Fag end of the day. You’re lying in bed, trying hard to sleep and you just can’t sleep. And the harder you try to sleep, the more it eludes you. You’re not alone. We’ve all been there at some point. Let’s try and explore a few tried and tested bedtime habits, that will help you fall asleep faster and sleep better.
1. Have A Light Dinner
Try to eat as light a dinner as possible. If you have a heavy meal and your body is having trouble digesting it, chances are it’ll keep you awake. If you’ve had a big meal, wait a while before hitting the sack. Once your body has finished digesting your dinner, you’ll be amazed at how fast you fall asleep.
2. Dim The Lights
Research suggests that restricting our exposure to bright lights only to daytime and using dim red lights in the evenings and at night time helps regulate our sleep schedule. Bright lights, especially bluish ones fool the brain into thinking it’s still daytime and prevent the release of chemicals like melatonin, that are essential for sleep.
3. Keep Your Smartphone Away
If you want to fall asleep, the last thing you need is getting disturbed by notifications and alerts on your smartphone. What’s also a bad idea is checking your phone once you are in bed. Put it away from you on silent, or airplane mode so that you can take your mind off it to fall asleep peacefully.
4. Read A Book
Try reading a book at bedtime with a soft reading lamp near you. This will get you tired enough to fall asleep within a few minutes. Avoid reading off a tablet, kindle or a smartphone as their bluish white light will make falling asleep difficult.
5. Kick The Coffee Habit
Research suggests that caffeine intake anytime near your bedtime alters the melatonin levels in the brain making it difficult for you to fall asleep when it’s time for bed. Limit your caffeine fix to early evening time to let the body prepare itself for a night of good sleep.
6. Keep Your Hands And Feet Warm
Keeping your hands and especially your feet warm as you lay in bed will help you sleep faster. A warm water bottle is just right for the trick. If you don’t have one handy, try wearing socks to bed. This doesn’t apply to everyone as some people prefer the opposite and have their feet sticking out of their comforters!
7. Keep Your Bedroom Cool
Research has it that a temperature cooler than what is typically considered ‘room temperature’ is best if you need help with sleeping fast and sleeping through the night.
8. Try These Breathing Techniques
This is a time-tested technique that you can try right before you fall asleep. Exhale all the air through your mouth and empty your lungs. Once you’ve done that, inhale through your nose, counting up to 4. Hold your breath after this for 7 counts and exhale quickly at the count of 8 through your mouth. Repeat this 3 times. This will get you to fall asleep real quick only to wake up fresh the next morning.
9. Take A Warm Bath
Nothing like a nice warm bath after a long, tiring day at work. Having a warm bath right before you go to bed makes it easier for you to fall asleep and helps you sleep deeper once you’re asleep.
10. Drink Some Water
Right before your bedtime, drink just enough water so you don’t wake up in the middle of the night looking for water. But not so much that you keep getting up to go to the bathroom.
