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4-7-8 Breathing Timer

Breathe in for 4, hold for 7 and breathe out for 8. Follow the circle for four slow breaths, and set a reminder to take a calm breathing break during your working day.

What is 4-7-8 breathing?

4-7-8 breathing is a slow breathing pattern: breathe in for a count of 4, hold your breath for 7, then breathe out for 8. It is sometimes called the relaxing breath. Dr. Andrew Weil made it popular, basing it on pranayama, the breathing exercises of yoga.

At one count a second, each breath takes 19 seconds, so four breaths take just over a minute. The breath out is twice as long as the breath in, which slows your breathing right down. It needs no equipment, and you can do it sitting at your desk.

How to do 4-7-8 breathing

  1. Sit up straight with your feet on the floor, or lie down. Rest the tip of your tongue on the ridge just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there.
  2. Breathe out completely through your mouth, with a soft whoosh.
  3. Close your mouth and breathe in quietly through your nose for a count of 4.
  4. Hold your breath for a count of 7.
  5. Breathe out completely through your mouth, with a whoosh, for a count of 8.
  6. That is one breath. Repeat for four breaths in all, then go back to breathing normally.

How to use this 4-7-8 breathing timer

  1. Press Start breathing. The circle in the middle grows as you breathe in.
  2. Hold while it stays full, then breathe out as it shrinks. The dot goes once around the ring for every breath, one arc per step.
  3. The big number counts each step down: from 4, then from 7, then from 8.
  4. Turn on the sound cue to follow with your eyes closed. Finished sessions count toward your daily total and streak.
  5. Choose a pace and the number of rounds in the settings, and turn on the reminder if you would like a nudge during your active hours.

When to use 4-7-8 breathing at work

Because every breath is long and slow, many people find 4-7-8 breathing a good way to wind down. Research on this exact pattern is still limited to a few small studies, so treat it as a relaxation technique worth trying rather than a proven fix. A minute of unhurried breathing is an easy pause to build into your day.

Good moments for a 4-7-8 breathing break include:

  • after a stressful meeting, call or email
  • when you notice you are tense or rushing from one task to the next
  • before you start a piece of work that needs a calm head
  • at the end of the working day, to help you switch off

Tips for 4-7-8 breathing

  • Start with four rounds. Once the rhythm feels easy, you can build up to eight.
  • If the hold feels too long, choose a faster pace in the settings. The ratio of 4, 7 and 8 matters more than the exact seconds.
  • Keep the hold relaxed. Don't clench your throat or strain to keep the air in.
  • Practice twice a day, so the rhythm comes easily when you need it.
  • For a quicker, even rhythm, try box breathing: four equal steps of 4 seconds.
  • Use it to settle before you meditate: a few rounds, then a few quiet minutes with the meditation timer.
  • Pair it with an eye break: the 20-20-20 timer reminds you to look away from the screen, and a minute of slow breathing fits into the same pause.

Who should be careful with 4-7-8 breathing?

4-7-8 breathing is gentle, but the long hold is not for everyone. Check with a doctor first if you have a heart or lung condition such as asthma or COPD, are pregnant, or have been told to avoid holding your breath. Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, light-headed or short of breath, and never do it while driving.

It is a way to relax, not a treatment. If anxiety, stress or trouble sleeping is affecting your daily life, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional.

Supabreak provides general wellbeing reminders and information, not medical advice.

Frequently asked questions

How many rounds of 4-7-8 breathing should I do?

Four rounds is the usual advice when you start, and it takes a little over a minute at the standard pace. Andrew Weil, the doctor who made the technique popular, suggests doing it twice a day and staying at four rounds for the first month, then building up to eight if you want to.

This timer starts at 4 rounds. You can choose anything from 1 to 8, and a session always ends after a full breath out.

Why is the breath out longer than the breath in?

In 4-7-8 breathing you breathe out for twice as long as you breathe in. Together with the hold, that stretches each breath to about 19 seconds, so you take around three breaths a minute instead of the usual twelve or more. Many people find a long, slow out-breath especially calming.

Breathing out through your mouth with a soft whoosh makes it easier to keep going for the full count of 8.

What if I can't hold my breath for 7 seconds?

Choose a faster pace in the exercise settings. The count stays 4-7-8, but each count is shorter: at the Faster pace you breathe in for 2 seconds, hold for 3.5 and breathe out for 4. The ratio matters more than the exact number of seconds.

As it gets easier, move up to the Quicker or Standard pace. The Slower pace (5, 8.75 and 10 seconds) is there if you would like an even calmer rhythm.

Is it normal to feel light-headed during 4-7-8 breathing?

A little light-headedness is common in the first few sessions, while you get used to the long hold and the slow breath out. If it happens, stop and breathe normally until it passes, and next time try a faster pace or fewer rounds.

Do it sitting or lying down, never while driving, and stop if you feel dizzy, short of breath or unwell.

Can 4-7-8 breathing help me fall asleep?

Many people use it in bed to wind down, and that is a big part of why it became popular. There is little research on it as a sleep aid, so think of it as a relaxing routine to try, not a treatment for insomnia.

To use it at night, learn the rhythm with this timer during the day, then count it yourself in bed so you don't need a bright screen. If you often struggle to sleep, talk to a doctor.

What is the difference between 4-7-8 breathing and box breathing?

Box breathing has four equal steps: breathe in, hold, breathe out and hold again, usually for 4 seconds each. 4-7-8 breathing has three steps of different lengths, with a long hold and an even longer breath out, and no pause after breathing out.

Box breathing is quick and even, so it is easy to fit into a busy moment. 4-7-8 is slower, and many people use it to wind down. Supabreak has a timer for each, so you can try both and keep the one that suits you.

How do the 4-7-8 breathing reminders work?

Turn on the reminder and choose how often, from every 15 minutes to every 4 hours (every 3 hours to start with). Supabreak sends a notification during your active hours, and clicking it brings you back to this page.

Finishing a session restarts the countdown. Like every Supabreak reminder, it only works while a Supabreak tab or the installed app is open.

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Every Supabreak tool shares the same active hours, notifications and history. See all apps

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