10 Simple Ways to Fall Asleep Faster
Everyone has had a night or more where they couldn’t drift off to sleep. Sometimes it can also feel like falling asleep is impossible, even if you’d give a lot of money to fall asleep faster. Figures from the American Sleep Association show that 50-70 million adults in the US have a sleep disorder.
Lack of sleep can noticeably affect a person’s ability to perform daily tasks, think clearly and react quickly. Getting a full nights sleep is key to maintaining a healthy body and mind.
Most Common Reasons for Sleep Problems
Sleep problems have many causes, including:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Depression
How do you achieve a night of blissful deep sleep?
It’s easier said than done to be able to drift off into the land of Nod. One of the best ways to increase your chances of a peaceful night of slumber is to relax, unwind and fall asleep as quickly as possible. We all deserve the best night’s sleep we can get, especially in an age where there are continuously high pressures and stresses placed upon us daily.
How Much Sleep Is Recommended Per Night
To help you keep your mind and body healthy, you need to get the right amount of sleep.
People need different amounts of sleep depending on how old they are:
- 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours
- 6 to 13 years: 9 to 11 hours
- 14 to 17 years: 8 to 10 hours
- Adults: 7 to 9 hours
If you’re not getting that much sleep, see the 10 best hacks to aid you in falling asleep faster.
10. Don’t Eat a Big Meal Before Bed
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Although consuming a large meal for instance during the holidays can make you feel drowsy, don’t do it right before bed. Eating a big meal before bedtime can cause some problems once you try and sleep.
Because the meal won’t have had enough time to digest, many people experience heartburn or acid reflux as a result. This stomach discomfort will keep you awake.
Eat at least a few hours before you head to bed to give your body time to digest the meal thoroughly.
9. Drink Chamomile Tea
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Chamomile is an herb that has been used for centuries for many symptoms. Today, people often use it as a natural sleep aid so they can fall asleep faster.
Drinking chamomile tea before bed will increase your chances of falling asleep faster because it can increase the body’s production of glycine. This glycine will help relax the nerves and act as a mild sedative while reducing stress and anxiety. This chemical results in a better chance of a good night’s sleep.
8. Take a Hot Bath
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One of the most relaxing and effective ways to fall asleep faster is to draw yourself a hot bubble bath and take a soak.
When your body temperature drops, it makes you feel sleepy, which is what you want to help you drift off into a beautiful deep slumber. A hot bath will increase your body temperature. Once you get out, your body will rapidly start to cool down and make you feel ready for bed.
Soaking in a hot bath is a great aid in falling asleep faster, so make it part of your nightly ritual. Get clean, have a pamper, and drift off to the land of Nod.
7. Do Some Breathing Exercises
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Meditation and breathing exercises have been proven to help you fall asleep. The process of clearing your mind of any thoughts and distractions that could be keeping you awake is a fantastic way to switch off before bed.
Focusing on breathing slowly and rhythmically will calm your mind and slow your body right down ready full a night of deep slumber.
6. Practice Yoga Before Bed
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Another popular and effective method to help you drift off soundly is practicing yoga poses before bed. Yoga relaxes the body and will aid you in falling asleep.
Yoga also has many health benefits, which makes it a perfect choice to aid you in sleeping.
Want to know which yoga poses to do to help you fall asleep faster? Read our article “Top 5 Yoga Poses Before Bed for a Restful Sleep” to find out more.
5. Read a Book Before Bed
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Reading a book before bed is a widely practiced technique and favored by many. There’s nothing better than climbing into bed, turning down the lights, and getting all snuggly while you read a few pages or even a chapter or two of your favorite book.
Reading lets your brain switch off from the everyday stresses of modern life. It makes your mind, eyes, and body have a rest from all the electronic devices and screens that are everywhere.
4. Wear Socks
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Wearing compression socks to bed may not be for everyone — you either love it or hate it. However, it can help you fall asleep faster.
