With hectic lives, most of us can use help in falling asleep faster. Follow some of these tips and be sleeping more peacefully within 6 days.
Let’s Remove Things
If your mind races at night with everything that must be done tomorrow, then removing those items from your brain can help. Make your to-do list at night before you go to bed and your mind can settle down to sleep more easily knowing they are on paper. A simple brain dump assures you won’t forget those important tasks.
Hiding your alarm clock can also help if you are constantly glancing at it. Nobody needs a reminder of how few hours are left before we must be awake and functioning. It’s also best to sleep in a dark room and the illuminated numbers emit enough light to penetrate your closed eyelids.
Use Your Body’s Natural Powers
If falling asleep is a problem for you, then try the 4-7-8 breathing method recommended by Dr. Andrew Weil. This involves breathing in through your nose for a count of four, holding your breath for a count of seven, and then slowly letting the air escape through your mouth for a count of eight. The process uses your breath to calm your body naturally and ease you into sleep very quickly.
ASMR, or Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, is a technique to calm the mind and body for sleep using sights or sounds. The body usually responds to the technique by creating a tingling feeling which begins in the scalp and then trickles its way down the neck and spine. It is activated by stimuli called a “trigger” which can be visual or acoustic.
A visual trigger may be watching a video of someone performing an everyday activity like preparing a meal or folding laundry. An acoustic trigger could be listening to a person whispering softly, the sounds of crinkling paper, or light repetitive tapping to calm the mind. There are many ASMR artists on YouTube and you can find one of them to resonate with what your mind and body finds soothing.
Modern Sleep Aids
We occasionally need a little help to fall asleep and a soothing acupuncture treatment before bedtime would definitely help. Dave Asprey, in his quest to hack the secrets of sleep, discovered using an acupressure sleep induction mat made the process much more practical every night, without the need for your own private acupuncturist. The mat activates pressure points on your back which releases hormones to assist in relaxation and better quality sleep.
Most of us have smart phones, so why not put those apps to good use to help you fall asleep faster? Sleep Cycle tracks your night time movements with the phone’s built-in accelerometer and allows you to visually see the different stages of sleep you pass through each night. The sounds of guided meditation in Omvana allow you to relax naturally and ease into a deep night’s sleep.
Find a method that works for you and be more rested before a week passes by.
