7 Ways to Get to Sleep Fast
I participated in an Ambassador program on behalf of Influence Central for Pernix Therapeutics. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
Sleep is so important to your well being but when life gets stressful it can be so hard to shut down at night. I shared some tips for getting a full night’s sleep earlier but what about if you have trouble getting to sleep? I have a huge problem falling asleep because I just can’t get myself to wind down. Most nights  I end up mentally running through all those unfinished tasks on my to-do list. That’s a GREAT way to fall asleep.
Fortunately there are some tricks you can use to fall asleep faster at night (and hopefully get a better night’s sleep). Some of these require a bit of dedication because it’s hard to break those late night habits that are impacting our sleep but think about the difference these changes will make in your quality of life.
Tips for Falling Asleep Faster:
Get moving. Exercise can have a dramatic impact on the quality of your sleep, but pay attention to WHEN you exercise. Working out earlier in the day can strengthen your circadian rhythm and make it easier for you to fall asleep at night.
Wind down. You have a bedtime routine for your kids, why not have a bedtime routine for yourself? Think of the things that relax you. Maybe it’s reading, taking a warm bath, or meditating. Make sure that your wind down activities are actually calming for you. I’m in the habit of watching action TV shows before bed . . . not exactly relaxing. I need to cut that out and opt for a more relaxing activity.
Unplug. Lights from cell phones, tablets and TV actually wake up your brain, which prevents you from falling (and staying) asleep at night. Unplug from all electronics at least an hour before bed and you’ll probably notice a big change in your sleep habits.
Turn off the lights. Light and darkness are natural reminders that tell our body when it’s time to sleep. Keeping lights on at night can be confusing to our brain. My twins sleep in my bedroom and for a long time I used to leave the bathroom light on so I could see them when they woke up at night. I quickly realized how much that was messing up my sleep patterns though. Avoid turning the light on if you wake at night and keep nightlight to a min.
Count backwards from 100. If you are in bed and having trouble falling asleep it’s often because you can’t shut your brain down. Try counting backwards from 100 slowly in your head. While you are doing that, there isn’t room for other thoughts. It’s much easier to fall asleep when you can stop the monologue in your head.
Relax from head to toe. One of my favorite relaxation techniques is to start at my toes and tense and then relax one body part at a time. So I’ll flex my toes then consciously relax them. Then I’ll move onto my ankle, flex and relax. I do this all the way up until I’ve gotten to my head. By squeezing your muscles first it makes it easier to isolate the muscles and then relax them.
Breath in for ten and out for ten. Controlling your breathing can make a big difference in your hearth rate and anxiety levels. Breath in slowly for ten seconds then breath out slowly for ten seconds. After doing that for a few minutes you should feel much calmer. As a variation on this, Try pushing one side of your nose closed while you breath in for ten seconds on one side then switching sides and breathing out for ten seconds through the other nostril.
I’m going to be practicing a few of these over the next several weeks. After spending more than a year dealing with bad sleep habits I’m ready for something to change. I’m going to be working on my own bedtime routine and making sure that I’m unplugged for at least an hour before bed.
Do you have any tricks for falling asleep faster?
To learn more about how to achieve a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep visit Wanttosleepmore.com
You may also like:
