Follow these tips and you will sleep faster and longer.
If you spend hours hanging around at night, you know how frustrating it is to have trouble falling asleep. You’ve probably also heard the warnings that staying up late is not good for your health. Research has shown that when your circadian rhythm slows, you may be at increased risk for weight gain, diabetes, and depression.
“Inadequate sleep and poor quality sleep will affect all organs,” says William Winter, sleep consultant for Men’s Health, author of The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How To Fix It.
“Poor sleep makes us want to eat more and eat bad things, affects digestion, heart function, the risk of hypertension, the risk of diabetes, [and] the functioning of the immune system,” he adds.
That’s why we bring together advice from sleep experts, scientific research, and always-trusted users to help you fall asleep faster and avoid another sleepless night.
Try some of these tips, and you might be surprised tonight.
Drink more milk
Your grandmother knew what she was doing when she warmed you up a glass of milk before going to bed.
“Milk contains the protein? -Lactalbumin. This protein contains high amounts of the amino acid tryptophan, which produces melatonin, the hormone that induces sleep, “says Dr. Winter.
Studies show that diets rich in tryptophan (which include egg whites and pumpkin seeds) help improve sleep. And an added bonus: “The calcium in milk also benefits the absorption of tryptophan in the brain,” says Dr. Winter.
Stop using a sleep tracker
About 10 percent of the American population uses a sleep or physical activity tracker on a regular basis, allowing them to know exactly what is happening when they sleep.
That should be good for your dream, right? Well not exactly. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, those who followed their sleep went to bed feeling the pressure to achieve an adequate amount of sleep and reported elevated levels of self-induced anxiety. As a result, they may have worsened their inability to fall asleep.
The researchers dubbed this “orthosomnia,” or concern with improving or improving sleep data.
Practice meditation
Stressed out by your inability to sleep? Meditation has been shown to lower cortisol levels, helping you feel less anxious and more relaxed, and therefore more likely to fall asleep. A 2015 study in JAMA found that mindfulness meditation helped improve sleep quality in older adults by reducing “worry, rumination, and mood disturbances.”
Try an app or other mediation product to get started.
“I listen to guided mediation sessions on YouTube every night,” says one user. “It has gotten to the point where sometimes I don’t even hear the end of his presentation. I fall asleep so fast. ”
Make your bed a place to sleep
If you ever find yourself lying in bed unable to sleep, you experience what researchers call “conditioned arousal,” which is caused by doing things in bed that have trained your brain to stay awake rather than falling asleep, like checking I work on your email on the phone.
“It’s amazing how many people tell me they go to bed at 9 pm every night and it takes them two hours to fall asleep,” says Dr. Winter.
So keep your bed as a sleeping area only.
“I never lie in my bed unless I’m sleeping.” “Train your brain to sleep faster instead of causing you to pick up your phone or a book to kill time.”
“Set up sleeping space: turn off all screens at least an hour before bed, turn off all lights. After getting into bed, completely relax your body. “
Learn how to really relax
If you can’t sleep, don’t panic: as long as you’re relatively relaxed, you’ll reap the same benefits. “The benefits of rest rival those of sleep and, in some cases, are cognitively indistinguishable,” says Dr. Winter.
A 2008 study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health on the effects of lying in bed with your eyes closed found that when you rest, some of the neurons in your brain shut down, mimicking what happens during sleep. And according to the National Sleep Foundation, resting can “also reduce stress, improve mood, and increase alertness, mental clarity, creativity, and motivation.”
Still, relaxing won’t give you all the benefits of real sleep, including cognitive restoration, increased memory abilities, and hormonal regulation. Sleep is the best option for true mind and body restoration, but if it’s still hard to reach, you can calm your mind in panic by telling yourself that even resting is giving your brain a break.
“Just start thinking the way you would in a dream,” says Redditor zamowasu. “You don’t have to let your mind wander completely. Think of something ridiculous and let yourself go that way. “
Air conditioning
Studies have shown that sleeping in colder temperatures is better. For optimal benefits, set your thermostat between 60 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
This helps lower your body’s core temperature, triggering a process that initiates sleep. Another option: bed cooling products.
Try the flashing trick
This one is more rooted in anecdotal evidence than anything else, but some say it works. “Blink for a solid minute without stopping, your eyelids will get heavy and fall.”