How to fall asleep faster

A lot of people have trouble falling asleep, tossing and turning for hours before actually falling into a deep sleep. This can be a frustrating problem because it reduces the amount of time you sleep, leaving you tired and irritable the next day. Fortunately, there are ways to help you relax your body and mind and improve your ability to fall asleep both in the short and long term. This article will guide you.

Table of Contents

Optimizing sleeping environment

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Keep the bedroom cool. Sleeping in a hot room makes you want to turn over and wake up with nightmares; Conversely, a cool, dark environment helps you fall asleep faster and sleep better. The optimal temperature for sleep is between 18-20 degrees Celsius. Therefore, you should reduce the temperature before getting under the blanket.

Of course, it won’t be easy to fall asleep if the bedroom is too cold, so you need to try lowering the temperature several times to determine the most suitable temperature. Remember that it is better to curl up in a blanket in a cold room than kicking a blanket in a hot room.
If you feel hot or sweaty, there are other ways you can keep your body cool. Consider purchasing cooling pads and absorbent bedding to keep body temperatures low and draw sweat from your skin. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Turn off all lights and electrical appliances. Darkness helps the brain process the information that it’s time to sleep, causing the brain to release hormones that support sleep. Having too many lights on in a room or looking at a screen too long before bed can slow down the secretion of these hormones and make it difficult to fall asleep. To avoid this, you need to keep your bedroom as dark as possible and turn off all electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime.

Avoid placing luminous clocks in the bedroom. Knowing that it’s 3 a.m. and you’re still awake doesn’t help either. This simply makes you more anxious and makes it harder to fall asleep. ^{[2] X Research Source}
Avoid installing televisions or games in the bedroom and try not to bring your laptop to bed. The brain needs to identify the bedroom as a place for quiet and sleep, not a place for work and play.
Turn off your cell phone or at least set it to “do not disturb” mode. If you put your phone on the bedside table, the urge to check your email, Facebook or check the time will keep you awake.

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Make sure the pillow and mattress are comfortable. If you find your bed uncomfortable, it’s not uncommon for you to have a hard time falling asleep. Consider whether to invest in a new mattress, buy a firmer or softer one depending on your needs. Or you can try turning the mattress over, as the underside is usually less visible. People with neck or back problems may feel better with a memory foam pillow because it curves to the body and provides the necessary support.

If buying a new mattress seems a bit overwhelming, you may want to consider buying new bedding. Look for bed sheets that are made from as much fiber as possible and choose a cover that comes down to personal preference. If you like cold, cool bed sheets, you should choose Percale fabric. If you like warm and comfortable bed sheets, you should choose felt fabric. If you like bed sheets to create a luxurious feeling, choose Egyptian cotton fabric.
Wash the sheets at least once a week because many people sleep better when the sheets are clean and cool. Also, try to get into the habit of folding blankets every morning. A neatly folded bed will stimulate sleep more than a messy bed.

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Create a light scent in the bedroom with essential oils. Something as simple as a spoonful of essential oil can help relax the body and the mind into dreamland. According to many studies, lavender is the number 1 scent that stimulates deep sleep, and helps people fall asleep faster. ^{[3] X Research Source} Select a high-quality bottle of lavender essential oil and use it in one of the following ways:

Put a few drops of essential oil on a cloth and tuck it under the pillowcase. Dilute a few drops of essential oil in a little water and put it in a bedroom diffuser, or use lavender water to iron (ironing) your sheets. If possible, you can ask someone else to give you a relaxing massage using lavender essential oil as a massage oil. Alternatively, you can place a bag of lavender under your pillow.
If you don’t like lavender, there are several other relaxing and soothing scents you can try to aid sleep. Bergamot, marjoram, sandalwood, and geranium essential oils are all great choices.

Prepare your mind and body for sleep

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Soak in a hot tub. A relaxing soak in a hot tub is a tried and tested method to help you fall asleep faster. This method works for several reasons. First, taking a bath helps relieve stress and clears your mind of the worries that keep you awake at night. Second, a hot shower raises your body temperature, but it quickly drops when you get out of the bath. This process “mimics” brain activity, stimulating the body’s cooling hormones when it’s time to sleep. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

You can improve the quality of your sleep-inducing bath by adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil, like lavender or chamomile, to your bath water. Also, why not turn on soothing music and light a few candles during a relaxing bath?
If you don’t have time to take a bath (or don’t have a tub), a hot shower will do the same thing. You just need to keep the water temperature above 38 degrees Celsius and shower for at least 20 minutes for best results. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Eat a light meal and drink warm water. Eating a lot right before bed is not a good idea, but letting your stomach growl is even worse keeping you from sleeping. So try not to go to bed on an empty stomach. A bedtime snack, such as a piece of fruit, a few cookies or low-fat yogurt, is perfect. Drink some soothing chamomile or passion fruit tea, or have a cup of warm milk containing the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin.

Any snack containing complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain bread or cereal, is good because they increase the amount of tryptophan in the body. Tryptopin is a chemical that stimulates the brain to produce more serotonin – the happy, relaxing hormone that helps promote sleep. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
Some great bedtime snacks you might consider are nuts (especially pumpkin seeds), whole grain bread or crackers with a bit of cheese, or cereal and warm milk. Avoid greasy or hot foods.

