Many of us encounter troubles when attempting to fall asleep on a nightly basis. Without a great nights sleep we could face various obstacles throughout the following day. There could be a number of different reasons why we are unable to fall asleep at night.
Though it may be difficult to pin point exactly what is keeping you awake, here are a few possible reasons.
- Messy bedroom
- Naps throughout the day
- Skipping breakfast
- Dreading the wakeup
These are just a few of the possible reasons that you are lacking in the sleep department. With this being said, there are still various ways to fall asleep quicker at night even if you don’t fall under these categories. Five different ways to fall asleep quicker at night include:
1. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Upon visiting a doctor modern day due to your insomnia, he/she will likely recommend you try Progressive Muscle Relaxation, which is a muscle therapy that originated in the 1920s. This relaxation technique involves tightening and tense all the muscle groups that you can, and then relax them. By doing so repeatedly, we are able to promote physical relaxation, which will also provide beneficial results in our day to day activities. Progressive Muscle Relaxation provides you with:
- Less tension within your muscles
- Lower blood pressure
- Decrease levels of anxiety
- Overall lower levels of fatigue
Through doing this exercise nightly, you are physically relaxing yourself, as well as calming your mind.
2. Mindless Activity
“Good Sleepers just go to bed. They don’t get worked up about it, and sleep happens” – Jack Edinger
The most common cause of insomnia is the idea of stress. Whether it is due to a hectic day or a stressful home environment, we need to keep our minds off these topics. Mindless Activities such as; counting sheep, chronologically retracing your day, or reenacting a dream you had the other night.
Doing a repetitive task can be tiring and sounds boring right? That’s the point! By going through these mindless tasks we are keeping our minds off the stress and boring ourselves to the point of exhaustion.Trycounting sheep jumping through a burning hula-hoop, or reenacting your favorite scene from Macbeth.
3. Don’t use your Mobile as an Alarm
We’ve all done it, most of it still doing it on a nightly basis. The truth is, using our mobile phones as an alarm clock is in fact depriving us from sleep. Most of us are keen to have our devices on us at all times, whether we are exchanging texts or sending and receiving emails. By keeping our mobile devices within reach at night, we are keeping our minds and muscles engaged. Due to the engagement right before bed, you will find yourself taking longer to fall asleep. Sleep is all about relaxation and while we all would like to remain involved, those messages throughout the night are subconsciously waking us up in an action known as “arousal”. This is the process of the mind awakening without the body and in most cases we are completely unaware of it the next day.
4. Practice Deeper / Relaxing Breathing
Hand in hand with Progressive Muscle Relaxation is Deep Breathing Relaxation. This is a relaxation technique that everyone is capable of, and can prove to be beneficial if used properly. By following the steps provided below, you will not only relax your body, but find it falling into synchrony.
Deep Breathing Relaxation can be accomplished by following these steps:
- Lie in a comfortable position
- Slow relax different in body parts in sequence
- Begin inhaling through your nose
- Hold your breath for 1 – 2 seconds
- Relax and let the air out
- Repeat steps 4 and 5
- Continue as long as necessary
If you find yourself getting dizzy or nauseous, slow down or discontinue routine.
5. Listen to Soothing Sounds
Our bodies are more apt for sounds when we are conscious trying to fall asleep, rather then when we are dozed off. If your sleeping problem is due to excessive background noise, you may find peace by listening to soothing background music. There are various different sounds that you may ease in, including:
- Embrace Nature: Thunderstorms, Forests, or Ocean Waves, any sound related to nature are less likely to annoy us because they fluctuate in amplitude.
- Play Recreational Music: When all we can think about is the stresses that surround us, sometimes the best cure to fall asleep is our favorite tune.
- Get Personal: Listening to someone provide specific instructions or a speech may provide us with boredom enough to fall asleep.
Once you find the routine that best helps you fall asleep, you should follow it consistently. Once our bodies are trained to follow our sleep habits, we will find ourselves falling asleep quicker. By obtaining better sleep habits, we will find our overall wellness improving.
