Home Remedies to Fall Asleep Quickly
A sound sleep at night directly affects your mental and
physical health and the quality of your working life. A shortfall in sleep can
take a serious toll on your daytime energy, productivity, emotional balance,
and even your weight. People seem
terribly annoying, work stalls, and the future seems unattractive.
Unfortunately
many of us regularly toss and turn at night, struggling to get the sleep we
need. There is a solution. Making simple but important changes to your daytime
routine and bedtime habits can have a profound impact on how well you sleep,
leaving you feeling mentally sharp, emotionally balanced, and full of energy
all day long.
Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and
heavy meals in the evening. Alcohol, cigarettes, and caffeine can disrupt sleep. Eating big or spicy
meals can cause discomfort from indigestion that can make it hard to sleep. If
you can, avoid eating large meals for two to three hours before bedtime. Try a light snack 45 minutes before bed if you’re still hungry.
Exercise
during the day
Exercise
daily. Vigorous
exercise is best, but even light exercise and yoga are better than no activity. Exercise
at any time of day, but not at the expense of your sleep.
Sick to
your body's natural sleep-wake cycle
Stick to
a sleep schedule of the same
bedtime and wake-up time, even on the weekends. This helps to regulate your body's clock and could help you fall
asleep and stay asleep for the night.
If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, in
the afternoon.
A short nap may
help you get through the day, but if you find that you
can't fall asleep at bedtime, eliminating even short catnaps may help.
Improve
your sleep environment
Keep
noise down. If you can't avoid or eliminate noise
from neighbors, traffic, or other people in your household, try to mask it
with a fan or sound machine. Earplugs may also help.
Keep
your room cool. Most
people sleep best in a slightly cool room (around 65° F or 18° C) with adequate
ventilation. A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can interfere with quality
sleep.
Make
sure your bed is comfortable. Your
bed covers should leave you enough room to stretch and turn comfortably without
becoming tangled. If you often wake up with a sore back or an aching neck, you
may need to experiment with different levels of mattress firmness, foam
toppers, and pillows that provide more or less support.
Reserve
your bed for sleeping. By not working, watching TV,
or using your computer in bed, your brain will associate the bedroom with just sleep
and make it easier to wind down at night.
Control
your exposure to light
Manage your exposure to light. Melatonin
is a naturally occurring hormone controlled by light exposure that helps
regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Your brain secretes more melatonin when it’s
dark—making you sleepy—and less when it’s light—making you more alert. However,
many aspects of modern life can alter your body’s production of melatonin and
shift your circadian rhythm. Avoid bright light in
the evening and expose yourself to sunlight in the morning. This will keep your
circadian rhythms in check.
A relaxing, routine activity right before bedtime conducted away from bright lights helps separate your sleep time
from activities that can cause excitement, stress, or anxiety which can make it
more difficult to fall asleep, get sound and deep sleep, or remain asleep.
Wind
down and free your head
Clear your mind. Your body needs time to shift into sleep
mode, so spend the last hour before bed doing a calming activity such as
reading. For some people, using an electronic device such as a laptop can make
it hard to fall asleep, because the particular type of light emanating from the
screens of these devices is activating the brain. If you have trouble
sleeping, avoid electronics
before bed or in the middle of the night.
If you’re still having
trouble sleeping, don’t hesitate to speak with your doctor or to find a sleep professional.
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