Falling Asleep Fast Archives

We’ve all had those nights when, no matter how tired we are, it still feels like we are tossing and turning forever before actually falling asleep. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to fall asleep at a faster rate, such as: Making your room sleep friendly Trying out mindfulnessLimiting distractionsMaking a schedule There can be quite a few reasons, some of which you may not have suspected, that could be preventing you from getting to sleep quicker. Perhaps the blue light from your phone is keeping your brain awake or uncomfortable bed sheets are restricting you from dozing off. According to HelpGuide.org, the most common cause of the delay in sleep is anxiety and stress. However, other factors may be disrupting your sleep also. Which is why the tips and tricks below address multiple circumstances and issues which could be keeping you awake while showing you how you can tackle them head-on. Adjusting Your Surroundings 1. Changing Room Temperature As you fall asleep, your natural body temperature changes. While your core temperature decreases, your hands and feet increases in warmth, according to pubmed.com. Your body may be able to regulate this fairly well throughout the night - providing your room temperature isn’t temperamental. If your room is too warm, you’re likely to have a hard time falling asleep as your core temperature is unable to lower. Making sure your thermostat is set to a cool temperature between 60–75°F (15–23°C) will help with this issue. Some may prefer it even cooler or slightly warmer, so try to figure out your personal preference by testing a few different temperatures. Taking a warm bath or shower could also help speed up the body's temperature changes, as well as making you feel relaxed. As your body cools down again afterward, your brain takes this a sign that it’s time to go to sleep, making it much easier to drift off quicker. 2. Create a Dark Environment We all know that darker is better when it comes to sleep. There’s no point waiting until your just about to fall asleep before switching out the lights - you should do so long before this point. If you particularly struggle to get to sleep quickly, it’s a good idea to make your room dark for up to an hour before you plan on falling asleep. Relaxing in a dark room will help stimulate the production of melatonin, a hormone essential for sleep. If you share a house or apartment with night owls who like to keep their lights on, invest in an eye mask to block out unwanted light from your room. 3. Get Rid of Clocks You might plan to be in bed and asleep by 10:30 pm, but what happens when you glance at your alarm clock and see that it’s in fact 12:10 am? You’ll probably panic and get frustrated. But this is a useless reaction, especially when relaxing is the goal. Getting rid of anxiety-inducing clocks, or at least facing them in a different direction, can help you sleep without the worry of what time it could be. You’ll notice that particularly tired people will tell you in the morning, “I didn’t sleep until 2 am!” - but how do they know that they didn’t sleep until that hour? Because they kept checking their clock. Big mistake! Staring at the clock leads you to calculate how many hours of sleep you have left before you have to wake up, which can lead to a sense of panic, especially if that time doesn’t feel long enough. The answer to this is simple - avoid clocks. If you feel restless, go to another room until you feel sleepy again, and then get back into bed. This is what Sharon M. O'Brien, MPAS, PA-C of the Clinical Advisor suggests to her sleepless patients. 4. Pay Attention To Scent Research shows that scents can not only improve your mood but also improve your sleep, according to The Sleep Doctor. Scents such as lavender and jasmine are among the most highly praised for aiding in sleep. Make a spray or diffuser out of these essential oils and place them in your room or spritz them on your pillow. The welcoming smells should help you relax and drift off quicker. It’s also a good idea to keep on top of washing your bed sheets, as the average person only washes their three times a year, according to The Telegraph. Wash them regularly to eliminate any unwanted odors. Getting Comfortable 5. Fix Your Pillows Trying to sleep while you’re uncomfortable is practically impossible. If you find yourself unable to fall asleep quickly because you’re fidgeting, it’s time to focus on what’s making you squirm. Pillows are a huge factor in this. They importantly support your head and neck while controlling the alignment of your body as you sleep. A memory foam or feather pillow will help support this to ensure you’re comfortable enough to drift off quickly. 6. Get New Bedding Bedding can become flat over time. You might buy a big, fluffy comforter for the winter, but by next spring, the same comforter is dull and lifeless. Make sure your covers always have a welcoming, marshmallow-like feel by purchasing a new comforter whenever you feel your current one becoming worn and old. Hopefully, you’ll feel like you’re laying on cloud 9 every night. Cotton is commonly considered the best material for your bedding, as it’s a breathable, pure, natural material. Cotton is also useful for those who have sensitive skin, as itchy or irritated skin can easily keep you awake for longer. Cotton is also naturally hypoallergenic, so it has limited association with any allergies. 