Everybody has nights when it’s difficult to get to sleep or wakes up throughout the night. When you just want to be sleeping, you can discover that your body is tossing and turning and your mind is racing.
Sometimes it’s hard to fall asleep quickly… If we could just turn our minds off like a light switch or shut them off like a smartphone, that would be amazing. But sadly, it’s not that simple.
Additionally, it’s really challenging for your body to follow if your mind can’t go asleep. However, if you’ve been lying awake at night wondering how to get to sleep quickly, it can be having a bigger impact on you than you think.
In addition to being irritating, difficulty falling asleep can also make it more difficult in the future due to anxiousness. How can this domino effect be stopped in order to get some sleep?
You may use scientific techniques to turn the switch and direct your body into a secure shutdown mode.
How to Fall Asleep Faster and Sleep Better
1. The 4-7-8 Method
The classical yoga technique of pranayama is the foundation of the 4-7-8 system. This technique can calm you down and reduce your anxiousness. Using the 4-7-8 approach, you concentrate on counting to divert your attention from anxious sensations. Here’s how to use the 4-7-8 approach to fall asleep more quickly.
- Allow your tongue to rest on the roof of your mouth when you are lying in bed, behind your front teeth.
- Exhale slowly and thoroughly via your mouth to totally clear your lungs.
- Inhale for 4 seconds via your nose, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and then let out for 8 seconds.
- Do this at least four times more.
2. Try to Stay Awake
Unexpectedly, attempting to stay awake while wanting to fall asleep quickly is a technique. Attempting to stay awake might make you feel less anxious about trying to go asleep, despite the fact that this may seem paradoxical.
Taking your thoughts away from the current work might offer your brain the break it requires for you to quit counting sheep because falling asleep is an instinctive process.
3. Go to Bed Later
The homeostatic sleep drive and the circadian rhythm both influence the urge to sleep. A chemical signal for tiredness known as adenosine builds up more in the brain the longer a person is awake.
At least in part, sleep is a process of getting rid of this toxin. It may be simpler to fall asleep if someone stays up later since more adenosine builds up. To help you fall asleep faster, try putting off bedtime by one hour.
4. Create a Bedtime Routine
Many people discover that creating a sleep regimen makes it simpler for them to get to sleep.
Your body has its own internal control mechanism known as the circadian rhythm. Your body receives cues from this internal clock to feel awake throughout the day but drowsy at night. Your internal clock can maintain a regular schedule if you get up and go to bed at the same times every day.
Discover the sleeping pattern that works best for you.
Decide when it is best for you to go to sleep and wake up, and then observe those timings. Try to retire to bed at a time that is neither too early nor too late, but when you are sufficiently exhausted to do so. Next, get up every morning at the same hour, including on the weekends.
It will be simpler to go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day after your body has gotten used to the pattern.
5. Turn Down Your Tech
Nowadays, using the internet before bed is more of a given than a question because of how commonplace contemporary technology is.
Even though it might be difficult, using technology right before bed can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep. Many electronic gadgets create a blue light that mimics sunshine; although this is useful before your morning coffee, it can be detrimental to your ability to fall asleep.
Consider turning down your technology if you can’t entirely put your devices away for an hour before bed. While getting ready for bed, consider listening to music, a soothing podcast, or an audiobook for screen-free amusement.
6. Avoid Looking at Your Clock
Getting up in the middle of the night is common. However, a restful night’s sleep might be ruined by difficulty falling asleep again.
People who wake up in the middle of the night frequently have a tendency to check the time and become fixated on the fact that they are unable to go back to sleep. Anxiety related to lack of sleep may result from this activity.
Even worse, your body could establish a rhythm if you wake up frequently without going back to sleep. As a result, you could discover that you frequently wake up in the middle of the night.
It’s preferable to get rid of the clock from your room if at all feasible. You may turn your clock so that you won’t have to look at it when you wake up in the middle of the night if you need an alarm in the room.
7. Limit Caffeine
People frequently consume caffeine to combat weariness and increase attentiveness. It can be found in such meals and drinks as:
- chocolate
- coffee
- sodas
- energy drinks
Your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep for a long time may suffer as a result of this stimulant. Although everyone reacts to caffeine differently, it is advised to avoid taking any caffeine at least 6 hours before bed.
You might instead sip on a calming tea like chamomile tea. It has been demonstrated to support relaxation and sleep. Magnolia and passionflower teas are further sedatives.
8. Don’t Worry If You Don’t Fall Asleep Instantly
Can you get to sleep in five minutes? Many individuals make the error of attempting to nod off nearly immediately, but getting from being fully awake to dozing off isn’t always as simple as switching a switch.
Instead, begin to unwind an hour or so before to going to bed by gradually creating a sleep-friendly environment in your bedroom by lowering the lights and relaxing your body.
9. Visualize a Calm Place
Try using your imagination if counting makes your mind too active. It has been said that making things real in your mind will help you fall asleep.
Instead of counting sheep, try to picture a peaceful scene and all the associated emotions. You may picture a waterfall, echoing waves, and the smell of moist moss, for instance. Allowing this image to occupy space in your mind can help you avoid “re-engaging with thoughts, fears, and concerns” before going to sleep.
