Sleepy? Try this (Pic: Getty)

For generations brought up on the ‘try counting sheep’ theory, this is a revelation.

It turns out a simple breathing technique could be the key to falling asleep within 60 seconds.

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Which is handy, because there’s nothing more annoying than struggling to doze off after a long day.

Harvard-trained Dr Andrew Weil has come up with the ‘4-7-8 Technique’, which he says will do the trick.

Watch Dr Weil explain how it works:

Apparently the trick is to breathe in for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and then breathe out for eight seconds.



If you do this three more times, which will take you a combined 57 seconds, you’ll feel incredibly sleepy.

Sorry, sheep, but counting you just doesn’t work

After a video explaining the technique was posted on YouTube, a commenter wrote: ‘That was awesome, I tried this sitting here, at the computer,and I felt so relaxed. Totally going to do this before bed. Thanks Andrew!’

But another quipped: ‘What happens after 9 breath cycles? Do we levitate? Do we develop telekinesis? Do we die?’