10
Oct
2023

Managing Insomnia: 11 Tricks To Fall Asleep

For insomniacs, nighttime is nothing less than a nightmare, because they seem to face a lot of difficulty in falling asleep. If you’re in the same boat, then try these tips out because they’re going to help you snooze uninterrupted through the night. They are an alternative to insomnia treatment, but they might still be effective in helping you sleep.

Have A Schedule

Having a routine is crucial for most people, but it’s more important for the ones suffering from insomnia because it’s going to affect the circadian rhythm and your overall sleeping habits. Being a night owl isn’t fun at all and your body can feel exhausted and lethargic.

So, it’s best to have a set routine and time as to when you wake up, eat your meals, and go to sleep. This is going to help you out in maintaining a good sleep schedule and you’ll also find yourself falling asleep fast.

Exercise Helps

If you have a sedentary lifestyle then you’re not going to be as tired to hit the hay immediately. The goal is to tire your body out and the best way to do that is to maintain your health. Exercising releases a lot of endorphins and while they can give you a temporary energy boost, they’re also going to tire you out.

You should exercise in the morning or afternoon hours because your body is going to get tired by the time evening hits and your brain will automatically put you to sleep.

The 4-7-8 Method

This is a very old method used in yoga and it can also relieve your brain from feeling anxious. It’s a good and easy breathing exercise to do when you’re trying to fall asleep, but can’t. When you’re laying in bed, breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds and hold it there for 7 seconds.

Lastly, exhale through your mouth or nose for 8 seconds. This specific breathing pattern will allow a calculated amount of oxygen in your brain, and then holding it in and exhaling will make you feel tired, willing you to sleep.

Avoid Bright Lights

Your bedroom should be a peaceful sanctuary and it’s best if you set the mood accordingly as well if you can’t sleep. Try to keep the bedroom dimly lit and have warm lights, if there are any.

Warm lights don’t trigger your brain to stay awake and focused, rather, the hue of warmer lights can trick your brain into relaxing and you’re going to find yourself feeling drowsy. With warmer lights, you’ll feel sleepy in no time. It’s a proven trick.

No Electronics In The Bed

This should be a proper rule in the bedroom. If you’re already having a hard time falling asleep, then electronics are going to make it even harder for you to escape to dreamland. A general rule of thumb that should be followed is that you shouldn’t have any exposure to electronics 3 to 4 hours before going to sleep.

The blue light from your phone and laptop is going to stimulate your brain into thinking that it’s time to focus, and you won’t be able to fall asleep anytime soon. This is why you must give your eyes a rest and call it a night. Still can’t fall asleep? Go through a painless sleep study in a sleep center chevy chase.

Meditate Beforehand

Meditation is also an excellent method of relaxing your mind and body before sleeping. Your mind is usually a cluster of thoughts, but meditation can block out all of the sounds, thoughts, worries, and stresses from your brain and allow you to focus on a singular thing; your breathing.

You can also try to practice imagery while you’re meditating and use this time to get your brain and body feeling tired. If you’re not into meditation, then you can start slow with 5 minutes. As you get used to the breathing and focusing part of meditating, you can increase the time of your meditation exercises as well.

Warm Baths Are The Best

Baths are relaxing and they can be a great way to help you sleep, especially if you’re an insomniac. Warm baths can elevate your body temperature when you’re soaking in the tub, and as soon as you get out of it, the body temperature drops almost instantly, making your body feel tired to compensate for this drop in temperature.

This is going to make you feel drowsy instantly and you’ll want to drop your head on the pillow almost as soon as you’re done with your bath.

Let The Stress Go

It’s human nature to worry about things and want to achieve results quickly. The same can happen when following these tips. You might not feel like they’re working and it’s understandable to get discouraged. But you should keep one thing in mind and that’s the fact that these tricks are not magic.

They will take time to work and your body will, initially, have a hard time adapting to this routine shift. So, you want to ease your mind and trust the process, because stress is not going to get you anywhere.

Counting

If you remember counting sheep as a child to help you fall asleep, then you can adopt the same method in case of your insomnia too. The trick here is to distract the brain with something monotonous and boring, in this case, it’s counting.

When you’re laying in bed and trying to sleep, but can’t, then you can start counting. Keep your breathing steady and count until your brain is tired. You will fall asleep within a few minutes. See? Counting sheep in your sleep isn’t that useless and mundane after all.

Use Your Imagination

Sometimes, just breathing steadily and closing your eyes won’t be enough to let you slip into a blissful world of dreams. What you can do is use your imagination and picture yourself being somewhere else. It can be any scenic place. It can be you taking a stroll by the shore, it can be you sitting on a high mountain peak and looking down, or it can be you walking through a green field and admiring nature.

There are so many ways by which you can master imagery and you can take yourself on a mini adventure that’s not only going to be peaceful but it’s also going to help you fall asleep easily.

Take A Look At Your Diet

Are you consuming caffeinated beverages and alcohol before bedtime? Well, it’s no wonder that you can’t fall asleep! Caffeine is a big no, when it comes to a peaceful night’s rest, and if you’re an insomniac, then you need to keep caffeine and stimulating drinks at bay, hours before you hit the hay.

Also, include fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet as they can really help to maintain your health and if you have a healthy body, then it’s going to promote a good sleeping schedule and overall routine as well.

Conclusion

Sleep is very important for all human beings, regardless of having insomnia or not. The best way to tackle this issue is to get yourself into a routine that’s going to help you in the long run. If these tricks are not helpful for you, you must visit an sleep clinic Bethesda.

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