10. Get Out of Bed
Even if it seems paradoxical, giving up on trying to fall asleep is frequently one of the best strategies. Just get out of bed and do something calming, like reading in dim light or whatever it may be to make you feel sleepy, rather than tossing and turning and gazing at the clock.
Then return to bed and repeat as necessary until you nod off. Whether it’s stress from daily life or simply the nerves associated with having trouble falling asleep, the objective is to divert your attention from your uneasiness.
11. Take a Warm Bath or Shower
After a hard day, many people swear by taking a warm bath. But did you know that a warm shower or bath has been proven to hasten sleep?
Step into the tub for a soothing bath the next time you believe you might be up counting sheep. Even in warm weather, scheduling time for a hot bath or shower will help you sleep better.
12. Lower the Temperature
As you snooze, your body temperature fluctuates. When you lie down, your body cools off, and when you get up, it heats up. You can have trouble falling asleep if your room is too warm. It could be beneficial to set your thermostat to a cold setting of 60–67°F (15.6–19.4°C).
Find the temperature that is most comfortable for you because everyone has different tastes.
13. Put Socks On
If you can’t sleep and don’t know why, you could be physically having cold feet. Your blood vessels narrow when your feet are chilly, reducing blood flow and alerting your brain to stay awake.
Before going to bed, putting on a pair of socks will assist the blood vessels in your feet expand and communicate with your brain that it’s time for some dreamy sleep.
14. Avoid Naps During the Day
People with insomnia sometimes feel drowsy throughout the day as a result of getting inadequate sleep at night, which frequently results in daytime naps. Short naps have been associated with increases in alertness and wellbeing, although there are conflicting views on how naps affect overnight sleep.
Regular, long (at least 2 hours), and late naps have been linked in several studies to poor quality overnight sleep and even sleep deprivation. Try avoiding naps entirely or restricting yourself to a little nap (30 minutes or less) in the morning to see if it helps you sleep better.
15. Take a Walk
Unable to remain motionless at night? Try going for a stroll (kind of). Even though it may seem contradictory, getting up in the middle of the night and going to a different part of your house helps reset your brain so you aren’t lying in bed restlessly looking for relief.
After 20 minutes, if you’re still having trouble falling asleep, it could be time for a fast reset. Just make careful not to do anything startling, like turning on a bright light or making a loud noise, and limit your evening stroll to no more than five to ten minutes.
16. Exercise During the Day
Healthy sleep is frequently seen to be a benefit of physical activity. As long as you don’t exercise too close to bedtime, exercise generally encourages effortless falling asleep and leads to high-quality sleep.
By increasing serotonin synthesis in the brain and lowering cortisol levels, exercise can lengthen and improve the quality of sleep.
However, it’s crucial to keep up a program of moderate-intensity exercise and avoid going too. The time of day you workout is also very important. Working exercise in the morning seems to be preferable than working out later in the day for better sleep.
Therefore, even while exercise is excellent for your health, it is advised to finish your workout at least three to four hours prior to going to bed.
17. Read Something
Reading might be a relaxing pastime you undertake before going to bed. It appears that reading before bed may encourage deeper slumber, at least for children. It’s crucial to comprehend the distinctions between reading from an electronic book and a conventional paper book.
Blue light from electronic books inhibits the release of melatonin. You have a harder time falling asleep and wake up feeling fatigued due to low melatonin levels. Therefore, it is advised that you read from a real book to unwind and enhance your sleep.
18. Use a Weighted Blanket
Weighted blankets are thick blankets that are used as a sort of pressure therapy to relieve stress and encourage the brain’s production of serotonin. Around 10% of your body weight is the optimal weight for a weighted blanket since it exerts just enough pressure to make you feel peaceful and at ease without making you feel constrained.
Your body will undoubtedly appreciate it if you employ a weighted blanket throughout your nighttime routine or just before bed.
19. Try the Military Method
The military method is a technique that emphasizes deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and mental imagery. Here is a quick sleep technique used by the military.
- Relax your body’s muscles by sitting or lying down on your bed.
- Tense your muscles starting with your face, then let them relax naturally. Start inhaling deeply to relax.
- Repeat this process until your entire body feels completely at ease.
- For 10 seconds, clear your mind of all thoughts. Imagine one of the following situations when your mind is clear:
- Peacefully lying in a canoe on a calm lake
- Swaying gently back and forth in a pitch-black space
- If the aforementioned fails, repeat “don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” in your head for at least 10 seconds before trying again.
20. Try Autogenic Training
A technique for relaxing is autogenic training. Autogenic training, which is based on hypnosis principles, employs a sequence of phrases to relax your nervous system. Here are some tips for using autogenic training to fall asleep quickly.
- Lay down and tell yourself, “I am perfectly relaxed,” focusing on your breath.
- Focus on your arms and tell yourself, at least six times, “My arms are quite heavy” and “I am absolutely peaceful.”
- Turn your attention to your legs and tell yourself, at least six times, “My legs are quite heavy” and “I am absolutely relaxed.”
- Repeat the aforementioned sentences at least six times as you go to various body areas, including your heart, forehead, and abdomen.
- When you are comfortable, start to focus on your complete body, which should also make you feel warm and at ease.
- If you haven’t already dozed off, keep repeating the preceding procedures until you’re ready to open your eyes and take in the peacefulness.