A good night’s sleep is incredibly important. It helps you feel good and makes your body and brain work properly.
Some people can fall asleep carefree in just 5 minutes. However, many others have serious difficulties during the night and sleep.
Poor sleep can have negative effects on many parts of your body and brain, including poor learning, memory and concentration, mood, emotions, and various biological functions.
Below in the article, read the best tricks and tips on how to fall asleep quickly, easily and without pills.
The best ways to fall asleep faster
1. Lower room temperature
Your body temperature changes before bedtime. The temperature of the body center drops, while the temperature of the arms and legs rises.
If your room is too warm, you may find it difficult to sleep. Adjust your thermostat to a cooler temperature between 15–23 ° C.
Your personal settings will depend on it, so find the temperature that works best for you.
A warm bath or shower before bed could also help accelerate temperature changes. As your body cools down afterwards, it can help your brain send a sleep signal.
2. Use the 4-7-8 breathing method
The “4-7-8” method is a simple but powerful breathing method that improves calmness and relaxation. It could also help you rest before bed.
It consists of a breathing pattern that relaxes the nervous system. This method can be practiced at any time when you feel anxious or stressed.
Here’s the step:
This technique can relax you and help you fall asleep quickly.
3. Make a sleep schedule
Many people find that setting a sleep schedule helps them fall asleep more easily.
Your body has its own regulatory system called the circadian rhythm. This internal clock allows your body to feel awake during the day, but sleepy at night.
Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day can help keep your internal clock on a regular schedule. Once your body adjusts to this schedule, it will be easier to fall asleep and wake up every day at the same time.
It is also important to sleep seven to nine hours every night. It turned out to be the optimal duration of sleep for adults.
And finally, go down to bed 30 minutes to an hour before bedtime. This allows your body and mind to relax and prepare for sleep.
4. Expose yourself to daylight
Light can affect your body’s internal clock that regulates sleep and wakefulness.
Improper exposure to light can lead to disruption of circadian rhythms, making it difficult to fall asleep or stay awake during the day.
During the day, exposing your body to bright light speaks of staying awake. At night, darkness promotes feelings of drowsiness. In fact, research shows that darkness boosts the production of melatonin, an essential hormone for sleep.
Go out and expose your body to sunlight during the day. If possible, use darkening curtains to keep your room dark at night.
5. Practice yoga or meditation
When people are stressed, they have difficulty sleeping.
Yoga, meditation and concentration exercises are means to calm the mind and relax the body. Moreover, they have been shown to improve sleep.
- Yoga encourages the practice of breathing models and body movements that promote the release of stress and tension accumulated in your body.
- Meditation it can improve melatonin levels and help the brain achieve a specific condition in which sleep is easily achieved.
- Concentration exercise it can help you maintain focus on the present and worry less as you fall asleep.
Practicing one or all of these techniques can help you rest and fall asleep more easily.
6. Do not look at the clock
It’s normal to wake up in the middle of the night. However, not being able to fall asleep again can ruin goodnight.
People who wake up in the middle of the night often tend to watch the clock and become obsessed with the fact that they can’t fall asleep.
Clock watching is common in people suffering from insomnia. This behavior can cause anxiety due to insufficient sleep.
To make matters worse, waking up regularly without Falling asleep can cause your body to develop a routine. As a result, you could wake up in the middle of the night, every night.
If possible, it is best to remove the watch from your room. If you need an alarm in the room, you can turn your clock around and avoid watching it if you wake up in the middle of the night.
7. Avoid napping during the day
Due to poor sleep at night, people with insomnia tend to be sleepy during the day. This often leads to daily naps.
Although short-duration naps are associated with improvements in wakefulness, there are mixed opinions about the effects of napping on night time sleep.
Some studies show that regular, long naps (two hours or more) can lead to poor-quality nighttime sleep and even lack of sleep.
To find out if sleep affects your sleep, try either completely eliminating your daily nap or limit yourself to a short nap (30 minutes or less) at the beginning of the day.
8. Watch what and when you eat
It seems that the food you eat before bedcan affect your sleep. For example, research has shown that high-carb meals can be harmful to a good night’s rest.
A review of studies concluded that while high-carb diets can make you fall asleep faster, it won’t be a restful sleep.
Instead, meals with a high amount of fat could promote deeper and more rested sleep.
If you still want to eat a high-carb meal for dinner, you should eat it at least four hours before bedtime, so you have plenty of time to digest.
9. Listen to relaxing music
Music can significantly improve sleep quality. It can also be used to improve chronic sleep disorders like insomnia.
A study conducted on young people showed that relaxing music promotes deeper sleep.
Buddhist music is a type of music created from different Buddhist chants and used for meditation. Listening to this music can be a great tool for better sleep.
Other studies found that participants had a calmer and deeper sleep when they were exposed to soothing music 45 minutes before bedtime, compared to those who did not listen to music.
And finally, if relaxation music isn’t available, blocking all the noise could also help you fall asleep faster and promote uninterrupted sleep.
