According to studies, approximately 50 to 70 million Americans of all ages and socioeconomic classes have one or the other kind of sleep-related issues. One of the most common issues is the inability to fall asleep.
Perhaps, do you also spend more of your time trying to sleep than actually sleeping? If your answer is YES, you must know that constant effort to fall asleep actually keeps your mind awake.
Yes, you read it correctly! It can cause anxiousness and also creates nerve-wracking energy, which keeps you awake. If your mind fails to get rest, your body will also stay awake. That’s why you’ll wake up tired.
Fortunately, there are some scientific tricks that can help your mind rest. But before we begin with these tricks, you need to ensure that you have the following things in your bedroom for better sleep.
Things You Need
Sometimes the reason behind not being able to fall asleep is not having a proper environment. Therefore, you need to ensure that your room has:
- Ideal Temperature: Your body temperature tends to get lower when you lay down. However, if the surrounding temperature is hot, it can make it really hard for you to rest. So, make sure that your room temperature is ideal, i.e., between 60–67°F (15.6–19.4°C).
- Mattress: Your mattress plays a significant role in improving the quality of your sleep. According to research, the mattress shouldn’t be too hard or too soft. It can result in back pain and difficulty in falling asleep.
Therefore, you need to have a medium-firm mattress. You can look for brands like Beautyrest, Tempurpedic, Dreamcloud, and Others. These will provide you comfort, ensure proper spinal alignment and quality sleep. In fact, some mattresses even have adjustable power bases, which can give you more support. So, if your mattress is uncomfortable, you must change it ASAP.
- Create Proper Atmosphere: Apart from room temperature and mattress, you need to ensure that your room has a proper atmosphere. It means turning off all the lights, keeping your mobile or any other digital device away, playing some relaxing music, and trying aromatherapy for relaxation.
Once you have prepared your room, you can try out the following methods to rest.
Sleep In 10 Seconds
To fall asleep in almost 10 seconds is definitely not less than any magic. However, you have to practice these tricks multiple times to eventually get better at it. In simple terms, it might be a bit challenging for you to get in full rest mode on the first try.
- The Military Method
- Relax your face and the muscles inside the mouth.
- Keep your hands to the sides and drop your shoulders to release stress.
- Exhale slowly.
- Focus on relaxing your thighs, calves, and legs.
- Imagine a happy scenario to help clear your thoughts.
- Within 10 seconds, you’ll be able to sleep!
Repeat this method a few times to release tension from the body and to calm your mind. Make sure to keep your focus on breathing and muscle relaxation.
Note: This technique is not effective for people who have ADHD and high levels of anxiety.
Sleep In 60 Seconds
It includes two methods that will help in keeping your mind to the bed. For beginners, it might take around 2 to 5 minutes to work. But once you get a hold of it, it becomes easy to get quality rest.
- 4-7-8 Breathing Method
It is a mix of two techniques, i.e., meditation and visualization. To prepare yourself, you need to keep the tip of your tongue behind your two front teeth. If necessary, you can also purse your lips.
- Part your lips slightly and make a whooshing sound while exhaling through your mouth.
- Close your lips and inhale through your nose. Count to 4.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale for 8 seconds with a whooshing sound.
- Continue this cycle for 4 full breaths.
- No need to stay alert throughout the cycle.
Note: If you have asthma or COPD, you must consult your doctor before practicing this technique.
- Progessive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
This technique is usually recommended to people having insomnia. It helps in relaxing every muscle and promotes tranquility throughout the body.
- Raise your eyebrows for 5 seconds to tighten your forehead muscles.
- Relax your muscles immediately after and wait for 10 seconds.
- Similarly, smile widely to create tension in your cheeks. Hold for 5 seconds and relax.
- Pause for 10 seconds.
- Repeat the same procedure by squinting your eyes, tilting your head back, and rest of the body.
- Keep in mind, hold for 5 seconds and pause for 10 seconds.
- Let your body fall asleep, even if you are in the middle of the muscle relaxation process.
Sleep In 120 Seconds
If the above-written methods don’t work for you, try out this method.
- Tell Yourself To Stay Awake
This technique is also known as paradoxical intention. Telling yourself to stay awake can help you fall asleep better and faster. It’s similar to waking up all night before an exam but failing.
This technique is especially useful for people with insomnia. Trying to sleep will increase anxiety leading to an awakened mind. On the other hand, trying to stay awake will make your eyes tired. Thus falling asleep becomes relatively easier.
According to research, people who practice “paradoxical intention” fall asleep faster than normal people. You can also try breathing exercises along with this to get even better results.
- Visualize A Calm Place
You can also make use of your imagination to rest your mind. As per a study, people creating “imaginary distractions” get high-quality sleep and wake up with a fresh mind and a good mood.
However, keep in mind that this process is different from counting sheep. Instead, you need to imagine a comforting and serene scenario that will help in de-stressing your mind. For instance, river flowing, snowfall, or sound of echoing.
Wrapping it up!
Not sleeping well has a direct impact on your mood and body. Therefore, you should try to get at least 8 hours of sleep. Try the above methods to get quality sleep. Also, visit your doctor to diagnose the underlying cause of your sleeping disorder.