4-7-8 breathing
4-7-8 breathing is a three-part pattern: breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven, breathe out for eight, then start again. The hold runs longer than the inhale, and the exhale is the longest phase of the three. The timer on this page runs it for you, with a tone at every change, so you can close your eyes and just follow the sound.
Before you start
Stop if dizzy. Never in water or while driving. Pregnant or have a health condition? Ask a doctor.
- If you are pregnant, or live with a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition, or a history of fainting or panic attacks, talk to a doctor before you start.
- Never practice while driving, cycling, or in or near water.
- Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, lightheaded or short of breath, or have pain or pressure in your chest.
Done
Sound & length
Tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
Open your browser menu, then choose Install app or Add to Home screen.
| # | Phase | Seconds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inhale | 4 |
| 2 | Hold | 7 |
| 3 | Exhale | 8 |
Want other numbers? Open this pattern in the custom breathing timer.
How to do it
- Sit upright somewhere you won’t need to move for a few minutes. Rest your hands and let your shoulders drop.
- Breathe out fully before you start, so the first inhale begins from empty.
- Tap the speaker in the corner of the timer to turn the sound on — it’s off until you choose it.
- Press start. The timer counts down from three.
- Breathe in through your nose while the dot travels the first arc.
- Hold, with your jaw and throat loose rather than clamped shut, for the second arc.
- Breathe out slowly through your mouth for the third and longest arc.
- Let the next inhale begin on its own once the exhale ends.
Four cycles is a normal first session — a little over a minute, since each cycle runs nineteen seconds. The timer keeps the full 4-7-8 count. If eight seconds of exhale is more than you can manage, let the out-breath be slow and light rather than forced, and run fewer cycles; diaphragmatic breathing uses a six-second exhale with no hold.
Where the pattern comes from
4-7-8 breathing traces back to yogic pranayama practice built around a long, controlled exhale, and it reached a wider audience through popular breathing guides. The 4:7:8 ratio between inhale, hold and exhale is what identifies the technique. It is a counting pattern, not a treatment.
The long exhale
Eight seconds is the longest phase in the pattern, twice the inhale. It asks for a thin, steady stream of air out through pursed lips or a narrow throat, not a single push that empties the lungs in the first two seconds and leaves nothing for the rest. The dot travels around the circle at a steady speed, so the three phases take unequal arcs: the exhale’s arc is twice as long as the inhale’s, unlike box breathing, where every phase takes the same quarter.
Research
Studies that examined this pattern. Each one describes what was measured in the people who took part, not what the pattern will do for you.
A study in healthy young adults that recorded heart rate variability, blood pressure, blood glucose and endothelial function while they practiced 4-7-8 breathing, with and without a night of sleep deprivation.
Vierra et al. (2022). Effects of sleep deprivation and 4-7-8 breathing control on heart rate variability, blood pressure, blood glucose, and endothelial function in healthy young adults. Physiological Reports. doi:10.14814/phy2.15389
Questions
- How long is one cycle of 4-7-8 breathing?
- One cycle takes 19 seconds: inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8. The timer marks each change with a tone.
- How long is a session on this timer?
- The timer opens with 4 cycles, about 1 minute. You can set a different number of cycles, or a length in minutes, in the timer settings before you start.
- Who should not do 4-7-8 breathing?
- If you are pregnant, or live with a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition, or a history of fainting or panic attacks, talk to a doctor before you start. Never practice while driving, cycling, or in or near water. Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, lightheaded or short of breath, or have pain or pressure in your chest. This is not medical advice.
- Does the 4-7-8 breathing timer work offline?
- Yes. After your first visit the page keeps working without a connection, and you can install it to your home screen like an app. There is no sign-up and no app store.
4-7-8 breathing GIF
Download this 4-7-8 breathing GIF for slides, Notion, email or a classroom screen, in a light or a dark version. It loops one 19-second cycle. For sound cues and a session timer, use the timer above.
Free to reuse under the CC BY 4.0 license with credit to Breathe Cadence. License details
Other techniques
Same timer, different pattern. Each one opens with its own rhythm and its own default session length.
Box breathing
Four equal phases: in, hold, out, hold.
4-4-4-4 seconds
Coherent breathing
Even in and out, no holds, six breaths a minute.
5-5 seconds
Diaphragmatic breathing
Slow belly breaths, the exhale longer than the inhale.
4-6 seconds
Physiological sigh
Two inhales back to back, then one long exhale.
3-1-6 seconds
4-6-8 breathing
Like 4-7-8, with the hold a second shorter.
4-6-8 seconds
Set your own pace
The same timer with the numbers left to you: pick a preset, or step each phase up and down.
Published , updated . Written by the Breathe Cadence team, from personal practice rather than clinical training.