hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about how to fall asleep
in just two minutes now let's begin do you have a hard time falling asleep do you toss and turn
for hours on end do you find yourself staring at the clock growing more frustrated by the minute
well according to the national institute of health at least 30 percent of people
experience sleep disturbances in other words one-third of the population struggles to fall
asleep on a regular basis so why are so many people failing to get a good night's sleep
the root causes of insomnia vary wildly your individual sleep disturbances depend on your
personal habits your schedule and lifestyle some people struggle to fall asleep because
daily stress is weighing them down you may have a demanding job or find yourself trapped in a
stressful situation in either case high levels of stress are a common cause of sleep disturbances
and insomnia other people toss and turn because of their nighttime habits
a few minutes of screen time for example may fill your brain with stimulating chemicals
these neuro chemicals can keep you awake and alert for hours so how do you prevent these disturbances
from ruining your sleep cycle there are several ways to fall asleep quickly and easily every night
instead of staring at the ceiling you can fall asleep within just two minutes of lying down
using these sleep inducing tricks you'll notice significant changes in the quality of your sleep
these techniques focus on one thing making sleep easy too often people force their bodies
to fall asleep you want to wake up rested and clear-headed you want to fall asleep on time and
when you can't sleep you grow angry at yourself but there's a reason your body lies awake at night
there's a reason you can't sleep no matter how hard you try you can't sleep because your brain
isn't ready to sleep your body will never sleep if your brain isn't properly prepared in this
video we're going to explore four different ways to prep your brain for a good night's sleep many
of these techniques work well in tandem so feel free to combine two or more techniques
that work for you with a bit of practice you can use these strategies to fall asleep within minutes
number one four seven eight breathing your breath is a powerful tool by concentrating on your breath
you can create mental relaxation and relieve the stress that's keeping you awake one of the
most effective breathing methods is called 478 breathing this routine takes advantage of deep
rhythmic breathing to lull your brain into a restful pre-sleep state using four seven eight
breathing you can smoothly transition into an unconscious slumber four seven eight breathing
begins with a deep exhale now place the tip of your tongue against the back of your top teeth
part your lips slightly and breathe out all the air you can through your mouth
as you exhale make a whooshing sound that way you can rid your lungs of every bit of stale air now
close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose as you inhale count to four in your head then
hold in your breath for seven long seconds after seven seconds then open your mouth and release
all the air inside of you continue breathing out for eight seconds again make a whooshing sound
with your mouth so all the air leaves your lungs you've now completed one full breath so repeat
this process again and again until you fall asleep after each repetition let your breath get more and
more unconscious the first time you may carefully count each second in your head but as you repeat
the process don't worry about the exact number of seconds the numbers 4 7 and 8 don't really matter
it's about the ratio and the rhythm of your breathing you want your breath to flow in a
pattern which lets your body relax once you feel yourself getting drowsy allow sleep to take over
some nights you may fall asleep faster than others some nights your mind may drift away
after only two breaths but don't worry if it takes longer to fall asleep just focus on your breath
make the cycle more unconscious each time and allow yourself to truly relax
according to many experienced users 478 breathing gets more effective the more
often you use it so don't be afraid to use this method every night to help yourself fall asleep
in just minutes number two paradoxical intention ironically one of the best ways to fall asleep
is to stay awake a 2003 study in the journal behavioral and cognitive psychotherapy
found that your brain cannot fall asleep by choice in other words if you want to fall
asleep your brain is more likely to stay awake researchers call this voluntary sleep effort
you're lying in bed forcing your eyes to close you're demanding that your brain relax
but it won't that's because voluntary sleep effort arouses your brain and creates harmful
sleep anxiety so what should you do instead let yourself fall asleep when you're tired don't
worry about each minute passing by your brain will fall asleep when it's good and ready researchers
call this paradoxical intention you're helping your brain sleep by purposely staying awake and
research shows that it works the same 2003 study found that paradoxical intention decreases the
time it takes to fall asleep this ironic treatment relieves sleep anxiety by removing both pressure
and stress so remember if you fall asleep say 30 minutes later than normal that's okay if your
brain isn't ready at exactly the same time every night don't worry most people overestimate how
much damage a little sleep loss can cause and that overestimation creates more stress and anxiety
so instead of worrying let your brain fall asleep when it's ready if you have a healthy nighttime
routine and you avoid stimulating activities well your brain will get tired all on its own
number three prepare the atmosphere does your environment affect the quality and
quickness of your sleep the number of simple environmental changes can help you fall asleep
faster your environment plays a major role in the calming and relaxation of your brain
whether you realize it or not to start with try lowering the temperature in your room
a few degrees lower temperatures encourage your brain to seek the comfort of your bed
studies have also shown that people achieve higher quality sleep when their rooms are a few degrees
colder so flip on the ac before you go to bed those few degrees could make all the difference
you can also improve your environment by getting rid of lights and sounds your brain sleeps best
in dark and quiet settings lights and sounds alert your senses which keep your brain stimulated and
awake in dark and quiet places your brain can turn off your senses and relax for the night
most people don't realize how much light and sound are interfering with their sleep
just think about the ceiling fan clicking over your head maybe you hear your upstairs neighbor
walking around their room where you might hear dogs barking cars honking or people shouting
to block out all of these disturbances many people use earplugs these small sound
stoppers can help you fall asleep by removing unnecessary stimulation from your environment
if light is keeping you up blackout curtains are a great way to control the light in your environment
you could also try a sleeping mask which will shield your eyes from all incoming light sources
there's one more way to improve your sleeping environment try removing any and all objects
that interfere with your sleep the two most common objects are phones and alarm clocks
both of these objects interfere with your sleep by creating sleep anxiety if these objects are
nearby you allow yourself to check them every few minutes so place these objects on the other side
of your room keep them out of arm's reach and that way your environment will never interfere
with your sleep number four progressive muscle relaxation tension in the body creates tension
in the mind this technique will help you unravel the stress in your muscles
while encouraging a peaceful feeling of calm and tranquility
progressive muscle relaxation is designed to relax the muscles throughout your body like meditation
this practice aims to relieve stress and calm your mind so don't begin this practice with any kind of
expectations or worries you can get as much or as little out of this technique as you'd like
so how does progressive muscle relaxation actually work start with your feet clench the muscles in
your toes soles and heels feel each of those muscles tense for about five seconds and then
release all of that tension out of your body feel the stress melt away from your feet then take a
deep calming breath next move up to your legs again tense your muscles for about five seconds
then release all that tension let your legs sink into your mattress let them feel heavy and still
and then take another calming breath you're going to repeat this process for every muscle in your
body one by one you'll move from your legs to your chest to your arms and finally to your face
after releasing tension in each area of the body continue taking deep relaxing breaths
some people use 478 breathing to further increase the relaxation of this practice
as the tension flows out of your body you'll start to feel heavier and heavier
your body will sit perfectly still and you'll feel completely relaxed in this state
of relaxation your brain will smoothly drift into a deep and peaceful sleep hey thank you
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