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Wear comfortable pajamas. As mentioned above, feeling comfortable in bed is essential for you to fall asleep quickly. Therefore, it is also important to wear comfortable pajamas. Avoid wearing pajamas that are too tight, made of uncomfortable fabrics, or have buttons that hang around your body while you sleep. Choose loose and soft pajamas that won’t make you too hot or too cold in the middle of the night.

If your pajamas are too tight, you can sleep naked. Many people enjoy the freedom and comfort of sleeping naked, especially when it’s hot. Just make sure no one suddenly approaches you, especially if you have a habit of kicking your blankets!

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Muscle relaxants. Doing a few simple stretches before bed can help reduce muscle tension and help your body more comfortably prepare for sleep. In fact, a study conducted by the Cancer Research Center in Seattle (USA) showed that women who stretch their upper and lower body muscles 15-30 minutes before going to bed can reduce problems related to cancer. falling asleep up to 30%. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Try lying on your back in bed or on the floor, bending your right leg as if trying to touch your knee to your chin. You should feel your hamstrings and lower back stretch. Hold this pose for 15-20 seconds and then repeat on the left leg.
Sit in a cross-legged position, place your right hand on the floor next to your body, and at the same time raise your left arm above your ear. Lean over to the right, lowering your shoulders and one butt touching the floor. Hold the pose for 10-15 seconds and then repeat on the other side. This move helps to stretch the neck, back, shoulders, and intercostal muscles.
If you want to learn more about stretching techniques, you can read the article on stretching.

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Read a book, write or play a game before bed. Reading, writing, or playing a simple game can help you relax before bed by releasing stress and distracting you from other problems.

If you choose to read, don’t choose books that are too stimulating or scary because they increase your heart rate. Choose something a bit dull like a newspaper or a textbook that will cause your eyelids to droop.
Some people find journaling also therapeutic because it helps “get” the problems you’re having out of your head and put them on paper. Or you could try writing a list, for example, of what you ate for the day, or the chores that need to be completed tomorrow. This routine can be tedious and will hopefully help you fall asleep quickly.
Simple number or crossword puzzles like Sudoku or crossword puzzles can be a relaxing evening activity that helps your brain get tired before bed.

Using distraction techniques

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Counting sheeps. Counting sheep is an effective secret to help you fall asleep. It requires enough mental focus to stop thinking about other things, but it’s tedious enough that you fall asleep quickly. Try counting sheep in a time-consuming way like imagining a sheep jumping over a fence, or use what psychologists recommend by counting down from 300 every 3 seconds. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Count to 10 while breathing in deeply, then count to 10 while exhaling forcefully.

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Focus on relaxing your muscles. Stretching is a tried and tested relaxation technique that reduces muscle fatigue, helping you fall asleep faster. The way to do that is to focus on each part of the body in turn, causing them to consciously stretch and relax. Start with your toes and work your way up to each body part until you reach the top of your head. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Get out of bed. It may sound counterintuitive, but sometimes, the best thing you can do when you’re having trouble sleeping is get out of bed and do something else that distracts you. Lying in bed and then worrying about not being able to sleep doesn’t help either. You can try reading a book, watching TV, listening to music or making a snack. Get out of bed about 30-60 minutes or until you start to feel tired. This technique helps the brain remember the bed to go to sleep.

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Think of an image or scenario that calms the mind. Visualizing an image that calms or relaxes you is a great way to distract yourself. Think of the ocean, a rainbow, a tropical island, or anything that makes you feel peaceful and happy. A more sophisticated technique is to think of a scenario or imaginary activity that you find interesting. Imagine yourself as a superhero or celebrity, design your own dream house in your head, or think about playing in a room full of kittens or puppies.

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Listen to music or ambient sounds. Peaceful music or recordings can be very effective at distracting you and putting your brain to sleep. Some people like to listen to the sound of rain, some like the noise of the forest, and some people are interested in the sound of whales. Or some people sleep better when listening to soft classical music.

Apply a long-term solution

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Reduce caffeine consumption. If you regularly have trouble falling asleep, it may be time to reduce your caffeine intake.

Caffeine can stay in the body for up to 5 hours after being consumed, so it’s best to drink your last cup of coffee in the afternoon.
Switch to decaffeinated herbal teas in the afternoon and try pairing them with special “sleep-inducing” ingredients like chamomile or valerian before bed.

Advice

Go to the bathroom before going to bed so that you don’t feel restless due to the need to use the toilet.
Keep upbeat. Positive thinking helps to clear your mind and make it easier to fall asleep.
Do not eat anything right before going to bed. Your body will try to digest the food while you sleep, making it harder for you to fall asleep. It is recommended to eat at least 3 hours before bedtime.
Write everything in your head on a piece of paper before you go to bed so you don’t have to wake up and worry about what to do.
Try meditating before bed. This helps to relax the mind and body.
Wear socks (socks) to bed. Keeping feet warm can help someone who wants to fall asleep quickly.
Blow your nose before sleeping. Nasal congestion can cause labored breathing, severe nasal congestion, and a runny nose.
Place a cup/bottle/glass of water near the sleeping area. It’s not a good idea to let your mouth/throat dry out when you want to go to bed.
Wear a blindfold when going to bed to block out all light sources.
Turn on music to create a peaceful feeling for the mind to relax.

Steps

Optimizing sleeping environment

Prepare your mind and body for sleep

Using distraction techniques

Apply a long-term solution

Advice

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