In a recent post, I wrote about using the power of focused breathing to reset the brain’s ability to respond to pressure—whether on a Little League mound or in a tense meeting. Several readers asked a related question: Can the same techniques help with sleep? The answer is yes, and the science is clear.
Much has been written about the importance of sleep. Without adequate and deep sleep, memory falters, patience thins, and decision-making suffers. Yet many people struggle either to fall asleep or to stay asleep through the night. When this happens, we may begin to fret…and our self-talk activates a threat response. The sympathetic nervous system—the body’s fight-or-flight response—is easily triggered. The threat we create for ourselves is simple but powerful: “I’m going to feel horrible in the morning.” Instead of drifting back into restorative rest, we lie awake, rehearsing tomorrow’s anxieties. We have the ability to control this response.
Control relies on a technique called: Near Sleep, Deep Rest (NSDR). Having been a chronically poor sleeper myself, I’ve found NSDR to be a powerful tool. It is a form of meditation that can be practiced when the mind races at night (what Buddhists call Monkey Mind). This is where reciprocal inhibition comes in: the brain cannot fully focus on two competing functions at once. By anchoring attention on breath, we quiet the anxious narrative that keeps us awake. To learn more about this concept, see the blog – Reciprocal Inhibition: The Cognitive Tug of War in Technical Leadership. https://neurobuiltleadership.com/reciprocal-inhibition-the-cognitive-tug-of-war-in-technical-leadership-part-one/
Stanford neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman has popularized NSDR as a science-backed practice for improving sleep, learning, and mental health. He notes that NSDR not only calms the nervous system but also helps reset dopamine, lowers cortisol, and enhances neuroplasticity. Huberman offers free 10- and 20-minute guided NSDR sessions that can be used before bed, after waking in the night, or even midday to recharge. You can access them here: Huberman NSDR Protocols.
The brain cycles through five measurable waveforms:
- Alpha (7.5–14 Hz): deep relaxation, light meditation, learning, imagination.
- Theta (4–7.5 Hz): REM sleep, deep meditation, transitional states.
- Delta (0.5–4 Hz): dreamless sleep, when spinal fluid “cleans” the brain.
- Gamma (40+ Hz): high-level processing, insights, and “aha” moments.
- Beta (14–40 Hz): normal waking state—alert, but also tied to stress, anxiety, and overthinking.
When we wake in the night, we often move quickly from Delta through Theta and into Beta. It’s in this Beta state that fretting begins—the mind races and self-talk fuels anxiety. By deliberately returning focus to the breath, we can create reciprocal inhibition and transition back to Alpha and Theta rhythms, creating serotonin, calming the brain, and paving the way for restorative Delta sleep.
Better sleep begins long before bed: limit caffeine after midday, reduce evening screen exposure, and remember that alcohol disrupts natural sleep cycles. And when you wake, the most effective strategy isn’t to fight your thoughts—it’s to breathe through them.
High performance tomorrow begins with breath awareness tonight.