Avoid caffeine six hours before going to sleep
Almost everyone loves coffee, but caffeine keeps your mind active and keeps you from sleeping. So, lay off your coffee six hours before your bedtime to sleep better. Research says that the more coffee you drink, the poorer your quality of sleep gets.
Accept not being able to fall asleep
No, I’m not crazy. Science suggests that being okay with not being able to fall asleep is a key factor in helping you fall asleep. And you may have experienced this too.
When you continuously pressurize yourself into sleeping, sleep continues to lure you. If you embrace the fact that sleep will come when you’re ready, you may just calm yourself enough to fall asleep.
Read a book
One of the best ways to sleep is to go on your bed, get comfortable, and read a book in good light that does not strain your eyes. Since you are trying to sleep, read an informative, non-fiction book that tires your brain. Do not read a genre that interests you as that will keep you awake at night and you would not even know where all the time went.
Try the 4-7-8 method
Try the 4-7-8 method. If you are feeling anxious or stressed, it is harder to go to sleep. The 4-7-8 method helps you relax. Breathe in oxygen for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds, and release the carbon dioxide for 8 continuous seconds. This will slow your heart rate and increase the oxygen level in your bloodstream. It also creates a mild sedative-like effect and instantly relaxes your mind, heart, and body.
Take a warm shower
Take a warm bath or shower two hours before your sleeping time. Taking a shower relaxes your body and calms your mind and helps you sleep faster. Studies say it is 36 percent faster. But, at the same time, don’t think that you can not fall asleep without taking a warm shower every day.
Focus on breathing
It’s a well-known fact that focusing on your breathing can help you feel calm. If you’re feeling restless and can’t sleep, try to focus on your breathing.
It may help if you count your breaths. When you’re calm, you’ll be able to get into the zone and fall asleep more easily.
Put your electronics away
Electronic devices, such as smartphones and laptops, emit a blue light that helps us to see the screens better. This blue light mimics the natural light of the daytime, which messes with our circadian rhythm or sleep-wake cycle. Our brains register the blue light of our smartphones as daytime, so they then block production of a sleep hormone called melatonin.
Putting your electronic devices away a couple of hours before you plan on going to sleep can greatly improve your sleep quality, and help you get to sleep faster. If you're having trouble getting to sleep, instead of browsing social media, try reading a book, doing some light exercise, or meditating.
Start at your toes
Lie on your back, with your arms at your sides and your legs about hip width apart, or in any position that is most comfortable for you. Focus on relaxing your body one tiny bit at a time, starting at your toes, and slowly working your way up to your ankles, then calves, then knees, and so on. This not only relaxes your body, but also prevents your mind from wandering, which plays a large part in insomnia.
It's best to go as slowly as you can, as this gives your body more time to relax and pulls you into a deeper meditative state.
