Have you ever woken up for an early morning after a night of scanty sleep? People around you seem louder than usual and everything else irritates you more and more. And sooner than you realise, this one day becomes a week and then a month and finally a trashy routine. So much so that even on nights when your arms and legs are too tired to move an inch, sleep seems like a distant lover.
I’m sure if you’ve read till here, you’ve tried out a lot of ways to fall asleep and are still looking for more.
So without further ado, we have quality advice that’ll help you fall asleep in less than an hour.
Let’s get started
First things first, let’s revise the basic sleep saboteurs and learn to keep away from them
- Alcohol: Although it’s known to put you in a trance, it disrupts your long-term sleep cycle and of course raises various issues in your body. Try to keep a check on the quantity of alcohol you consume in a month. And on a more important note, do not rely on alcohol or any substance to fall asleep or reduce stress and anxiety.
- Caffeine: We all know caffeine is an energy booster and causes the release of adrenaline. Anyone who suffers from insomnia or is affected by disturbed sleep should be at a healthy distance from any caffeine intake.
- Screentime: Screens before bed is highly dangerous, in terms of insomnia. The intense blue light from a screen stimulates your brain, making it difficult to fall asleep whether you're on your phone, watching TV, or working on your laptop. To assist your mind transition to sleep state, turn off your electronics at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Heavy meals: Heavy meals before bed disturb your sleep. If you experience a late-night hunger, grab a sleep-inducing nibble such as whole grain bread with almond butter or oatmeal.
Now that we’re done with that part of the story, let’s get to the resolutions
- Invest 30 minutes in mild yoga and meditation before you get to bed. Make sure you’re in your comfort wear which allows you to feel and breathe freely. Gentle yoga relaxes your blood flow inducing sleep. It lowers your heart rate and deals with your stress. Make this a routine to get faster results.
- No matter how contradictory it sounds, a warm shower 30 mins before bed is known to work wonders on the body. Take a warm bath, change into your Jisora’s loungewear and get ready for bed. The warm water will help cool down your body temperature.
- Go to bed at the same time every night. Even if you can’t fall asleep and you toss to and fro - keep going to bed at the same time. At least, make an effort to. When you maintain a consistent sleep pattern, your body dynamically adapts and starts to feel sleepy at a specific time every day. This reduces the amount of time you end up waiting to fall asleep and nearly eliminates late-night sleeplessness.
- Herbal teas have wonderful properties which are known to have the potential to induce sleep. Slip into a comfortable sleepwear, make yourself a cup of chamomile or lavender and go to bed at the same time. Practice these few steps for a month to get visible results.
- Take generous time to wind up. As much as we deem sleep to be a switch on/off pattern, it is not. Our body takes time to “wind up” and relax which finally results in REM sleep. Take at least an hour before bed to wind up every night. Brush your teeth, turn off all artificial light screens and slip into loungewear before getting into bed. Practice some yoga if you still have time left in your winding up schedule.
- Get enough sunlight. The more sunlight you get in the daytime, the more serotonin is produced in your body. After dark, this hormone is later transformed into melatonin which helps generate sleep.
Patterns matter, and creating sleep habits is a terrific way to feel more energetic, alert, and productive. It may take a week or more for your conscience to adjust to your new sleep schedule, but the benefits – from mental clarity to physical vigour – are well worth the wait.
