern: breathe in through the nose for a count of 4, hold for 7, and breathe out through the mouth for 8. It was popularised by Dr. Andrew Weil and is based on yogic breathing practice.
How many times should you do 4-7-8 breathing?
Four cycles in a row is the usual advice for beginners. This timer runs four cycles and then stops.
Does 4-7-8 breathing help you sleep?
Many people find slow breathing relaxing at bedtime, but clinical research on this exact pattern is limited. It is a way to settle, not a guaranteed way to fall asleep.
What if I cannot hold my breath for 7 seconds?
Speed the whole thing up and keep the 4:7:8 ratio. The “Shorter counts” setting does that for you.
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