Can Breathwork Help With Sleep & Anxiety? I Tried Moonbird To Find Out

Your breath is a powerful thing. Studies show certain breath patterns can improve stress levels1, boost cognitive function2, and improve heart rate variability (HRV)3, while also helping with sleep4 and anxiety5—and yet I’ve always struggled to stay mindful of my breathing. 

That’s why I recently jumped at the chance to test Moonbird, a sleek handheld device that acts as your own personalized breathing coach. Since I started weaving Moonbird’s short, snackable breathwork sessions into my days, I’ve seen a significant improvement in my HRV, sleep scores, and stress levels (all measured with my Oura ring). 

There’s a lot more to breathing than simply remembering to inhale and exhale—and there’s a reason yoga classes and meditation have a strong focus on your breathing patterns. 

Researchers have linked certain breathing exercises to lower stress levels1, improved cognitive function2, higher HRV3, and even better sleep4. A study out of Stanford University6 even compared breathwork to standard meditation and found that breathwork was more effective at improving mood, managing respiratory rate, and easing stress.

The first thing I noticed when opening my Moonbird was its chic, aesthetically pleasing design. Made from a biocompatible, medical-grade silicone, the silky smooth device fits comfortably in the palm of your hand.

Moonbird’s biggest selling point is how easy it is to use. I had a very difficult time adopting a breathwork practice in the past—but this device truly made it simple to weave mindful breathing into my routine. 

While there is an Bluetooth connected app for the Moonbird, you can also use it without a screen. Here's how it works:

How to operate Moonbird without the app:

There are no buttons on the device. Instead, there is a sensor at the top for you to place your thumb on (just look for the green light). To activate the Moonbird, you’ll simply place your thumb on the sensor and give the device a light shake. 

Once activated, the Moonbird will begin expanding and deflating (or “breathing”) on its own. All you’ll need to do from there is breath in and out with the guided pattern.

How to operate Moonbird with the app:

If you do choose to use the app, you’ll simply place the Moonbird in your hand (without your thumb on the sensor), open the corresponding app on your phone, and choose the exercise you’d like to complete.

While I enjoy using the Moonbird without a screen, there’s a lot I love about the app as well. For starters, there are a ton of specialized breathwork techniques pertaining to various goals. You can choose from sessions for sleep, stress, anxiety, or HRV—and there are even breathing exercises specifically for children.

I’m a data nerd, so one thing that deterred me from breathwork in the past was that I never really had any proof it was working. That’s why I love that the Moonbird app shows your heart rate, HRV, and coherence in real time during each session. 

After a few nights of less-than-stellar sleep, I decided to test one of Moonbird’s 4-minute sleep exercises to see if breathwork could actually help me sleep better. Spoiler alert: That’s exactly what it did!

That night, my Oura gave me a 94 sleep score and my HRV went up 11 points. I test (and love!) a lot of sleep aids, but I hadn’t seen a jump like this in a long time.

What’s more, I felt extremely relaxed after that first Moonbird session. Since then, I've also tested the stress and anxiety sessions—and, of course, I’ve dabbled in the HRV breathwork exercises, too.