A restful sleep is vital for your body to recover after a long, arduous day. It is crucial to ensure you get adequate sleep each night to rejuvenate. However, many individuals struggle with falling asleep, and neglecting to address this issue can lead to future complications. If you find yourself facing similar challenges, here are some effective techniques you can experiment with.
Avoid Blue Light Screens
Using technologies, especially your cell phone, at night can only trick your brain into thinking it’s morning because of its bright screen. Aside from that, gadgetss like laptops and cell phones emit blue light, which disrupts melatonin production in your sleep. Melatonin is an essential hormone in your body that regulates your sleep, and a lack of this will make it hard for you to sleep.
Though there are already melatonin supplements you can get your hands on to help you with your sleep, letting your body produce it naturally is ideal. Still, if it can’t be helped, you can check out a Safe Melatonin Dosage Guide to see the more appropriate dosage.
Nonetheless, try not to use your gadgets a few minutes before you sleep or place them in the next room so you can’t use them during bedtime.
Exercise During The Day
You might be surprised that you still need to exercise to sleep in the evening. However, staying active during the daytime can indeed help improve your sleep quality compared to people who sit or lie down for eight hours or more daily.
In connection to this, the National Sleep Foundation’s Sleep shows that according to an American poll, the people who sat less during the day reported good or excellent health and sleep. A 20-30 minutes of exercise daily is enough. Just ensure that you stop exercising at least three hours before bedtime.
Get Out Of Bed If You Can’t Sleep
If you’re already tossing and turning for a long time in your bed, maybe it’s time to stand up and do something else. If you find yourself doing this for 20 minutes already, you can be more productive by doing the laundry or reading a book to make yourself sleepy. Just avoid looking at any blue-light screens.
Remember that tossing and turning is normal as you wait to drift off. However, sleeping right away or staying in bed for long periods isn’t necessarily good. Regularly sleeping away the moment (or two) they lay in bed can indicate an underlying sleep disorder.
On the other hand, staying in bed for a long time while struggling to sleep can cause future conditioned insomnia. If you think sleepiness will not visit you so soon despite being in bed for a long time, stand up and do something else.
Try Various Sleeping Techniques
If you feel so sleepy already but for some reason, you can’t fall asleep, your mind might be feeling on edge about something. With this inescapable feeling of being awake due to anxiety or some unknown reason, you can try a few sleeping techniques to calm your mind.
Controlled Breathing
Slow, controlled, and deep breathing can help your body into a state of relaxation. You can place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Breathe in slowly as you direct your breath into your belly.
The hand on your stomach should gradually rise as you breathe deeply, while the hand on your chest should have little to no movement. Then, exhale slowly as the hand on your stomach gradually falls. Repeat this exercise several times until you feel ready to sleep.
The Military Method
The name might sound too intense, but it’s not very hard. It’s very effective, especially if you need to sleep anywhere and anytime. This technique is designed for service members to sleep in tense or difficult situations.
You can first relax your face, from your forehead to your jaw. Release the tension in your shoulders and arms, and let them rest at your sides. Take a slow, deep breath, then exhale gradually. Next, relax your legs, from your hips to your thighs, and work until the tip of your toes. Keep your eyes closed as you imagine a peaceful scene. Try not to get distracted; if you somehow get distracted, repeat a simple phrase in your mind, such as “Be still.”
4-7-8 Breathing
4-7-8 breathing is Dr. Andrew Weil’s technique to help calm the nervous system and promote relaxation. This one is a bit more technical than the other two as it involves a pattern ratio of inhaling, holding your breath, and exhaling.
First, close your eyes and place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just behind your teeth. Note that you should keep your tongue in this position throughout the exercise. Then, close your mouth and inhale through your nose as you count to four in your head. Hold your breath and count to seven.
After that, open your mouth and exhale as you count to eight. Let the breath make a sound as it leaves your body. Repeat the steps more times, ensuring you follow the breathing pattern with a 4-7-8 ratio.
Don’t Stress Too Much About Falling Asleep
Most importantly, stop worrying too much about not falling asleep. Your worry can turn to anxiety and might only cause you sleep troubles. Instead, try to focus your mind on something else to calm down. You can try the sleeping techniques mentioned before and stop getting upset about being awake.
In other words, coming to terms with your sleep troubles may be beneficial until you can sleep. Looking at the brighter side of being awake at night should help you relax. Enjoy the night’s silence and relax in the dark with your thoughts.
Final Thoughts
If you struggle with falling asleep at night, employing effective strategies can help alleviate the issue. Take note of the aforementioned tips to prevent future occurrences. Instead of dwelling on your current problem, focus on recalling the information you’ve just read and find relaxation. Overthinking will only exacerbate your sleeping troubles.