13 Sleep Hacks To Fall Asleep Fast
13.
Keep your room cold- It’s obvious that if it’s too hot in your room, your body will
try to regulate its temperature resulting in wasted energy and leaving you to toss and
turn the whole night.
But sleeping in a cooler environment will help you fall asleep faster because your body
isn’t trying to regulate itself and can contribute to decreasing insomnia too.
Sleeping in temperatures between 60 to 68 degrees allows your body to release melatonin
and also reduces the risk for diabetes over time.
The best method to keep cool is to purchase a programmable thermostat, since running the
AC the whole year isn’t the smartest option.
But a programmable thermostat allows your home temperature to alter throughout the day.
12.
Drink chamomile tea- Not only does chamomile tea help you sleep better at night but it
also helps you lose weight at the same time.
Chamomile is a natural detoxifier and helps get rid of the body’s excess water, toxins
and waste.
It helps reduce bloating and stress too.
Some benefits of drinking chamomile tea include decreasing anxiety, inducing food cravings
and minimizing stress.
Since it is a herbal tea and contains no caffeine, this is a natural remedy.
When making tea just be sure to keep the flavor smooth.
Also don’t drink too much as a full bladder can cause you to wake up and use the restroom
in the middle of the night.
For the best results, drink a cup an hour or an hour and a half before your designated
bedtime.
11.
Use a breathing technique- Set aside at least five minutes before sleeping to practice the
4-7-8 breathing technique.
Also known as “The Relaxing Breath,” it is based off an ancient Indian practice that
promotes better sleep.
Translating to “regulation of breath,” it helps transition the body into a state
of relaxation and calmness.
This five step procedure is easy and can be completed anywhere.
It is recommended that you sit straight forward with you back straight.
Now place the tip of your tongue on the ridge of tissue behind your front upper teeth for
the whole time.
You will be exhaling through your tongue and mouth.
Start by exhaling completely through your mouth, making a whooshing noise.
Then close your mouth and inhale through your nose for four seconds.
Then for seven seconds, hold your breath.
Afterward, exhale thoroughly through your mouth, making a whooshing sound for eight
seconds.
Now in one breath, inhale and repeat the cycle again for three more times equaling a total
of four breaths.
10.
Read a book before bed- Between binge watching on Netflix and the constant notifications
on your iPad, it is quickly forgotten how beneficial it is to read a good book before
bedtime.
In a 2009 study done by the University of Exeter, it was discovered that reading was
quicker and more efficient at minimizing stress than walking or listening to music.
So by clicking off that tv and reading a good novel is an excellent way to get a restful
night’s sleep.
It also doesn’t matter what kind of book you read either.
By allowing yourself to escape and get into the mind of the author’s imagination can
help relax you and put your mind at peace.
In addition, reading reduces the body’s cortisol levels.
At an all time high, cortisol can create chronic stress leading to fatigue.
So by reading before sleeping, it also allows you to cope with tomorrow’s stressors more
calmly.
9.
Snack healthy before sleeping- A late night snack before bed never hurt anybody right?
But you might want to think twice about what you’re eating before hitting the sack as
some foods could mean the difference between staying up all night and getting a good night’s
sleep.
Contrary to popular belief, many people might sip on a glass of wine before bed, but while
alcohol does help you to doze off, it disrupts deep sleep.
Also, avoid spicy food like curry or pepper than makes it harder for your body to regulate
temperature.
Cut out any fatty foods that make it difficult to digest and can cause heartburn.
Some foods that are perfect for snacking before bed include bananas, which are chock full
of magnesium and contain melatonin and serotonin, encouraging sleep.
Almonds boost steady heart rhythms and cut down on nerve function.
Oats like oatmeal are great for promotion insulin production and full of vitamins and
minerals while one teaspoon of honey can help you wind down by shutting off orexin, which
keeps us alert.
8.
Set a regular bedtime- Between hanging out with friends, spending time with family and
other side projects, getting 7 hours of sleep a night can be hard to achieve.
While you might think that getting enough sleep through the evening is important, it’s
not quite that simple.
Inconsistency on what time you sleep is just as bad as not getting enough sleep.
In fact, getting some shut eye at different times confuses your body and with inconsistent
bed and wake times results in people missing out on critical stages of the sleep cycles.
So a few hours before going to sleep, give yourself some time to unwind since the body
is still recuperating from work or dinner.
By setting a regular bedtime routine, this will help your body slow down and get ready
to sleep.
You can also set a bedtime alarm as a warning to head to bed.
This consistency indicates that your brain is conditioned to feel sleepy at a certain
time each day, making it much easier to sleep.
7.
Eliminate the caffeine- This is an obvious tip.