7. Change Your Clothing (Or Go Without!) Some pajamas are cute and cozy, while others are silky and fun - but that doesn’t mean either are necessarily great for sleep. Keep your materials simple, such as cotton, and not too heavy, such as fleece, as it may lead to you overheating. Alternatively, you can opt for your birthday suit - which, according to Researchers at the University of Amsterdam, discovered that lowering your skin temperature increases the depth of your sleep and reduces the number of times you wake up in the night. Stripping down to is a great way to lower your skin temperature without changing the temperature of the room. Sleeping naked has also been shown to reduce stress and can even make you lose weight. A study conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that keeping yourself cool while you sleep speeds up the body’s metabolism because your body creates more brown fat to keep you warm. Brown fat produces heat by burning calories (300 times more heat than any tissue in the body), and this boosts your metabolism all day long to help you lose weight - so, why not try sleeping in the nude for double the benefit? 8. Adjust Your Position Getting to sleep when your body is in an awkward or uncomfortable position can take hours. That is why you can never underestimate the power of simply adjusting how you lay. The three main sleeping positions are usually back, stomach, or side. Most of us tend to believe that sleeping on our back is the best way to go about it, but research how shown that we could be wrong - and it may be delaying our sleep. The study, carried out at Monash University in Australia, states that sleeping on your back could lead to blocked airways, sleep apnea and snoring. If you often sleep on your back but find yourself struggling with sleep, it may be time to try something new. Although you may learn that sleeping on your back, on an individual basis, works for you, research by the University of South Australia shows that the side position is linked to the highest quality sleep. Trying Out Mindfulness 9. Yoga Yoga has been proven to improve the quality of sleep among adults, according to Pubmed.com. It’s really no wonder why yoga is so good for your sleep - it focuses on breathing patterns and muscle stretching, which are massive stress-relieving practices. These types of stress-reliving activities are highly likely to help you sleep faster, as anxiety and stress are the number one reasons why many of us end up tossing and turning all night. According to the Sleep Foundation, Using yoga to fall asleep quicker, and to sleep longer, is particularly effective on those over age 60, pregnant women, and even cancer patients receiving treatment. To test out if yoga could aid in your ability to fall asleep faster, try the following yoga positions out at home: Legs Up the Wall: Lie on the ground on your back and put the back of your legs up a wall, making sure to keep them straight, so your body is in an L-shaped position. Relax into the pose, hold it for at least 30 seconds and focus on your breathing.Lying Butterfly: Lie on the ground on your back. Press the bottoms of your feet against each other and let your knees fall out to the sides. You can put a pillow under your knees if this feels too strenuous.Corpse Pose: Lie on the ground on your back with legs straight, arms by sides, and palms facing up. Breathe slowly, focusing on your inhales and exhales.Standing Forward Bend: Stand with your feet hips width apart and inhale deeply. Exhale and extend your torso forward and over your legs to elongate your spine. Hold onto your elbows or let your hands rest on your shins or the floor. Do not strain to reach the floor - the purpose is not to achieve a perfect shape, but is to elongate the spine and relax your neck and shoulders. 10. Meditation Another mindfulness technique is good, old-fashioned meditation. Although it is commonly confused with yoga, meditation focuses not so much on the body, but on the mind. According to Harved.edu, meditation can even help fight insomnia. The practice essentially needs you to remain calm and focus on the present, while you become aware of the sounds, senses, and ideas that surround you. To meditate, you should sit or lie comfortably. You may even want to buy yourself a meditation chair or cushion. Close your eyes and make no effort to control your breathing; simply breathe naturally. Focus your attention on your breath and on how the body moves with each one. Notice how your chest, shoulders, rib cage, and belly expand throughout the process. Simply focus your attention on your breath without controlling its pace or intensity. If your mind wanders, return your focus back to your breath. 11. The 4-7-8 Breathing Method The “4-7-8” is a method which encourages calmness and relaxation. It is a breathing pattern that relaxes the nervous system and can be practiced anytime you feel anxious, stressed, or restless: Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth.Exhale through your mouth and make a whoosh sound.Close your mouth and inhale through your nose while counting to four in your head.Hold your breath and count to seven.Open your mouth and exhale completely, making a whoosh sound while mentally counting to eight.Repeat this cycle at least three more times. This technique can help you unwind, both during the day and at night. It might take some practice, but with time, can prove beneficial. Limiting Distractions 12. Eliminate Noisy Devices During the day, we are flooded with buzzing, beeping, notifications and text alerts from all our electronic devices. These distractions should be switched off as we begin to switch off our mind for sleep. As you drift off, there’s nothing worse than a sudden ring tone to wake you back up again. Eliminate these distractions by setting all your devices to silent. 