Everybody has experienced the frustration of being unable to fall asleep and lying awake in the middle of the night, watching the clock as it gets closer to our wake-up time. You’re not alone—an estimated 50% of individuals report not getting enough sleep at night. While there are a lot of elements that affect how quickly you fall asleep, the body typically suffers before bed due to excessive levels of stress and an uncomfortable sleeping environment.
Fear not, though, as Emoneeds experts have everything you need to improve your bedtime routine and provide short-term solutions to help you fall asleep quickly, including the finest sleep meditation, pillows, and natural remedies for insomnia.
Expert Suggest Tips To Fall Asleep Fast
Take a hot shower
Enhancing your nighttime routine can be achieved by taking a hot shower one to two hours before going to bed. Getting into bed a little earlier may seem like a better option than developing a healthy bedtime routine, especially if you’re trying to learn how to fall asleep quickly. However, taking a shower, with all the added aromatherapy benefits of steam and shower gel, is a great way to relax your body and prepare your mind for sleep.
For optimal effects, maintain a temperature of around 104 degrees Fahrenheit for ten to fifteen minutes. By increasing your skin temperature, you will inadvertently accelerate the pace at which your core temperature decreases, allowing you to fall asleep more quickly and have better-quality sleep.
Shut down all electronic devices
First things first, turn off the TV and put away your phone or tablet, regardless of whether you’re seeking a quick technique to sleep or just want to sleep better overall. Sleep quality may suffer if you use your phone, watch TV, or play online games just before bed. Electronic gadgets emit blue light, which can inhibit melatonin, the hormone that induces sleep, making it more difficult for a person to fall asleep and remain asleep. Additionally, these gadgets maintain an engaged and active mind.
The quality of sleep is impacted when a cell phone is placed next to a pillow when one is sleeping. As a result, it is best to avoid using electronics right before bed. It offers a peaceful, distraction-free space.
Establish a Regular Sleep Schedule
Having a set time to begin winding down to rest and relax after a period of intense work is an important part of a healthy sleep habit. It’s typical to go to bed at various times every night. Nonetheless, these erratic sleeping habits may disrupt the circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle.
The body’s internal clock, or circadian rhythms, function in the background and follow 24-hour cycles. It performs vital tasks and operations like behavioral, physiological, and mental alterations. Its main job is to decide when the body is prepared for sleep. Thus, the body can initiate sleep more quickly when bedtime and wake-up times are consistent throughout the day.
Establish the Optimal Sleep Environment
It is simpler to fall asleep in a chilly, dark, and quiet environment. Try a variety of settings to see what suits you the best for creating the ideal sleep environment. People can use decent drapes or blinds to keep the room dark, put their phones on quiet, and wear earplugs to block out noise to create a noise-free environment. Make sure the space is distraction-free, well-ventilated, and the ideal temperature. Some people discover that relaxing sounds, such as rainfall or white noise, improve their ability to fall asleep.
Pay Attention to What and When You Eat
Eating poorly might make it difficult to get adequate sleep. Try not to eat large meals shortly before bed.
Your quality of sleep may also be impacted by the makeup of your meals. A high-carb meal may hasten your rate of sleep, but it may not produce a good night’s sleep. Whatever a person eats, it might take at least two to three hours for them to digest it. Lying down at this period might make some people uncomfortable or queasy, slowing their digestion. Give your body enough time to digest meals before bed.
Aim for balanced meals with a combination of protein, carbs, and healthy fats to promote a deeper, more restful sleep. These meals encourage a more steady blood sugar level throughout the night and offer prolonged energy. Conversely, well-balanced meals promote deeper, more restful sleep.
Read a book
You might not know how to spend your time if there are no screens. We advise picking up a nice book. You may lower your stress levels and relax your thoughts by reading a book. Pick a book that won’t make you think too much or stimulate you too much. In other words, instead of nail-biting thriller novels, choose milder (but as delightful) reads.
Ensure your bed is comfortable
Even if this advice isn’t “instant,” there are instances when the genuine answer to your sleep problems is beneath your nose. Your pillow or mattress might not be the appropriate fit if you wake up hurting or toss and turn every night. If you notice any bumps in either of those, you want to think about purchasing a new pillow and mattress.
It may seem easy, but changing your sleeping posture may help you fall asleep, especially if you struggle to stay asleep and find yourself tossing and turning in bed. When you’re thrilled to get into bed instead of dreading a horrible night’s sleep, your worry over it goes away.
Consider using guided imagery
To assist your body and mind get ready for sleep, try picturing or remembering a quiet place or calming experience from your past. Carefully picture your body releasing tension as you immerse yourself in every sensory aspect of the scenario you’ve envisioned. Inhale deeply and slowly, and concentrate on the details—the sights, sounds, and smells—to fully immerse yourself in the peaceful environment.
Using a pre-recorded soundtrack to guide your thoughts might be beneficial. Fortunately, soundtracks for guided imagery are easily found online.
Steer clear of caffeine
In the afternoon and evening, stay away from caffeine and use herbal sleep teas. The sleep-inducing receptors are bound to and blocked by caffeine. Alternatively, a soothing, warm cup of tea will ease you into sleep and has sedative properties as well.
Instead, give some of the greatest sleep aids—hibiscus, lavender, and valerian tea—a try. All of them have a reputation for helping people fall asleep, but chamomile is the one most frequently linked to sleep. Dried blooms of the plant are used to make the herbal, caffeine-free beverage known as chamomile tea. Additionally, it has apigenin, a flavonoid that has a soothing, somewhat sedative effect and can aid in lowering anxiety.
Exercise Regularly
Getting in a brisk run, hitting the gym, or finishing the renowned 12-3-30 workout throughout the day may have a significant impact on how promptly you fall asleep at night. Overall, exercise is great for sleep. Based on all available studies, individuals who participate in fitness programs experience improved sleep efficiency, meaning they spend less time awake in bed. In addition, they sleep for a little while longer after engaging in various forms of activity, such as strength and endurance training.
Exercise early in the day and avoid doing any vigorous exercise at least three hours before bed for the best chance of getting a decent night’s sleep.
Engaging in meditation
You could fall asleep more quickly if you use meditation techniques for restful sleep. In particular, mindfulness meditation has had encouraging effects in enhancing sleep. The key ideas of mindfulness meditation are to relax by focusing on the present moment and letting go of judgment. When mindfulness exercises are done before bed, they can help lower anxiety and facilitate the process of letting go of bad feelings to fall asleep.
When you first start using meditation techniques, you might notice that it takes longer to get calm. You might start to relax and go to sleep more rapidly as you become used to the procedure. If you have experienced trauma in the past or if you find that meditation triggers unpleasant or challenging thoughts, see your doctor before beginning meditation.
Even though expert guidance and proper sleep hygiene can frequently accelerate your ability to fall asleep, they might not always be enough. In these situations, seeking professional treatment and counseling might help resolve ongoing sleep problems.
Mood problems such as anxiety and depression can have a negative cycle with insomnia. Mental health concerns can disrupt your sleep, aggravating your present symptoms and adding to your stress. Chronic insomnia can have negative impacts on your self-esteem as well.
During therapy, your therapist collaborates with you to address the impact of stress, insomnia, and any deeper psychological concerns. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychotherapy or counseling are two effective treatment modalities for insomnia. Finding ways to control your stress might also help you get more sleep.
To discover more about how counseling or therapy sessions may help you overcome sleepless nights and exhausting days, contact the compassionate experts at Emoneeds today. Make an online reservation or give us a call to schedule an appointment.
