Having a difficult time catching those sweet dreams? According to this report, one in four Americans develops insomnia every year.
The good news: 75% of people with insomnia recover from it.
With these tips, you can keep that number on the rise. Here are seven ways you can fall asleep faster. With these seven methods, you can hit the hay and start sleeping sooner rather than later.
1. Keep It Cool
If you’re feeling the heat, you might not fall asleep. Our bodies change temperature as we drift off. While core temps decrease, our hands and feet get warmer.
Try setting the thermostat between 60 and 75°F before bed.
Rather than sweating through the night, you can fall asleep instead. A warm shower can also heat up your body temperature. Your brain will tell your body to it’s time for bed while you’re cooling down.
2. Take a Breath
Promote relaxation throughout your body with the “4-7-8” breathing method. You can also use this method if you’re feeling stressed out.
Place the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth.
Then, exhale through your mouth, making a “whoosh” sound. Close your mouth, inhale through your nose, and count to four. Now hold your breath and count to seven.
Open your mouth again, this time exhaling to the count of eight.
Repeating these steps can help you learn how to fall asleep.
3. Relax
Feeling stressed out right before bed? Relaxing your mind and body could help release that tense and improve your sleep.
Try yoga, meditation, or mindfulness to lower your stress levels.
Meditation can improve your body’s natural melatonin production. Meanwhile, mindfulness and yoga can help you mentally break away from the present.
Once you clear your mind, you can learn how to fall asleep fast (without the day’s events weighing you down).
4. Stick to a Schedule
Give your mind and body some consistency. According to the Sleep Foundation, we need seven to nine hours of sleep a night.
Try to go to bed at the same time every night.
Your body operates based on its circadian rhythm. Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day can help maintain that rhythm.
5. Watch What You Eat
High carb meals can make it difficult for you to fall asleep. Try to eat four hours before bed to give your body time to digest.
6. Supplement Sleep
Supplements can help you fall asleep faster, including:
- Magnesium
- Theanine
- Melatonin
- 4 HTP
- GABA
You can also use sleep patches to get your daily dose of these supplements, which you can learn more about here: https://www.patchmd.com/sleep-patches.html.
7. Try Aromatherapy
Essential oils can also help you fall asleep faster.
Try a little lavender or damask rose. Both will help your body relax right before bed.
7 Tips to Help You Fall Asleep (a Lot Sooner)
With these seven tips, you can fall asleep and catch those essential z’s. Your body needs sleep to function properly. Without it, you’re putting your mind and body at risk.
Click over to the Health section of our blog for more healthy living tips.