4-7-8 breathing is four seconds in through the nose, seven holding, and eight out through the mouth. One cycle takes nineteen seconds. Dr. Andrew Weil popularized it in the 1990s as a wind-down and sleep-onset tool. Here is how to practice it, what the evidence actually shows, and when to skip it for something else.
Box breathing is four seconds in, four hold, four out, four hold. One cycle is sixteen seconds, four cycles is roughly a minute. Here is how to practice it, what the research actually shows, and when to use a different pattern instead.
Slow breathing shifts your nervous system in about a minute. Box for acute anxiety, 4-7-8 for sleep-onset, resonance for daily training. Three patterns ranked, with the research and the honest "when it doesn't work" you won't get from a wellness blog.