Not everyone finds it natural and easy to fall asleep at night. Some have difficulty sleeping at night for various reasons, whether it’s insomnia, messy body clock, or something else entirely. If you’re someone who generally has trouble falling asleep, you know precisely what I’m talking about. Even if you’ve tried every trick there is to fall asleep, you just find it extremely difficult to do so. Falling asleep should be one of the easiest things in the world. In this article, we’ll be breaking down specific tips on how to fall asleep.
13 tips to fall asleep fast
1. 4-7-8 breathing exercise
Often, you can’t sleep because there’s a lack of calmness and relaxation in your body. This is a breathing method developed by Dr. Andrew Weil to give you the relaxation to fall asleep. It should help you unwind and become drowsy to fall asleep at night. To do this, inhale for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds. It’s as simple and easy as that, and you can do this repeatedly until you feel calmer. Sometimes, the answer on how to fall asleep relies on breathing exercises.
2. Don’t break your body clock
Your body clock is so important when it comes to sleep. When you sleep at varying times, your body gets confused by this, making it a challenge to fall asleep. By sticking to a schedule or a night time routine every night, you’ll find it much easier to sleep at night. For instance, if you sleep at 10 pm every night, try to stick to this schedule. This also means preparing for bed at least an hour before your desired sleep time. You’ll find that you’ll naturally get drowsy when it’s almost time for bed, and in the same sense, even without an alarm, you naturally wake up in the morning after 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
3. Lower the temperature
There’s a reason why it’s much easier to fall asleep in a cold room than in a warm one. Your body temperature fluctuates when you fall asleep, which is why your body naturally warms up as you’re about to wake up. Try setting your thermostat to a cooler temperature to help you fall asleep better, depending on a temperature that feels most comfortable to you. You could also opt for a warm bath to help your body relax, right before bed. Studies had effectively shown that those who chose to have a warm bath 2 hours before bedtime had a better sleep experience than those who didn’t.
4. Avoid using your gadgets
Using your phone, tablet, laptop, or any electronics around you is the fastest way to lose sleep. Not only do you lose track of time and become distracted, but your devices suppress the melatonin in your body, which is the sleep hormone. If you find that you’re easily distracted by using your gadgets at night, put it away so you won’t be tempted to grab it when you can’t fall asleep. It’s also recommendable that you stop using your gadgets an hour before bedtime. If it turns out that you need to use your devices at night, make sure to use blue light glasses to protect your eyes and your sleep. Avoid using devices as much as possible if you want to know how to fall asleep at night.
5. Do physical activity
You need to be exhausted at night to fall asleep and physical activity during the day helps with this. Not only does working out improve your sleep pattern, but it reduces the stress hormone in your body. However, you shouldn’t overdo your exercises as it can lead to poor sleep. By working out in the morning, you’ll find that you’re more exhausted when it’s time for bed at night. Exercise also releases endorphins and dopamine in your body, which are both hormones responsible for making you feel good and happy. When you’re happy, you generally fall asleep better at night.
6. Meditation
As another breathing practice, meditation is useful in helping you sleep better through mindfulness and relaxation. When you’re stressed, tensed, and thinking about many things, it’s almost impossible to fall asleep. Through meditation, you can calm your mind, body, and soul. You’ll have more peace and relaxation in your body, helping you sleep better as meditation is known for releasing the tension in your body. Meditation improves your melatonin levels to help you achieve the state of sleep that you desire while letting you worry less about things you’re stressed about. Not only does it benefit your sleep pattern, but it makes you feel energized when you get up in the morning.
There are plenty of guided meditation apps for sleep. We recommend ours, Declutter The Mind.
7. Avoid naps
If you’ve had a poor night’s sleep throughout the night, the tendency is to have short naps within the day, generally in the afternoon. While these can recharge your energy and mood effectively, naps harm your overall sleep at night. In fact, they’re the reason that you might be sleep deprived at night. To take care of your sleep pattern at night, it’s still ideal to have a complete sleep to avoid the need for naps within the day.
8. Watch your diet
Whether you’re aware of it or not, your diet plays a significant role in your sleep pattern. Maybe the reason you’ve been having a hard time falling asleep is of the food you’ve been consuming into your body. Diet plays a massive role in your sleep, and by eating the wrong foods, this can disrupt your sleep at night. Studies show that foods high in carbs are detrimental to your sleep pattern, making you fall asleep faster. It’s much better to stick to a high-fat diet, especially before sleeping. If you’re persistent in eating a high-carb diet, make sure that you eat at least 4 hours before your bedtime.
9. Read a book
When you find that you can’t sleep, it often has everything to do with your eyes. You must make your eyes exhausted to sleep properly, which is done by reading a book. Note that reading an actual book has a different effect from reading a book as reading a physical copy of a book will help you fall asleep faster, whereas an ebook does the exact opposite. When your eyes are physically tired from all the reading, it’s only natural that you’ll fall asleep better. For some light reading, try a meditation book.
10. Avoid caffeine
If you’re the type of person who drinks coffee, tea, or any caffeinated beverage before bedtime, this could be the reason why you’re not falling asleep at night. Caffeine is a significant factor in making you alert and awake, making it almost impossible to fall asleep with caffeine in your system. Caffeine isn’t just found in your favorite beverages, but it’s also found in chocolates. If you genuinely want to consume caffeine daily, it’s best to take it approximately 6 hours before your bedtime.
11. Listen to relaxing music
Music plays a significant factor in a long-lasting sleep, whether you realize it or not. In fact, studies show that music plays a part in improving chronic sleep disorders such as insomnia. There are various kinds of relaxing music to listen to for deep sleep, whether classical music, jazz, or even music used in meditation. Music helps you fall asleep faster because if you’re surrounded by noise, music helps block out the noise. It’s almost impossible to fall asleep when you live in a noisy environment, and music seems to be the factor that helps fix your sleeping pattern.
12. Limit the light in your bedroom
As you’re falling asleep, a dark environment benefits the melatonin in your body. When it’s bright, your body assumes that it’s time to wake up, and when it’s dark, this signals your body that it’s time to sleep. It could help you fall asleep better when you have pitch black curtains or make sure that there is no light in your room when you’re ready to fall asleep. If you don’t want your room to be completely dark, you could opt for an eye mask instead of numb to the light around you. Eye masks are also known to give comfort during sleep.
13. Find the right sleeping position
Your sleeping position says a lot about your comfort and relaxation. By finding the right position, you’ll find it much easier to fall asleep faster. Studies have shown that those who sleep on their sides have a much higher sleep quality than those who sleep in any other position. Even if traditionally, sleeping on your back was believed to be best, those who sleep on their sides are most comfortable. Ultimately, you can choose to sleep on your back, stomach, or side, and choose the one most comfortable for you.
In conclusion, I hope this article could shed light on how to fall asleep faster. Hopefully, with the tips mentioned above, you’ll find it easier to maintain a healthy sleeping pattern. Sleep is one of the most crucial aspects of your health, and by having a night of poor sleep, your health is deeply affected.
