In order to fall asleep faster and more soundly at night, it is possible to apply a series of techniques and adopt certain attitudes that help to relax and facilitate sleep, such as maintaining a relaxing breath, distracting the mind and relaxing the muscles.
In addition to this, to improve sleep and avoid drowsiness the next day, it is important that people who suffer from insomnia or who have difficulty sleeping adopt some habits such as creating a schedule routine, practicing physical activity and avoiding drinking drinks that contain caffeine in its composition after 5pm.
But if it is still difficult to fall asleep, you should follow the techniques and exercises below that will help you fall asleep quickly:
1. Control breathing
Slower and deeper breathing makes it easier for the body to relax and slow down the heartbeat, making the brain understand that it is time to slow down the daily rhythm, helping to fall asleep faster.
Exercise : Practice method 4-7-8, which involves inhaling through the nose for 4 seconds, holding your breath for 7 seconds, and releasing air through your mouth for 8 seconds.
2. Relax the muscles
Stress and anxiety keep muscles contracted, even without us noticing. So a great way to relax to catch sleep faster is to practice a muscle relaxation technique.
Exercise : Find a comfortable position, preferably on your back with your arms and legs apart, and then take a deep breath. When releasing the air, you must imagine that the muscles are relaxing, repeat 3 times. Next, imagine the muscles of each region of the body and their relaxation, one by one, from the feet to the head.
3. Distract the mind
An important cause of insomnia is the excess of worries and thoughts, which generates more and more anxiety and, as a consequence, alertness. To avoid this, it is possible to find ways to direct the mind to other types of thoughts, and to facilitate relaxation and sleep.
Exercise : Spend about 10 to 15 minutes doing a recap of the day that passed or planning for the next day. Imagine what to do to have a better and perfect day, which helps to distract and calm the mind. This training is not only recommended if you are going through a stressful situation, it is better to focus on another type of subject such as a subject or matter you are studying, for example.
4. Listen to relaxing music
Playing soothing music or soft sounds that help keep you calm and calm can be a good alternative to fall asleep faster.
Exercise : buy a CD or download a music playlist to relax, calm down or meditate, these can contain calm songs or sounds of nature such as rain, for example. Preferably do not use headphones, as they can discomfort or mistreat the ears during sleep. While listening, try applying other breathing or muscle relaxation techniques.
Additionally, some people feel more relaxed when they hear repetitive sounds or movements, which ends up triggering a pleasant tingling sensation in the head, neck, and shoulders, known as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, which promotes a deep sense of relaxation. Learn more about it .
5. Focus on something
You must focus on a goal, a place or some object imagining them with details, they are good ways to distract and calm thoughts, making the dream come faster.
Exercise : Focus on a beautiful landscape like a beach or forest and imagine details like the sound of water, animal noise, textures, and smells. Do this with the help of a deep breath and feeling that the muscles are relaxing each time you release the air.
6. Try to keep your eyes open
Sometimes trying to keep your eyes closed causes a lot of anxiety and makes it difficult to sleep, so stopping insisting can help you fall asleep more quickly.
Exercise : If sleep is slow to come, try to keep your eyes open. If this does not work, it is preferable to get up and do some other activity, instead of staying in bed, because being with your eyes closed and not being able to sleep can make insomnia worse.
7. Adapt the environment
Anything that is bothering the body increases stress levels and leads to sleep, so having a suitable sleep environment is essential so that there is no insomnia, which is often not paid attention to. Having an adequate temperature, reducing lighting, and reducing undesirable noise are essential to allow fast sleep. See how to schedule a good night’s sleep.
Exercise : Prepare the room and make it ideal for sleeping with these 5 steps:
- Adjust the temperature, especially if it is a place where it is very hot, invest in a fan or air conditioning;
- Adjust the lighting, turning off the lamps and bright lights of the devices such as computers, cell phones or television. If you need to have some kind of lighting for about 90 minutes before sleep, light orange light is preferred, which stimulates the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Avoid electronic devices as much as possible;
- Remove noise that may be uncomfortable, but if this is not possible, muffle the sound with a white noise device, which can be purchased from electronics stores, or you can use a fan or sound recording from nature;
- Keep the body comfortable, investing in a mattress and pillows that leave the body horizontal and, preferably, with the neck in a straight line. It is recommended to have a medium pillow to support the neck and another to place it between the legs.
- Use aromatherapy, using a few drops of lavender essential oil on the pillow or pillowcase. Learn more about essential oils and how to use them.
In addition to this, taking a warm bath also helps to relax, preferably in a bathtub with relaxing scents.
8. Have a hot drink
Have a small snack or have a warm or relaxing drink before bed. Some options may be a glass of warm milk with honey or a sweet cookie, cherries with rice milk, or a chamomile or lemon balm tea, for example, which increase the levels of tryptophan or melatonin, hormones that help regulate the dream.
In addition to this, there are some natural supplements like melatonin or valerian, which are also helpful in improving and regulating sleep. Taking medications such as Diazepam or Clonazepam, for example, is not a good idea, since in addition to causing dependency, they can generate other health effects such as changes in concentration and memory.
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