How to fall asleep? Healthy sleep is the key to a successful tomorrow. By getting enough sleep, a person increases their overall level of well-being and awareness, solves existing tasks better, drives a car safely, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc.
Conversely, a lack of quality sleep leads to fatigue, irritability, decreased performance, happiness levels, overweight, possible asthma, stroke, or depression.
Possible causes of sleep problems
- Stress or increased levels of anxiety.
- The wrong way of life.
- Excessive consumption of energy drinks, as well as drinks containing caffeine.
- Excessive alc##ol consumption.
- Insufficient physical activity.
- External factors that create unfavorable sleeping conditions (an uncomfortable bed, unsuitable temperature regime, etc.).
- Existing diseases, etc.
Recommendations on how to fall asleep quickly or speed up the process of going to bed
1. Don’t consciously try to fall asleep
This approach may seem counterintuitive, but instead of making any effort, you should just relax, knowing that sleep will come of itself.
Stop worrying and enjoy the current moment, feeling comfortable, calm and serene.
As a result, by no longer looking at sleep as a goal, the process of falling asleep will become free from external pressure, and you will be able to fall asleep faster.
2. Take a warm bath or shower
To shorten your bedtime, take a warm bath or shower, preferably one to two hours before you reach the embrace of your bed.
A warm shower will not only relax your muscles and relieve the present pain, but also increase your body temperature.
As soon as you leave the bathroom, your body will start a temperature-lowering mechanism, which is similar to the process that accompanies falling asleep naturally (this is why we always feel the need for a blanket when we sleep, no matter how warm the bedroom is).
3. Use the hour before bedtime to meditate and relax
Meditation will help you relax and calm your mind, which is disturbed by the flow of thoughts present, thereby helping to get rid of the anxiety caused by the past day.
4. Make sure your body is comfortable
If your body, arms, and legs assume an uncomfortable position for you, or they are cold, it is highly recommended to fix this problem.
5. Follow your sleep pattern
You will fall asleep much faster if you stick to the rule of falling asleep and waking up at the same time.
6. Let yourself exercise
It is no secret that systematic physical exercise is a prerequisite for a happy and healthy life. But they also promote better sleep, energize and motivate you.
However, if you and the gym are not compatible at the current stage of your life, even a simple walk will have a beneficial effect on how easily you can get into Dreamland.
It should be added that before going to bed, you should not organize sports events, paying attention to your physical shape at other more appropriate times.
7. Happens more often in the sun during the day
Natural sunlight lets your body know that it’s time to stay awake.
If you stay indoors all day, without being able to take a sunbath, you thereby violate the circadian rhythms of your body (internal rhythms of the body associated with the change of day and night).
It is very important to get at least some exposure to sunlight every day. If your work is a hindrance, try eating out or taking a walk on the street during your lunch break.
8. Avoid caffeine
Coffee, tea, or an energy drink can interfere with your sleep, increasing the production of adrenaline and blocking chemicals that activate the process of falling asleep.
Therefore, 6 hours before bedtime, try not to consume drinks containing caffeine or other invigorating ingredients.
9. Lower the room temperature
In a cool room, it is easier to fall asleep, so if you have this opportunity, lower the temperature of the air in your bedroom.
10. Write down your restless thoughts on paper
Often, the problem with going to bed is associated with the inability to reduce the impact of accumulated disturbing emotions during the day, which arise for various reasons.
To clear your mind of Intrusive, destructive thoughts, transform them into tasks that need to be solved by putting them on paper.
Make a list of things you need to do tomorrow so that you can relax and fall into a carefree sleep tonight.
11. Use a relaxing method
- Relax every muscle in your face.
- Release tension by relaxing your shoulders and arms.
- Exhale and relax your chest.
- Relax your legs, thighs, and feet.
- Free your mind from unpleasant thoughts, imagine a place with which you have pleasant associations, smoothly and calmly sink into the world of dreams.
12. Practice deep breathing
Intending to take a deep breath is a way to push your body to understand that you can relax and not worry about anything.
13. Sleep on a comfortable pillow
Choose a pillow of medium softness, so that it is, first, comfortable, and secondly, well supports the head and neck.
In addition, you can pay your attention to Hypo-allergenic pillows if, for example, your body shows an allergic reaction to a common filler.
In addition to a pillow, take care of a comfortable mattress, a blanket and quality bed linen.
14. Extensions
Gently stretching your body with your arms stretched out over your head or bending down will help relieve tension and relax your muscles after a long and difficult day.
15. Use the bed only for sleeping
In this case, your body will associate the bed exclusively with a tool for rest at night, and not for work or eating.
16. Ritual before going to bed
This ritual can include stretching, breathing exercises, meditation, or reading a book before going to bed.