13. Limit Blue Light Screen Time Studies have shown that the ‘blue light’ emitted from mobile phones, tablets, and laptops have a detrimental effect on your ability to fall asleep quickly. According to The Sleep Foundation, this particular light can delay the release of melatonin, making you feel more awake and alert when you should be drifting off. To avoid this, you can switch your screens to night mode for a more relaxed light, rather than a bright, alarming light. It is even better to leave any and all devices out of your room. If you rely on devices for a morning alarm, purchase a small alarm clock to keep somewhere in your room - that way, you won’t be so dependent on your mobile devices. 14. Closing Your Window If you live in a busy area or in a crowded city, the bustling sounds throughout the night are likely to keep you awake. Sounds of traffic, sirens, music, and party-goers are a big no-no when you're tucked up in bed. According to amerisleep.com, Western Europeans lose a combined one million years of healthy life due to traffic-related noise with cause sleep disturbance. Try keeping your window closed to avoid these noises stirring your sleep. If you like your window open due to the cold breeze, purchase a quiet desk fan instead. Knowing What To Do During The Day 15. Watch What You Eat The food you eat before bed can hugely affect your sleep. For example, research has shown that high-carb meals may disrupt a good night's rest due to the heavy weight on your stomach. If you want to get to sleep faster and stay in a deep, restful sleep throughout the night, try high-fat, lower carb meals. Studies have shown that these types of meals leave you nourished but not bloated, allowing you to get to sleep comfortably, according to Pubmed.com. In fact, several studies agree that a high-carb/low-fat diet significantly decreased the quality of sleep over time compared to a low-carb/high-fat diet with the same amount of calories for both diets. If you don’t want to ditch high-carb meals completely, you should consider eating it at least four hours before bed, so you have enough time to digest it. 16. Exercise During The Day Keeping active during the day is beneficial to your resting periods at night. Exercise can increase the duration and quality of sleep by boosting the production of serotonin in the brain and decreasing levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. However, it is important to not go overboard with your exercise routine, as aching muscles and excessive training have been linked to poor sleep. To make sure you get the best out of this tip, try working out early in the morning, as this appears to have a better effect than working out later in the day. A moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the morning could significantly improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, while also helping you in your goal of getting to sleep faster. 17. Get on a Schedule Creating a fully formulated plan for getting to bed and waking up will help keep your sleep pattern regulated. Without one, you may find yourself a little all over the place when it comes to getting some rest. Your body has its own form of regulatory sleep schedule known as the circadian rhythm. This is your internal clock which cues your body to feel alert during the day but tired at night. To keep this schedule in check, you should create a set time to wake up and go to sleep every morning and night, with a good seven to nine hours of sleep in between. Make sure you try to stick to these timings, as this will help your body fall asleep faster when it is set into a routine. 18. Starting a Journal As mentioned previously, part of not being able to drift off quickly can be down to stress and anxiety. Another way to eliminate this late-night worrying is to start journaling. Keeping a diary or just jotting down your thoughts at the end of each day will act as a good stress relieving opportunity. Many people find that writing down their worries helps them worry less, and ultimately get to sleep quicker. 19. Limiting Caffeine and Alcohol It’s no surprise that caffeine and alcohol do not have the best effect on your ability to sleep throughout the night or get to sleep any faster. Although alcohol can make you sleep faster (or rather pass out) it won’t keep you in a steady, deep sleep - which defeats the point of getting to sleep earlier in the first place. If you can’t survive without caffeine during the day, try to drink or ingest it earlier in the day. Surprisingly, caffeine can even keep you awake if you drink it 6 hours before sleep - so try to keep track of your timings. The same can be said for energy drinks, which will almost certainly keep you alert if ingested too close to your bedtime. Focusing On Sounds 20. Relaxing Music Music may be the last thing you think of putting on when you want to get to sleep. But sometimes, silence can be deafening. To fill the void and help relax your mind, try relaxing music such as soft jazz or harp music. These may not be your favorite genres, but according to Sleep.org, these types of music have a profound physical effect on us which may trigger sleep. These effects include the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, lowering your heart rate and slowing your breathing. 