10. Exercise during the day
Physical activity is often considered beneficial for healthy sleep.
Exercise can increase the duration and quality of sleep by boosting serotonin production in the brain and reducing levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
However, it is important to maintain a moderate-intensity exercise routine and not overdo it. Excessive training is associated with poor sleep.
The time of day when you exercise is also critical. To promote better quality sleep, exercising early in the morning seems to be better than exercising later in the day.
Therefore, moderate to strenuous exercise in the morning can significantly improve the quality and quantity of your sleep.
11. Make yourself comfortable
It has been shown that a comfortable mattress and bedding can have a remarkable effect on the depth and quality of sleep.
It has been proven that a medium-sturdy mattress has a positive effect on sleep quality and prevents sleep disturbances and muscle discomfort.
The quality of your pillow is also crucial. It can affect the door curve, temperature and comfort. The study found that orthopedic pillows may be better than feather pads or memory foam.
In addition, the use of a weighted blanket can reduce physical stress and improve sleep.
And finally, the fabric of the clothes you wear to bed can affect how well you sleep. The key is to choose comfortable clothes made of fabric that help you maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the night.
12. Turn off all electronics
Using electronic devices late at night is terrible for sleep.
Watching TV, playing video games, using your mobile phone and social media can make it much harder for you to fall asleep and sleep.
It is recommended to turn off all electronics and put away computers and mobile phones to ensure a quiet place, without distractions. You will be able to fall asleep much faster.
13. Try aromatherapy
Aromatherapy involves the use of essential oils. Aromatherapy is most often used by those who have trouble sleeping, as it can help relax.
A systematic review of several studies showed that the use of aromatherapy was effective in improving sleep quality.
In addition, lavender and damask rose seem to be popular fragrances that have a positive effect on sleep.
An essential oil diffuser might be helpful in filling your room with relaxing scents that promote sleep.
14. Limit caffeine and energy drinks
Caffeine is widely used among people to combat fatigue and stimulate alertness. It can be found in foods and drinks such as chocolate, coffee, juices and energy drinks.
Unfortunately, caffeine can have disastrous effects on your sleep.
Although the effects of caffeine vary from person to person, it is recommended to refrain from consuming caffeine at least six hours before bedtime.
Instead, you could drink soothing tea like chamomile tea, which has been shown to promote sleep and relaxation.
15. Adjust the sleeping position
Quality sleep can depend on the position of your body during the night.
There are three main sleeping positions: back, abdomen or side. It was traditionally believed that back sleepers have better sleep quality.
However, research has shown that this may not be the best sleeping position, as it could lead to blocked airways, sleep apnea and snoring.
Although individual preferences play an important role in choosing a sleeping position, the lateral position seems to be associated with the best sleep quality.
16. Read something before bedtime
Reading could be a good activity to help you calm down before bed. At least it seems to children that reading in bed could promote longer sleep.
However, it is important to understand the difference between reading from an electronic book and a traditional paper book.
E-books emit a type of light that can reduce melatonin secretion, making it harder for you to fall asleep and causing you to feel tired the next day.
For this reason, it is recommended to read the right book or magazine to relax and improve your sleep.
17. Visualize things that make you happy
Instead of worrying and thinking about stressful things before bed, visualize a place that makes you feel happy and calm.
One study involving participants suffering from insomnia showed that they were able to fall asleep faster after being taught to take advantage of imaginary distraction.
This technique helped them occupy their mind with positive thoughts, rather than dealing with worries and concerns during bedtime.
Imagining and concentrating on an environment that makes you feel calm and relaxed can reduce your thoughts that won’t let you fall asleep.
18. Try sleep enhancement supplements
Certain dietary supplements can help you fall asleep faster.
It has been shown to promote sleep either by increasing the production of sleep-promoting hormones, or by calming brain activity.
Supplements that can help you get better sleep include:
- Magnesium. Magnesium helps activate the neurotransmitters responsible for sleep. Doses of 200–400 mg per day, taken with food, have been shown to improve sleep.
- 5 HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan). 5-HTP boosts the production of serotonin, which is associated with sleep regulation. Doses of 300–500 mg per day, taken once a day or in divided doses, appear to be effective in treating insomnia.
- Melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone produced naturally by the body, but it can also be taken as a supplement to help regulate sleep. Doses of 0.5–5 mg taken 30 minutes before bedtime seem to improve sleep quality.
- Theanine. Theanine is an amino acid with sedative properties. While it hasn’t been proven to promote sleep, it could help relax. Doses of 200 mg per day appear to be beneficial.
- GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). GABA is a compound produced in the brain that inhibits certain transmitters and can help the central nervous system relax. Doses of 250 to 500 mg and no more than 1000 mg are recommended.
Use these tricks to fall asleep quickly
Sleep problems not only frustrate, but can also affect your physical and mental health.
Using the above techniques can help you fall asleep faster and have more energy the next day.