There are numerous methods for assisting your eyes to become heavy with sleep. We’d like to go over some of these with you in greater depth.
1. Get rid of any light.
For a sound sleep, the first requirement is a perfect ambiance in the room. Having all lights out will set you up for a successful night of rest.
Even the slightest light coming from an iPad or the blinking light from a laptop can divert your attention and delay your getting to sleep. Scientifically, this is because that little glow travels from your eyes to your hypothalamus—the part of your brain that controls sleep. So the darker the room, the quicker you will fall asleep.
2. Try meditation.
Meditation can be credited with solving many problems. This includes sleep issues too. According to a 2009 Stanford study, people who undertook a meditation program in order to go to sleep faster were able to fall asleep twice as fast as those who didn’t meditate.
3. Maintain a consistent sleeping routine.
This fact is known to everyone who tells you to go to sleep at the same time every night. With our busy schedules, we tend to not adhere to a sleep routine, especially on weekends, and this is so wrong.
Sleeping on time and waking up on time keep your biological clock under check. Not only that but this sleep schedule also helps you become an early riser, and we would need a whole other article to discuss the advantages of waking up early.
4. Don’t nap during the day.
For a sound and faster sleep at night, you should avoid taking long day naps. According to the experts, you need a set number of hours of sleep for your age. If your body is in relaxed mode, but not very tired, it might not get to sleep faster. So, it’s advised to not take naps that last more than 20-25 minutes.
5. Aromatherapy with lavender oil
Lavender has a lovely fragrance, and a therapeutic advantage too – it’s used as an activator for sleep. Studies have shown that smelling lavender 2-3 times in a span of ten minutes can help a person sleep faster and deeper.
A lavender oil diffuser can be placed in the room before bedtime, having this should allow you to wake up more refreshed the next morning.
6. Go to your happy place with your imagination.
Forget the sheep. Counting them will only make your brain anxious and not guarantee sleep. Instead, scientists now agree that if you want to fall asleep quicker you should imagine your favorite places and recall things that relax your mind. This way you would pause any worrying thoughts that have been troubling you.
Imagine a waterfall or a beach with beautiful water and watch yourself fall asleep in no time.
7. Listen to soothing music.
Music is absolute magic. If it has been proven to work on plants and animals, we humans should try to get the most out of it too. Any soothing music that has a slow rhythm of 60-80 beats per minute is said to be effective at putting you to sleep.
Not only will this help you enjoy deep sleep, but it has also been proven to reduce depression levels.
8. Make sure that the room temperature is just right.
The ideal room temperature while you sleep should not be too hot or too cool. According to experts, any temperature between 65°F and 75°F is good for sound sleep. So, it’s important to set the room temperature accordingly and use the right blankets too.
9. Use the 4-7-8 breathing method.
The very famous 4-7-8 method as explained by Dr. Andrew Weil is said to have done wonders for those who have sleep issues. It’s a kind of breathing technique that has put some of its subjects to sleep in under 1 minute. Here’s how to do it:
- First, place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth, on the ridge of tissues. It should stay there during the entire process.
- While making a whoosh sound, exhale from your mouth.
- Count to 4 as you inhale through your nose, keeping your mouth closed.
- Now, hold your breath and count to 7.
- Then, count to 8 as you exhale through your mouth making the whooshing sound.
- Repeat this cycle for a total of 4 breaths.
10. Put your thoughts down on paper.
Having a journal can be interesting. If you’re unable to sleep, pick up a pen and notebook and start to write down your thoughts. It could be in the form of poetry, a story, or even art. Basically, it can be anything that is running through your mind. This way your thoughts won’t keep accumulating and you can easily get rid of them. When your mind is clear it will be easier to go to sleep.
As an added bonus, you might discover the creativity inside you during this process.