21. Ambient Sounds or ASMR While some sounds can be distracting and disruptive to sleep, there are others which can act as a sort of adult-style lullaby by getting us to sleep faster. White-nose is commonly used for restless children and can be used for adults as well; white noise blocks out any unwanted noise. However, if you want something a little more interesting, you can try the following sounds instead which are all on YouTube: Ocean sounds and lapping wavesRainwater or a flowing riverNature sounds which you would expect to hear in the woods or wildernessStormy weather, such as light thunder and hail Another way to ease your mind to sleep could be testing out your tolerance to ASMR. ASMR stands for ‘autonomous sensory meridian response’. And to put it simply, it essentially means that certain noises or visuals - such as whispering or gliding hands - can give people a relaxing, tingly-like sensation on their scalp, down their neck, and on their upper spine. People who feel these ‘ASMR tingles’ say it helps them get to sleep within a few minutes. You can find this Sleep-inducing content on YouTube, where millions of others enjoy watching the relaxing videos. There are even videos dedicated to helping you find your 'trigger'. 22. Podcasts If you’re not a fan of ASMR or frankly any of the above, a light podcast may do the trick for you. Believe it or not, there are actually podcasts which are purposefully made to be so boring that they send you to sleep. One is the Game of Drones podcast, where the host recaps the most boring episodes of Game of Thrones for an hour and a half. Other helpful podcasts include The Daily Meditation podcast and Deep Energy 2.0. Sleep Enhancing Supplements 23. Melatonin To delve further into the ‘sleeping hormone’ melatonin, it’s probably easier to explain first what the hormone is, and how it acts in your body. Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body's pineal gland. This is a pea-sized gland found just above the middle of the brain. During the day, this gland is inactive. However, when the sun goes down, the pineal gland ‘switched on’ and begins to actively produce melatonin, which is released into the blood. Usually, this occurs at around 9 pm. As a result, you begin to feel less alert. You may be struggling to produce this hormone at the desired hour of sleep, which leaves you awake for longer. This is why melatonin supplements could be a good and viable path to take. Most commercial products are offered at dosages that cause melatonin levels in the blood to rise far above the levels that are naturally produced in the body. Taking a typical dose (1 to 3 mg) may elevate your blood melatonin levels to 1 to 20 times above normal. As long as you take melatonin with the correct safety precautions, your speed at which you get to sleep should improve. However, if have an existing medical condition or any concerns, you should consult with your doctor beforehand. 24. 5-HTP Also known as 5-hydroxytryptophan, this supplement is created as a by-product of the amino acid L-tryptophan. 5-HTP boosts the production of serotonin, which has been linked to the regulation of sleep. Doses of 300–500 mg per day, taken either once daily or in divided doses, have been found to be effective in treating insomnia. If you are taking 5-HTP to get to sleep quicker, the recommended dosage is 100–300 mg, taken 30–45 minutes before bed. 25. Magnesium According to The Sleep Doctor, insomnia is a symptom of lack of magnesium, which is an essential nutrient that helps by regulating muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure; additionally, magnesium is responsible for the production of proteins, bones, and DNA. Magnesium also plays a big role in supporting deep restorative sleep by maintaining healthy levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep. If you’re finding it a struggle to get to sleep when you want, you could be suffering from a magnesium deficiency. The Institute of Medicine suggests a daily dietary intake of 310–360 mg of magnesium for adult women and 400–420 mg for adult men. You can get magnesium through drinking water and eating foods such as green vegetables, nuts, cereals, meat, fish, and fruit. However, you can also take commercial magnesium supplements as well, although few studies have been able to determine the exact or perfect dosage everyone should take. It is best to read the instructions carefully and consult a doctor if you have any concerns. What If I’m Still Struggling To Fall Asleep? If you find that despite trying every tip we have offered, you are still struggling to fall asleep faster, you may be suffering from a sleep-related medical condition, such as chronic insomnia. This doesn’t mean all hope is lost. The process of testing out these tips can take a while, especially to see worthwhile results. If you feel that you have any extra concerns, contact your doctor to discuss your options. Hopefully soon, with good advice and execution, you’ll be able to fall asleep quicker in no time.