Everyone knows that to get a good night’s slumber, it’s best to avoid drinking caffeinated
beverages.
In the morning, you might need a hot cup of coffee or a Red Bull to help kick start the
day, but how late in the day is it be consuming caffeine before bedtime?
To be safe, stick to a 2 o’clock cut off time.
Late afternoon consumption can disrupt sleeping patterns.
So if you have to down a cup of joe, make sure to drink it before 2 pm hits.
Also, start off your day with the most highly caffeinated drink and go easy on the caffeine
as the day goes on.
You can switch to tea for an easy transition but be caffeine free by mid-afternoon.
Lastly, skip the large drinks!
Supersized energy beverages might be a simple fix to wake you up, but a 20 plus ounce soda
or Monster delivers twice as much stimulant than normal.
It’s best to stick to an 8-ounce cup instead.
6.
Shut off any electronics- In a technology driven world, it can be hard to set aside
any cellphones, tablets, computers or electronic gadgets.
Especially during bedtime, checking an email or text is one click away but surfing the
web or playing a videogame is affecting your sleep more than you think.
The blue light transmitting off your electronics limits melatonin production.
This makes it difficult to fall asleep.
Also, the technology can manipulate your brain into thinking that it needs to stay up.
Give yourself a moment to step back and get settled into the night.
Plus keeping your cell phone next to your bedside can also keep you up, due to the alerts
of calendar reminders and phone calls.
So do yourself a favor and keep the technology used to a minimum for better sleep quality.
Your body might just thank you!
5.
Practice yoga before sleeping- Yoga is a great way to release tension and slow down our nervous
system.
Not only does it lower our stress levels but it’s an effective sleep remedy as certain
poses can help fight insomnia and restlessness.
Even if you don’t have time to make it to yoga class, you can try these simple poses
at home.
It can’t get easier than the corpse pose.
It focuses the attention of the body and your breathing allowing you to take your mind off
stress and bring in awareness to yourself instead.
The easy forward bend is suitable for beginners.
You can sit on top of a pillow if it helps.
But it opens up tension in the hip area and calms the body.
The reclining butterfly aids the body to get into rest mode.
You can lay down a blanket and apply one hand to your heart and the other hand on your stomach.
Breath deeply while focusing on breathing in and pushing the breath out of your body.
4.
Purchase some black out curtains- Complete darkness is one of the best ways to get some
great sleep, but once the sun comes peeping through your window, it can be hard to go
back to sleep.
Aside from keeping the dark in, black out curtains provide a little extra warmth and
prevent any onlookers too.
Exposure to light activates a nerve pathway from the retina to the brain.
Similar to an internal clock, it alerts the body to wake up.
Even the smallest amount of light can suppress melatonin in the body, which is why a simple
flick of the light switch or cell phone lighting can awake us immediately.
3.
Take a hot shower- A hot shower in the morning is a wonderful way to wake you up and ignite
creativity.
However, taking a shower at night is also a good way to de-stress and unwind.
But the most important tip is to not shower too late into the evening.
You don’t want to heat up your body right before sleep because your body’s temperature
plays a crucial role in telling your body when it’s time to sleep.
Showering earlier in the evening can trigger your body to relax and gives it a chance to
cool off.
As a bonus, not only do night time showers clear your skin and minimize breakouts but
a 20-minute shower is just as effective as taking a sleep aid.
Time your shower at least about an hour and a half before hitting the sack so by the time
you’re snug in bed, you’ll be dry and cool when you sleep.
2.
Nap intelligently- While you might think taking a quick nap can help you catch up some z’s,
napping at the wrong time or napping for too long can hurt you more than help you.
Sleep occurs during stages, and when we dream, our brain has a harder time waking up.
Even sleeping for 25 minutes to an hour can make us tired when the rapid eye movement
stage occurs, since this is when we are in our deepest stage of sleep.
Some suggest that 10 to 20 minutes of naptime are easier because our mind is trained to
wake up after a certain amount of time.
However napping closer to our bedtime should be avoided.
Researchers suggest leaving no more than a minimum of four hours between napping and
bedtime to keep sleep disturbances to a minimum.
1.
Meditate- If you’ve ever tried to go to sleep only to worry about a problem or tomorrow’s
task, then these racing thoughts are to blame for a good night’s rest.
However practicing mindful meditation just 20 minutes a day can bring a sense of ease
and relaxation to help you sleep faster and better at night.
Start off by choosing a calming focus.
Good examples are selecting a sound and repeating aloud or silently as you inhale and exhale
slowly.
The most common sound is “om, ” or you can pick positive words like “peace” or
“relax.”
Mindfulness meditation also decreases many stress-related ailments like high blood pressure,
pain, and depression.