How to Calm Down Before Sleep

It’s great when you have a positive and creative mindset. However, that positivity doesn’t always help, especially at night, when they keep you awake. Insomnia will make you anxious, but don’t despair because there are ways to help you sleep better even though your mind is still too active. Please refer to the article below to find out.

Table of Contents

Keep Mentally Comfortable

Make a habit before going to bed. When the mind is still active, trying to sleep is not an easy task. You can only sleep when your mind and body are not active anymore. To do that, establish a routine before bed. These habits relax your body and mind and help you fall asleep. Plus, these habits will help your body understand what’s coming when you do these habits or come this time. Start these routines at least 30 minutes before bed. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Try reading a book, stretching, doing gentle yoga, listening to soft music, or watching a soothing program.

Write diary. Keep a diary at the bedside. Before going to sleep an hour or more, write down the thoughts that are still lingering in your heart. This is a good way to help you fall asleep easier. Try to be as detailed as possible. Take it all out and when your mind is no longer busy, it’s time to go to sleep ^{[2] X Research Source}

Journaling can also ease worries and worries in your heart. This method helps to let go of the troubles you are experiencing so you will no longer have to lie in bed with a stressed mood. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Exhale through the left nostril. Only using the left nostril to exhale has the effect of relaxing the sympathetic nervous system. ^{[4] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to the source} This method calms your mind and thoughts leading to easier sleep.

Use the thumb of the right hand to close the right nostril. Then inhale slowly through the left nostril. Hold and exhale. Repeating this movement a few times will help remove the pressure in the body and calm you down. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Read a book. Doing some gentle activity like reading a book before bed helps the body begin to relax, which is also a preparation for sleep. ^{[6] X Research Sources} To not have to use your mind too much, try reading a funny, light-hearted book or maybe something you’ve read before instead of something that requires mental manipulation. brain or need to use sympathomimetic hormones.

Meditation . Apply meditation techniques. Try meditating before bed. This method works to stabilize your mind, and some meditation methods teach you how to release all your worries. When starting to meditate, try these tips:

Focus on each breath. Breathe slowly and feel them. Focus on the pleasant sensations that each breath brings. Your heart rate tends to become actively slower when you’re breathing slowly and this will help calm you down.
Let go of all the distractions in your heart and focus on feeling the comfort when your mind is not occupied by anything. If a thought comes to mind, focus and relax little by little.
Get rid of any thoughts that keep you from sleeping. Imagine that you are holding a garbage bag in your hand. What you need to do is pick up the thought that comes to mind the most and throw it in the trash. Now that this thought is completely out of your head, then another thought may appear. Similarly, throw that thought in the trash. Repeat the above method until there are no more thoughts in your head. Then fasten the bags and throw them as far as you can. You have to get rid of everything that is preventing you from being able to sleep, and when you have done that, it is time for the body to go to sleep.
Try relaxing your muscles. Starting from the leg toward the head, work each muscle group one by one. In order from muscle tension to relaxation.. ^{[7] X Research Source}

Distracting Imagination

Visualization. Imagine a scene where your friend is falling asleep. It could be where you are like a leaf blowing in the wind, you are walking into a fog, or you are immersed in a soft cloud. Visualizing scenes like these will help distract your imagination that keeps you from sleeping these emotional thoughts. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Count. A mental exercise that is repeated over and over will engage your mind, making it easier to fall asleep. For example, the sheep counting method, which is a very popular method to help you fall asleep faster, but you can count anything as long as you can imagine them clearly and count. ^{[9] X Research Resources} Repetition and refocusing really help the thoughts in your head.

Alphabet. This is a type of mental exercise, this exercise helps to distract the brain and promote sleep. Let’s recite each letter according to the rules from A to Z, when you think of any letter, relate to something that starts with that letter. ^{[10] X Research Source}

For example, you can list fruits or animal names starting from A to Z, such as butterfly, fish, hawk, etc.

Imagine an object or a scene. Focus on a featured object, such as a box. Think about the color, shape, size, shape of each side and the use of the object. You can also try to imagine that you are walking through a scene. For example, imagine you are riding a bicycle along a road that you normally walk, drive, or cycle in your neighborhood. Ride your bike at exactly the same speed as you normally would. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Look around and imagine every block, every house, every store, and whatever you’re passing. Try to remember as many small details as possible. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Recite song lyrics or lines. This is another form of mental exercise that distracts the imagination. All you need to do is repeat the lyrics of a favorite song or movie over and over again, like reciting a mantra. This exercise helps your brain focus on what you are thinking, calms the mind and makes it easier to fall asleep. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Recreate a familiar movie that suddenly pops into your mind. From the plot, the dialogue and try to focus on the particular frames in the movie.

^{[14] X Research Source}

Compose a story in mind. Come up with a story that can occupy the whole mind. Create a character to your liking or use familiar images in stories. Tell yourself a story about the character’s life. Focus on specifics. For example, the character’s outfit, bedroom, and actions.

In case if you can’t create a story then tell about yourself, such as your habits. Imagine that your friend is sailing on a lake or designing a new room for yourself. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Relaxing Body

Lower body temperature. Cooling the body is one way to get a good night’s sleep and calm the mind. Excessive body temperature can interfere with sleep and make you fantasize. To cool down, lower the room temperature or remove the blanket. ^{[16] X Research Source}

16 to 21 degrees Celsius is the ideal temperature for the bedroom. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Take a shower. Body temperature will increase after bathing, then go to a bedroom with a lower temperature to cool down. The sudden change in temperature will lead to a decrease in metabolic activity and make you sleepy. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Light scented candles, use aromatherapy bath salts or shower gel. You can also burn essential oils and place them in an aroma diffuser. Both lavender and chamomile essential oils help promote sleep. ^{[19] X Research Source}

Do exercise. This method works to help sleep faster, deeper and better. When exercising, the mind and body will have to work, leading to fatigue. At this point you can put yourself to sleep. Make sure to exercise at least 3 hours before bed. If you have trouble sleeping, try exercising earlier in the day. ^{[20] X Research Source}

Deep breath. This is very effective in helping to calm the mind and body. Sit upright on the floor before sleeping. Make sure the lights are off and the room is quiet.

Close your mouth and take a breath and hold for 4 seconds, then exhale for the 7th.
Exhale with your mouth at 8 seconds.
Repeat this movement 4 times. ^{[21] X Research Source}

Drink tea. Some teas can help calm the mind and body. Drink a cup of tea extracted from chamomile, valerian or lavender an hour before bed. Some tea companies also sell teas with mixed ingredients that are beneficial for sleep. ^{[22] X Research Source}

Do not drink tea with sugar. This keeps the body awake, unable to sleep.

Eliminate Disturbance

Reduce the amount of light in the bedroom. This could be the reason why you can’t calm down. Turning on bright lights at night, especially when trying to sleep, will cause circadian rhythms to be lost. So, turn off all lights and electronic devices when you go to bed. Light can confuse the body and mind, causing the mind to work “overtime”. Leaving the lights on an hour before going to bed will help the body start producing the hormone Melatonin. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

If you are the type of person who needs to turn on the light when sleeping, use a red light, instead of a blue light. Blue tones will increase energy and attention. Thus disrupts sleep, ^{[24] X Trusted Source Harvard Medical Schop Go to source}
2 to 3 hours before bed, avoid sitting in front of screens.
If you can’t do this, try wearing glasses.

Warning

If you have long-term sleep disturbances, you should consult your doctor.

Steps

Keep Mentally Comfortable

Distracting Imagination

Relaxing Body

Eliminate Disturbance

Warning

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