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How To Fall Deeply Asleep After A Stressful Day

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19 views13 pages

How To Fall Deeply Asleep After A Stressful Day

Uploaded by

szvkgatkmibamvrgpj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Dr.

Christian Poensgen

How to fall deeply asleep after a


stressful day (backed by science):
Dr. Christian Poensgen

“8 hours of sleep a night" is as terrible


advice as “2000 calories a day”.

If you eat junk food (think burgers, fries &


soda), you’ll end up sick and miserable.

Junk sleep is similar. It looks like the real


thing, but lacks the “nutrients” you need.
Dr. Christian Poensgen

85% of people spend their nights in junk


sleep – which kills their productivity and
resilience during the day.

Quality sleep, conversely, starts with 90


mins of deep sleep (DS) a night. It’s the
most restorative sleep stage.

As it turns out, we get most of our DS in


the first half of the night.
Dr. Christian Poensgen

That’s why mastering DS is like landing a


plane: we need to prepare its descent,
set up the landing strip, & touch ground.

A science-backed and brutally-effective


way to touch ground (i.e., fall asleep) is
exhale-emphasized breathing (EEB).

Here are 3 EEB methods to fall deeply


asleep (even after a stressful day):
Dr. Christian Poensgen

1) Three-six breathing

A dead-simple and effective way to fall


deeply asleep:

Step 1:
Inhale through the nose for 3 secs

Step 2:
Exhale through the mouth for 6 secs

Step 3:
Repeat this 3 times (for 36 secs in total)
Dr. Christian Poensgen

- Why it works -

Exhaling more than inhaling activates our


parasympathetic nervous system.

Also known as the “calmness system”, its


high activation is vital for DS.

With three-six breathing, you effortlessly


activate that system in real-time.
Dr. Christian Poensgen

2) Physiological sigh

The most effective way to activate your


“calmness system” in real-time:

Step 1:
Inhale deeply through the nose for 2 secs

Step 2:
Add a second inhale through the nose on
top of the first one for 1 sec

Step 3:
Exhale fully through the mouth for 6 secs
Dr. Christian Poensgen

- Why it works -

Like three-six breathing, this method


reliably activates your “calmness system”
by EEB.

On top of that, the second inhale lets


your lungs release much more carbon
dioxide during the subsequent exhale.

This activates your “calmness system”


even more effectively and quickly.
Dr. Christian Poensgen

3) Cyclic sighing

A sure-fire way to trigger your “calmness


system” and fall deeply asleep after a
particularly stressful day.

Fortunately, cyclic sighing is also easy.

You simply perform physiological sighs


– which take about 9 secs each –
consecutively for 5 mins.
Dr. Christian Poensgen

- Why it works -

Cyclic sighing leverages EEB & carbon


dioxide release persistently to strongly
activate your “calmness system”.

A 2023 study by Prof. Andrew Huberman


found that it’s the most effective method
to calm down and improve mood

(even more than mindfulness meditation).


Dr. Christian Poensgen

TL;DR:

1. EEB methods are a great way to fall


deeply asleep (even after a stressful day).

2. Use three-six breathing to activate


your “calmness system” in real-time.

3. To do so even more effectively and


quickly, do physiological sighs.

4. After a particularly stressful day, resort


to cycling sighing for 5 mins.
Dr. Christian Poensgen

Again, getting to 90 mins of DS is like


landing a plane.

Today, I’ve shared 3 brutally-effective


and science-based methods to touch
ground (i.e., fall deeply asleep).

Next week, I’ll explain how to use these &


other methods to master stress. Follow
me if you don’t want to miss out.

And repost this to help others, too


P.S.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll love my


free newsletter – Beyond Productivity.

Join thousands of subscribers via


the link on top of my profile.

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