Best Methods for Falling Asleep Faster and Easier
You simply cannot put a price tag on a good night’s sleep. Getting enough sleep is vital in order for your mind and body to function properly. Without it, you begin to lose control of things such as your memories, moods, and even emotions. Not to mention the lack of physical strength and diminished muscle recovery you will have.
The first step to getting a good night’s sleep is to actually fall asleep. Below, you will find a list with 10 of the best methods on how to fall asleep faster and get a better and more restful quality of sleep.
How to Fall Asleep Faster
- Monitor How Late You Eat
- Avoid Napping During the Day
- Get on a Good Schedule
- Increase Your Physical Activity
- Get Comfortable
- Stay Off Your Phone
- Relax With Some Music
- Don’t Let the Clock Stress You Out
- Try a Breathing Method
- Decrease the Temperature of Your Room
These are ten tried and true methods to help you learn how to fall asleep fast. In the rest of this post, we are going to break down each of these methods in more detail.
Monitor How Late You Eat
We get it. A late-night scurry to the fridge has become somewhat of a ritual for many people across the world, but it does come with its consequences.
Aside from weight gain, eating late at night soon before falling asleep can you keep up at times, especially if you are consuming a high amount of sugar.
Although some studies have linked high-carb diets with an improved ability to fall asleep, the quality of sleep you do get is typically not ideal. If you do plan on having a big meal before bed, just be sure that you give yourself at least 5 hours to digest it.
Avoid Napping During the Day
Everybody loves to sneak a nap in. And for people who struggle with insomnia, taking a nap during the day can become habitual.
Even though naps under 20 minutes have been proven to help with alertness, it still has an effect on your nighttime sleeping. A research study also found that regularly taking long naps (2+ hrs.) may lead to poor quality of sleep and, at times, sleep deprivation.
A good way to find out if daily naps are affecting your sleep is to either eliminate them altogether or limit them to 30 minutes or less and see if you are able to sleep better at night.
Get on a Good Schedule
First and foremost, it is important to get yourself on a consistent sleeping schedule. Your circadian rhythm helps your body to feel alert during the day and sleepy at night. Because of this, going to sleep around the same time each night will help you adjust your internal clock.
Once your body is adjusted to this schedule, it will be much easier to fall asleep when you should. It is important to get anywhere from 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night, so make sure your sleeping schedule accommodates to this.
It is also important to note that you should begin winding down and relaxing roughly 30 minutes before going to bed. Some people try meditation to help their minds, while others swear by remedies and sleep-enhancing supplements such as essential oils or CBD-infused facemasks.
Increase Your Physical Activity
Getting enough physical activity is very beneficial for your sleeping cycle, and the good news is that you don’t necessarily have to endure high-impact activities to achieve this.
Getting enough exercise can not only improve your quality of sleep but can also increase how much sleep you get as well. This is because getting exercise boosts the production of serotonin in your brain while decreasing your levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. Along with that, you use more energy to burn extra calories when you exercise, which helps to exhaust your body and make you feel more fatigued.
It was also found that the time of day in which you exercise is a key factor for better sleep. According to the study, exercising early in the morning is more beneficial as opposed to working out in the afternoon.
Therefore, moderate exercises such as power walking or lifting weights in the morning can help you to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.
Get Comfortable
Never underestimate the power of a good pillow and mattress. The two combined can play a much bigger role in your ability to fall asleep than you think.
Old mattresses tend to have a bow in the middle, putting more strain on your lower back which can result in aches and pains the next morning. If the mattress is used for a long period of time, this could result in chronic pain and an increased risk of injury.
Having a good mattress and pillow is so crucial because it affects your body curve, temperature, and overall comfort. The use of a weighted blanket has also been reported to reduce body stress, which will help improve your quality of sleep.
For help finding the right mattress or pillow for you, click here.
Stay Off Your Phone
This goes for any electronic, really. Electronics emit a particular kind of light, called Blue Light, that reduces your melatonin secretion. It is this melatonin that you naturally produce that helps you fall asleep.
When you stay awake playing a game, scrolling through memes, or watching TV, it can make it difficult to fall asleep. It is important to set down your electronics before going to bed in a quiet place free of distractions.
Relax With Some Music
Numerous studies have proven the positive effects that music has on your sleep.
One particular study showed that 25 participants reported having a deeper and more restful sleep after listening to 45 minutes of calming music before bed as opposed to those who did not.
Certain genres of music have proven more successful than others, but it is different for every individual. Try listening to music that you consider to be relaxing as you get into bed and unwind.
Alternatively, if you are not able to listen to music before going to bed, try canceling out noise and having complete silence. This can help you to fall asleep faster and be undisturbed throughout it.
Don’t Let the Clock Stress You Out
When your bedtime is approaching, or even when you wake up in the middle of the night, it is common to look at the time and calculate how many hours of sleep you can still get. People who did this tend to obsess over it, which results in anxiety about falling back asleep.
This tendency, known as “clock-watching,” is very common among people who suffer from insomnia. Clock-watching can also complicate things further as the inability to fall back asleep after waking up can become your body’s routine, which will harm your sleep cycle even more.
If you struggle from this, try removing the clock from your room or turning it away from you while you sleep. This can help prevent you from looking at it when you wake up.
Overall, try not to worry about the time, and just focus on relaxing and getting yourself ready to go to sleep.
Try a Breathing Method
Certain breathing patterns are known to help relax the nervous system. This is often why you hear the phrase “just take a deep breath” whenever somebody is nervous or anxious about something.
Well, it turns out that this can help you with falling asleep as well. Whenever you lay down in bed, just close your eyes, feel the support of the mattress underneath you, and take slow, deep breaths with long exhales.
There are several different breathing techniques that can help you fall asleep, including abdominal breathing, counting while breathing, and the “4-7-8” method. Be sure to give one a try.
Decrease the Temperature of Your Room
If you are anything like me, hot nights can make your bed feel like a sauna. So if the air temperature in your room is too high, you will have a difficult time falling asleep and staying asleep.
When you are asleep, your core temperature decreases while the temperature of your hands and feet increases, resulting in excessive sweating when the room is too warm. Ideal room temperature is different for everyone, but a good rule of thumb would be to be between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Taking a warm bath or shower before bed can also help you fall asleep because your body temperature will lower when you leave the water, sending a signal to your brain that it is time to go to sleep.
Wrapping Up
We hope that you enjoyed these tips on how to fall asleep faster and that it helps you find a better night’s sleep. If you would like to check out more of our content or product reviews, be sure to read all of what we have to offer here at SleepReports!
