When you can't fall asleep quickly, it can be quite devastating. Although it's not deadly, those who suffer from insomnia would argue that point very strongly. A life without sleep is a life without repose. That is why I put together a few tips that will help to get a good night sleep and fall asleep quickly.
1. Exposure to sunlight: Melatonin is the main hormone that controls the sleep-awake cycle. When the body produces melatonin, feelings of sleepiness and grogginess result. The most important aspect of this control mechanism is the degree of difference in melatonin levels between the awake and the sleeping state. The greater this difference is, the faster sleep comes to the person.
Repose
Melatonin production is inhibited by sunlight entering the eyes. More specifically blue light. Therefore, low exposure to sunlight or wearing sunglasses that block blue light will cause the body to continue to produce melatonin during the day. This will in turn reduce the difference in daytime vs. nighttime melatonin levels and may cause a difficulty to fall asleep.
2. Stay active: Activity is great for you health in general. It activates all sorts of different hormones which fights aging and disease. When it comes to sleep, activity is also very important. Sleep serves two purposes: replenish your mental and physical energy. If you stay inactive, you do not deplete your physical energy. This may cause your body not to require sleep and therefore prevent you from falling asleep.
3. Avoid food and drink before bed: Although it may be tempting to have a late night snack, it may also interfere with your falling asleep. Alcohol, nicotine and caffeine are the worse culprits in this situation. Although alcohol may cause sleepiness, it also often leads to very light sleep. To someone with insomnia, this may let you fall asleep only to result in waking up later and not being able to fall back asleep.
4. Take a hot shower 1 hour before bed: You body uses another mechanism to know when to fall asleep and that is temperature. When you wake up in the morning, your body temperature is at its lowest and when you go to bed it's at its highest. Your body knows to fall asleep when the body temperature starts to drop which happens at the end of the day. By having a hot shower about 1 hour before bedtime, it boosts the body temperature temporarily which allows for a sharper drop of temperature. This sharp drop in temperature increases the signal to fall asleep.
5. Clear your mind: Oftentimes, you toss and turn in bed, unable to fall asleep because you are bothered by the day's events or worrying about something. If your mind remains active, it will make it very hard to fall asleep. If something is on your mind and keeping you awake: write it down. The simple exercise of writing down the things that are on your mind before going to bed will literally take them off your mind. Another good exercise is to read some fiction before bed. This will also allow you to put the events of the day behind you and allow you to go to bed on a clear mind.
6. Sound Therapy: The use of music and sound therapy has been clinically shown to affect brainwave pattern. When you can't fall asleep, it's because your brain can't slow down. This is where sound therapy can help. It works much like a tuning fork. As you listen to the soft music, you brain start to get in tune with the music and is then slowed down. This happens very quickly and can help you to fall asleep much faster
7. Supplemental melatonin: If falling asleep is a serious problem for you, but are reticent to use chemical sleep aids, supplemental melatonin may be the solution for you. Supplemental melatonin is available at almost every pharmacy and is completely natural. You should only use it when you really need it because regular use of it will lose its effectiveness. Be sure to use all the above tips before resorting to supplemental melatonin.
In conclusion, if you follow these simple tips, you are definitely increasing your chances of falling asleep quickly. Remember to stay active and get lots of sunlight. Before going to bed have a nice hot shower and read a good fiction book. Finally, take some supplemental melatonin if you really need to fall asleep.
7 Tips On To Fall Asleep Quickly
If you are interested in learning about natural aids to help you fall asleep quickly, please visit http://beatinsomnianaturally.blogspot.com/
Recommend : Guide To Herb