Having cold feet will inhibit blood flow, which is the opposite of what you need to help you fall asleep. When your body is about to sleep, the blood that flows to your feet and hands is redirected to other core areas to redistribute heat. Wearing compression socks to bed will warm your feet and allow this to happen.
Top Tip: If you are not a fan of wearing socks to bed, use a hot water bottle at the end of the bed to warm your feet.
3. Keep Your Room Cool
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An excellent hack to fall asleep faster is to keep your bedroom at a cool temperature — but not too cold. Body temperature naturally drops when you begin to fall asleep. By maintaining this cooler temperature in the environment, you will increase your chance of a good night’s sleep.
Keep your bedroom cooler by using a tower fan or keeping the window ajar. These methods will allow the air to circulate during the night and keep your body at the right temperature.
2. Set a Bedtime
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One of the most important steps you can take to help you fall asleep faster is to establish a fixed time to go to bed and stick to it, even if you have to force yourself to go to bed in the middle of a Netflix binge.
Going to bed at the same time every night is healthy for you physically and mentally. Your internal clock that regulates the feeling of sleepiness will be thrown off its natural rhythm if you go to bed at a different time each night. A set bedtime lets your mind know that it’s time to start winding down and get ready to relax and fall asleep.
Top Tip: Set your alarm clock for the same time every night to give you a gentle reminder that it’s time to go to bed, unwind, relax, and quickly fall asleep.
1. Wear a Sleep Mask
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Wearing a sleep mask is one of the most simple yet effective hacks to help you fall asleep faster. Sleep masks are a brilliant tool to help you get relaxing sleep.
Melatonin is the chemical that induces sleep. This chemical is produced when the brain senses darkness. Using a sleep mask will block out the natural light and create this process and improve your chances of falling asleep.
Tips to Stop You Waking Up Durning the Night
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If you’ve nailed the falling asleep faster hacks and you want to make sure you stay asleep during the night, try out these key tips to help prevent you from waking up during the night and have a full night’s sleep.
Hide Your Clock
Hiding your clock is a great trick to help you stop waking up during the night.
If you are having trouble sleeping, it can lead to over thinking and worrying about the fact that you can’t sleep. This anxiety will lead you to wake up during the night to check the clock. This worrying will interfere with your ability to have a good night’s sleep.
By hiding your clock somewhere, you will remove any temptation to check the time throughout the night and increase your chances of falling asleep faster if you wake up.
Invest in a Comfortable Mattress
A good mattress will help you sleep well. The wrong mattress, whether is it old, broken or the wrong firmness, will make you uncomfortable and restless.
If you are already tossing and turning during the night, you might need a new mattress. The perfect mattress for you needs to be the right firmness and size for you to maintain an uninterrupted nights sleep.
Want to know more? Then read our detailed guide on the best mattresses on the market. We go over the top 5 mattresses and how to choose the best one for you.
Turn Off Electronics
The modern day world is full to the brim with electronic and screens. These devices are a distraction when you’re trying to get your brain to switch off and fall asleep.
Turn off all electronic devices before you go to bed and make sure that you don’t use them at least an hour before your set bedtime. This step will allow your body and brain to relax fully. Switch off the laptop, tablet, smartphone, and tablet so that there are no distractions in your bedroom.
If you try to fall asleep immediately after using a device, it will disrupt your sleep, and you may even wake up during the night to check your notifications if you know a device is nearby.
Use Blackout Curtains
If you are light sensitive and can only sleep if you have complete darkness, invest in a pair of blackout curtains to help you do so. Even if you can fall asleep in the light of day, blackout curtains are a great sleep aid.
There are many lights and distractions outside of your bedroom window such as streetlights, neighbors backyard spotlights, and car headlights. This light pollution will increase your chances of waking up during the night. Blackout curtains will prevent these light distractions from interrupting your sleep, allowing for a better and longer nights sleep.
We hope that these best hacks to help you fall asleep faster will aid you in a goods night sleep. Give them a try and find out which work best for you, and add them to your nightly routine.
