From a comfortable room to certain meals, there are a variety of methods to make falling asleep as fast as simply lying in bed.
It’s happened to the best of us: a long, exhausting day has passed and yet you lay in bed tossing and turning the night away. You get stuck in a cycle of thinking about not sleeping and it only makes the entire process worse. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Read on for the ultimate guide on how to fall asleep faster for all our best tips and tricks for helping sleep to come just a little bit easier.
Tips on how to fall asleep faster
1. Make your room your sleep space
A great night’s sleep all starts in a comfortable room. Take a look around at your surroundings and make sure you’re setting yourself up for a long night’s rest. You’ll want the room to be as dark as possible and free of artificial lighting –that means the blue light from your electronics as well! Think about keeping all of your electronics out of your bedroom for the night, or at least switching off your notifications until morning. If you can’t get the room as dark as you would like, an eye mask or our Loop Eye Pillow can be of great assistance. Once you’ve got the lightning just right, it's time to check out the temperature of your room. A cool room is best for sleeping as cooler temps help you not only to fall asleep faster but also get deeper, more restful sleep as well.
In general, your bedroom should be for sleeping only, as this will help train your brain that once you’ve retired to your bedroom, it is time to relax, rest and sleep.
2. Get comfortable
It's not just the darkness you need to be aware of in your room, it's your bedding materials as well. If you regularly have trouble falling asleep, it might be time to upgrade your mattress or your pillows. A quality pillow can help keep your neck and spine in alignment during the night, as well as positively affect the temperature of your body and your overall comfort. Take a look at the clothes you wear to bed and if they foster a comfortable sleep or if you find yourself hot or cold in the night and adjust accordingly.
3. Try a guided sleep meditation
Once you’ve got your room set up just right, you can use a guided meditation to help you let go of the stresses and anxieties of your day. These meditative journeys allow us to relax our bodies, calm our minds, and drift off into sleep. Sleep meditations help create the conditions necessary for quality, restful, deep sleep.
4. Put on some music
Both music and meditation have restorative qualities for body and mind. The two art forms work together to rejuvenate and clear your mind, relax your muscles, and soothe away the tension from your day. Music can actually help your body to relax by physically syncing your heart rate to the music and preparing your body for sleep.
5. Journal
Some people find it helpful to keep a notebook next to their bed so they can quickly jot down anything that's keeping them up. Whether it's scribbling out a few things from tomorrow’s to-do list, or simply getting some nagging thoughts onto paper, the act of releasing them from your mind can help your brain quiet down enough to get some sleep.
6. Listen to an audiobook or podcast
If it’s the silence that’s keeping you up, but meditations and music just don’t do the trick, try putting on something to listen to that will help you tune out and fall asleep. Be sure to choose something soothing, not particularly action-packed, that is read by a person whose voice has a calming effect on you.
7. Have a bedtime snack with carbs
A small pre-bedtime snack can help you fall asleep faster, and since simple carbs are quickly and easily digested, you won’t be up all night trying to digest a large meal. A small bowl of cereal, cheese and crackers, buttered toast or oatmeal with fruit will easily do the trick, plus they all contain calcium, a mineral which helps your brain make melatonin, one of the chemicals necessary for a good night’s sleep.
8. Think positive thoughts
Focusing on positive thoughts helps clear your mind of the negative ones. You know the ones I mean: those thoughts that tell you, ‘at this rate, I’ll never get to sleep,’ or, ‘I’m going to be so unproductive tomorrow.’ Plus, research has demonstrated a link between the habitual practice of gratitude and a person’s overall sleep quality. Not only does positivity help to clear your mind before bed, but the act of practicing gratitude was actually shown to activate the hypothalamus, the region in the brain that regulates and controls sleep patterns. This activation helped participants in the study reach deeper and healthier sleep cycles.
There are plenty of big-picture things we can do to promote better quality sleep, like eating a wide variety of healthful foods, getting in some daily movement, and managing stress. If you’re still having trouble falling asleep, refer back to the list above when you need something to do or think of to help you fall asleep. What are you doing to fall asleep faster tonight?
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