This is how your night goes if you’re anything like me. You brush your teeth, put on your pajamas, cuddle up in bed, turn down the lights after a long day, and then… nothing. No, not that kind of nothing, the sort where you’re like, “I felt like I was going to die if I didn’t get into my bed and now I’m perfectly awake,” literally 10 seconds ago.
You try to close your eyes more tightly, or is it that I’m not in a posture that seems good for you? Yes, that should fix it! However, no. As the clock strikes twelve, you find yourself more conscious of every awake moment you’re losing to sleep and the growing severity of tomorrow’s situation. If only you could have taken a nap at work or school.
That was so simple back then, but now that night is alone and all you have are your worst thoughts and that blasted clock that, oh my god, has been ticking away three hours already? If this sounds familiar to you, read this blog because i have compiled some of the best tips and tricks to improve your chances of nodding off in a matter of minutes. We’ll start with the things you should do before bed, but we also share a trick that the U.S. Navy uses to fall asleep in just two minutes.
when you’re stranded there, unable to sleep. First, let’s go over seven things you ought to do each night before bed.
Cool Your Body, Calm Your Mind: Pre-Sleep Routines for Success
1. Chill Out: The first is to sleep in a more chilly setting. Probably the most underrated aspect influencing not just how easy you’ll fall asleep tonight, but also how good your sleep will be, is your body’s and head’s temperature.
It has been demonstrated that being overheated, whether from thick blankets, hot room air, or pajamas, reduces both slow-wave and REM sleep. Your body needs to drop 2-3°F or 1.5°C just to fall asleep, therefore being cooler really aids in lowering your body temperature more quickly. It may surprise you to learn that the ideal temperature for your room is approximately 65°F (18.3°C).
While being very cold is also not ideal, it doesn’t interfere with your ability to fall asleep or the quality of your sleep the way a hot environment does.
2. Soak Away Stress: Secondly, before going to bed, take a hot bath or shower. Though it may seem that feeling cozy and contented puts you to sleep, the reverse is actually true.
Your skin appears flushed red when exposed to high temperatures because the body cannot retain the heat and pushes blood to the skin’s surface. Your core body temperature drops as soon as you step outside the warmth because the dilated blood vessels radiate the interior heat to the outside world. This makes the body and brain believe that it is time for sleep.
3. Banish the Clock: Time Anxiety Be Gone! Step three is to store the clock. It is really useless and will only make you feel more stressed to be able to glance at the time and realize how little sleep you have had. Time monitoring is, in fact, closely associated with both waking arousal and stress.
4. Caffeine Curfew: Ditch the Afternoon Latte You should cut back on or stay away from caffeine and nicotine. Nicotine is a stimulant, and it can take up to eight hours for the effects of coffee, colas, certain tea, and even chocolate to wear off. Avoid them as late in the day as possible. Additionally, it’s best to avoid eating right before bed. Avoiding diets that are overly focused on carbohydrates may assist, but it’s generally preferable to avoid being overly hungry or full before bed.
5. Fuel Your Sleep, Not Your Insomnia Avoid heavy meals Working out two to three hours before bed will keep you up longer, but being physically exhausted and exercising can help you fall asleep faster. It is therefore preferable to get up earlier in the day. Similarly, naps are a fantastic idea, but avoid taking them after 3 p.m. as this will make it more difficult to go asleep at night.
6. Power Down, Wind Down: Electronics Detox Make sure you’re truly unwinding before going to bed in step six. Your brain won’t be ready to go asleep if you try to doze off while you’re wired or awake. Reading or other peaceful activities an hour before bed is the ideal ritual to help you get into the correct frame of mind.
Embrace the Sun, Shrug Off Screens: Get daily sunlight: is to ensure that you are getting enough solar exposure during the day and limiting your exposure to light at night.
It’s true that you shouldn’t use a screen right before bed, but if you have trouble falling asleep, it’s just as crucial to spend at least half an hour each day in natural sunlight. This helps to regulate your body’s clock so that fatigue occurs when it should. Now that we’ve established a few guidelines to help you fall asleep more comfortably…
But seriously, if you’re lying in bed after all that, there’s a method that the Navy “allegedly” employed that, with enough practice, can literally put you to sleep anywhere in the world in two minutes. The word “allegedly” refers to the fact that the studies are not publicly accessible, but they were reportedly utilized on fighter pilots, who frequently made avoidable blunders as a result of stress and eventually insomnia.
Actually, even while they are sitting up, they are meant to help them fall asleep. Furthermore, they state that 96% of the pilots were able to fall asleep in less than two minutes after six weeks. This is how it happens. You must first carefully relax every muscle in your body. Inhale deeply. Shut your eyes and start concentrating on your face.
Imagine all of your muscles releasing gradually. Squint and squeeze your face first, then let it to relax, if you need assistance. Exhale as your jaw, mouth, cheeks, and tongue begin to loosen up. You may even picture your eyes closing. Then, as you breathe deeply and concentrate on the relaxation, slowly work your way down your body, tensing and relaxing each muscle group as you go: your shoulders, arms, forearms, fingers, chest, legs, and feet.
After you’ve worked on your entire body, concentrate on calming your thoughts so you may enter a meditative condition. Try not to focus on the images or thoughts that come to mind as they arise; instead, let them go. Merely pondering over actions can cause your muscles to contract without conscious control. Like with meditation, try not to allow your thoughts rule your mind.
It may sound silly or fairly simple, but it’s the practice that makes perfect and anecdotally, online, people have found it to work after dedicating time to it. But the key, like most things, is to consistently practice each night. It won’t be a simple solution on your first night but weeks in, you’ll be much more likely to fall asleep instantly, assuming you don’t have a sleep disorder or other condition.
Now there is one more suggestion, that is considered the single most important tip to falling asleep immediately and if you can’t follow any others; follow this. Go to bed and wake up at the same time of day no matter what; even the weekends. I know it sucks, but we’re creatures of habit and if you want to be able to fall asleep immediately, getting in a good routine will set up your body to literally work like clockwork.
And after all that, if you still can’t fall asleep, don’t lie awake in bed. Studies show that not falling asleep for an extended period of time causes anxiety and only makes things worse. So, just get up and do a relaxing or slightly boring activity until you feel sleepy.
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