Keep in mind that reading a book on your phone or tablet can have a negative effect due to the negative impact of light projected by the display of your device, so it is advisable to monitor this moment, or don’t use electronic devices for 30 minutes before bedtime.
Thanks to a kind of tradition that you have introduced, you seem to be saying to your body “ ” Well, get ready for bed soon.”
17. Pay attention to your dinner
Try not to eat for 2 hours before bedtime, but it will be better if the basis of your dinner is a full and light meal at the same time.
Keep a balance – don’t eat too much or too little.
If you feel hungry on the eve of sleep, you can eat a snack, for example, a banana or yogurt.
18. Make love
Sexual activity has a positive effect on the ability to sleep, both for men and women because positive love experiences are an ideal way to get rid of stress and anxiety.
All this is easily explained by the hormones produced by the body during love games:
- Oxytocin is a hormone that gives you a sense of calm and well-being.
- Endorphins are hormones of joy and pleasure.
- Serotonin has long been considered a sleep hormone. And although this is not quite true, it still has a direct relationship to the process of falling asleep.
19. Avoid NAPs during the day
Daytime sleep can prevent you from falling asleep at night. If you need to take a NAP no matter what, limit your sleep duration to 20 minutes.
20. Don’t check what time it is
The feeling that you have little time left to sleep can trigger insomnia. Therefore, after you set your alarm, refrain from checking the time.
21. Don’t consume chocolate before going to bed
Keep in mind that chocolate is a source of caffeine.
Bitter chocolate, which is considered more healthy, contains more caffeine than its dairy counterpart.
By the way, coffee and chocolate ice cream also contain caffeine and can have a negative impact on sleep.
22. Drink a soothing drink
Before going to bed, it will be useful to drink herbal tea.
Milk is also a good choice because it contains a large amount of the amino acid tryptophan, which contributes to the production of melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep processes.
Useful information about sleep
Why sleep is so important
In every person’s life, sleep is no less important than food, water or breathing, so it is so important to have quality sleep to stay healthy.
Enough sleep guarantees mental, emotional and physical stability, bringing our quality of life to a new level.
Sleep plays a particularly important role in the lives of adolescents, taking a direct part in the growth and development of the young body.
Advantages of quality sleep
#1. Healthy mental performance and emotional well-being
Sleep allows your brain to prepare for the next day and helps you form new neural pathways that allow you to better learn and remember information.
Therefore, both adults and children who sleep well enough, also perform their tasks well, make rational decisions in all their Affairs, are characterized by increased attention and creativity.
Lack of sleep, on the other hand, leads to indecision and resistance to life changes.
In addition, a lack of sleep can cause anger and impulsivity, mood swings, sadness, depression, or lack of motivation.
#2. Healthy heart
There is a direct link between nighttime rest and cardiovascular disease, as well as the risk of stroke because lack of sleep leads to increased blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
#3. Sleep helps prevent cancer
Melatonin-a hormone that regulates the cycles of sleep and wakefulness, helps in the fight against cancer, suppressing malignant formations.
Melatonin is sensitive to light, so people who work the night shift and are constantly exposed to light, thereby reducing the level of melatonin in their bodies.
#4. Reduces stress levels
Lack of sleep leads to tension in your body and provokes the emergence of a stressful state.
This is due to the fact that in the described situation, the body is put on high alert, which increases blood pressure and increases the production of stress hormones.
#5. Helps you to lose weight
People who get less than 7 hours of sleep a night, while experiencing a lack of sleep, are at a high risk of becoming overweight because this state of Affairs causes the body to disrupt the balance of hormones that regulate appetite.
#6. Reduces the risk of depression
Most people suffering from depression have a serotonin deficit, and a good night’s sleep increases its level, thereby reducing the risk of this disease.
#7. Restores the body
Sleep has a healing effect. When we sleep, the body works to restore the spent energy and level out the existing damage caused by both internal and external factors.
What makes us sleep
#1. Adenosine
It accumulates in the brain during the waking period, and as concentration increases, it gives a signal to neurons that the cells lack energy and it is time to sleep.
#2. Melatonin
A hormone that can be said to be caused by darkness. With the onset of evening, the level of melatonin is at a peak, resulting in the human body preparing for sleep, experiencing drowsiness.
The concentration of melatonin decreases when exposed to light, so you should avoid bright lighting at night, including the source of which is your smartphone, laptop, TV, etc.
#3. Cortisol
This hormone naturally prepares your body to Wake up. In particular, its release occurs when it becomes light.
Signs of lack of sleep
- Drowsiness and yawning.
- Mood swings.
- Physical and emotional exhaustion.
- Irritability.
- Depression.
- Problems with learning.
- Absent-mindedness and inattention.
