Episode 496: Dr. Michael Breus: The 4-7-8 Breathing Trick That Fixes Middle-of-the-Night Insomnia

Habits and Hustle

Jen Cohen

Education, Health & Fitness, Business, Self-improvement, Entrepreneurship

4.4 • 800 Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Listen to the full episode: https://youtu.be/trGbcAqF2dA?si=qG5E_F-gP4x8qQhp Why do you wake up at 3:30 AM and can't fall back asleep? In this Fitness Friday episode on the Habits and Hustle podcast, Michael Breus, the Sleep Doctor, says it’s not your fault. We unpack the science of why everyone wakes up between 1-3 AM, the shocking Alzheimer's connection to Benadryl, and why CBN (not CBD) is the cannabis compound that actually helps sleep. Plus: the truth about melatonin, why magnesium beats most sleep aids, and the supplement deficiencies sabotaging your rest. Dr. Michael Breus is a clinical psychologist and one of only 168 psychologists in the world board-certified in sleep medicine. Known as "The Sleep Doctor," he's the author of five books including Sleep, Drink, Breathe and has treated celebrities from Carson Daly to Paris Hilton to DJ Steve Aoki. What we discuss: Why every human wakes up between 1-3 AM The 4-7-8 breathing technique Navy SEALs use to lower heart rate below 60 Yoga nidra gives you 20 minutes of sleep benefit for every hour of rest Regular Benadryl/ZzzQuil use directly linked to Alzheimer's disease CBD does nothing for sleep. What actually reduces nighttime awakenings The three deficiencies destroying your sleep Why melatonin affects birth control, SSRIs, and is NOT for children Natural alternatives to melatonin Thank you to our sponsor: Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off Manna Vitality: Visit mannavitality.com and use code JENNIFER20 for 20% off your order Prolon: Get 30% off sitewide plus a $40 bonus gift when you subscribe to their 5-Day Program! Just visit https://prolonlife.com/JENNIFERCOHEN and use code JENNIFERCOHEN to claim your discount and your bonus gift. Find more from Dr. Michael Breus: Website:https://sleepdoctor.com/ Books: https://sleepdoctor.com/books Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, guys. It's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.
0:07.6	Hey, friends, you're listening to Fitness Friday on the Habits and Hustle podcast, where myself and my friends share quick and very actionable advice for you becoming your healthiest self. So stay tuned and let me know how you
0:23.0	leveled up.
0:30.4	Before we dive into today's episode, I first want to thank our sponsor, Therasage. Their
0:36.2	Trilite panel has become my favorite biohacking
0:39.9	thing for healing my body. It's a portable red light panel that I simply cannot live without. I
0:46.4	literally bring it with me everywhere I go. And I personally use their red light therapy to help
0:51.9	reduce inflammations and places in my body where, honestly,
0:55.7	I have pain. You can use it on a sore back, stomach cramps, shoulder, ankle. Red light therapy
1:02.4	is my go-to. Plus, it also has amazing anti-aging benefits, including reducing signs of fine lines
1:09.5	and wrinkles on your face, which I also use
1:12.4	it for. I personally use Therisage trilight everywhere at all the time. It's small, it's affordable,
1:20.7	it's portable, and it's really effective. Head over to Therisage.com right now and use code be bold for 15% off.
1:32.3	This code will work sitewide.
1:35.3	Again, head over to Therisage, T-H-E-R-A-S-A-G-E dot com and use code B-B-B-Bold for 15% off any of their products.
1:53.0	Now that I'm in my 40s now, falling asleep is not the problem.
1:56.8	Right.
1:57.3	The problem is getting up, like getting up in the middle of the night.
2:01.6	Oh, yes.
2:19.9	I, that happens all, like, by, I can fix that. Okay, so this is my problem. So I fall asleep, no problem. Yeah. 3.30, boom, I'm awake. And then once I'm awake, I got the answer. Yeah, can't fall asleep again. Got the answer for you. It's going to take me about three and a half to four minutes, just letting you know, because I know you usually like short answers.
2:20.8	This one's going to take a minute.
2:18.9	Okay, go ahead. So first of all, this is my number one video on YouTube. This video has gotten 5.4 million views at this point to answer this question. And this question is the number one question that I get asked. The number two question is what bed should I buy?
	...

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