Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Falling asleep
• Part 2 of 3: Setting up a sleep routine
• Part 3 of 3: Making lifestyle changes

Everyone has trouble sleeping from time to time. If you're struggling to fall asleep, there are a few easy changes you can make. Relaxing activities and lifestyle changes can lead to a better overall sleep cycle.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Falling asleep

1. Practice a relaxing ritual. If you find yourself having trouble sleeping at night, try having a relaxing ritual. This can help clear your mind and put you to sleep.
   • Take five deep breaths. Inhaling and exhaling can help the body relax. Place your hand on your stomach and try to breathe so that your hand falls up and down on your stomach with your breath.
   • Focus on the here and now. This can help you take your mind off intrusive thoughts that are preventing you from falling asleep. Focus on the feel of the sheets against your legs, the temperature of the room, any outside noise, and the smell of your sheets or bed. Hyper-focus on the present moment can help you fall asleep.
   • Tightening your toes can actually relieve a lot of tension. If you're trying to fall asleep but can't, try pulling your toes in, holding for a count of ten, then letting go and counting to ten again. Repeat 10 times.
2. Leave the room and do something else. If you've been trying to fall asleep for a while and can't, it's best to leave the room and do something else. Reading a book, listening to soothing music, and other calming activities can help you fall asleep. You should mainly associate your room with sleep, so make sure you go to the living room or elsewhere in your house and don't go back to bed until you start to feel sleepy.
   • Remember not to turn the lights too bright and do nothing too stimulating. If you read a book, don't choose an exciting novel. Try a biography or something less exciting.
3. Make a to-do list. If you're having trouble sleeping because you can't stop thinking about everything on your schedule tomorrow, make a to-do list. This can get distracting thoughts out of your mind. Write down everything you need to do tomorrow on a piece of paper. Avoid using your smartphone as the light from the screen disrupts the production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep. Clearing distracting thoughts can help you fall asleep.
4. Make sure your bedroom is suitable for sleep. Your room can have a dramatic effect on your ability to sleep. If you often struggle to doze off, an inhospitable sleeping environment may be to blame.
   • Pay attention to the temperature in your room. The ideal sleeping temperature is between 15.6 to 18.3 ° C. If your room is warmer or colder than this, you may need to invest in space heating or air conditioning.
   • Bright lights can hinder your ability to sleep. Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask to block out light. Dim clocks or devices with bright screens before going to sleep.
   • Keep your sleeping and waking life separate. Try to avoid work in the bedroom and mainly use it for sleeping. If you make it a habit to work in bed, your brain will learn to associate your sleeping space with "on" time. You can feel energized when you get into bed.
5. Try body scan meditation. Body scan meditation is a meditation practice where you try to be aware of different parts of your body. By hyper-focusing on one body part at a time, you can make your mind sleepy.
   • Body scan meditation techniques vary in length. They can last from 10 minutes to three or five minutes. You start by focusing on a small part of your body, such as your little toe, and then move on to focusing on an entire part of the body. You pay attention to sensations in that part of the body, then in a certain area, and then go up. For example, you move from your toe to your foot to your lower leg and so on.
   • There are many guided meditation techniques online that focus on body scan meditation. If you're trying to fall asleep, you may want to do a shorter routine of about five minutes; however, if your mind is feeling particularly busy and distracted, a longer routine can help.
6. Drink chamomile tea or warm milk. If you have trouble falling asleep, sometimes something like chamomile tea or milk can help. Try a drink of one of these drinks on sleepless nights.
   • There is still a lot of scientific uncertainty about the effect of warm milk on sleep. Although the physical effect of milk is limited, it is believed that the drink is sedative for some. The psychological calming effect of warm milk can increase the feeling of drowsiness, especially if you were given warm milk as a sleep aid when you were young.
   • As with warm milk, there is still confusion about the benefits of chamomile tea for sleep. The effects are probably more psychological than physical, but as many find chamomile tea to be calming, a cup of tea before bed can also help you sleep. Make sure to avoid caffeinated teas, which can affect the sleep cycle.
7. Take a warm bath or shower. Your body temperature naturally drops just before going to bed. If you take a warm bath or shower right before bed, your temperature will rise temporarily and then drop when you leave the water. This lowering in temperature mimics the body's natural process that prepares you for sleep, which can calm you and promote feelings of drowsiness. For best effect, jump into the shower about two hours before bed.
8. Buy a white noise machine. If you have trouble sleeping due to outside noise or loud neighbors, consider a white noise machine. This is a machine that generates white noise or soothing background noise to drown out unwanted noise. You can also download white noise apps on many mobile phones.
9. Try a melatonin supplement. Melatonin is the hormone your body produces that helps influence your sleep / wake cycle. Taking a melatonin supplement can make you feel drowsy and it can be taken as a short-term solution. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking any supplement.
   • Buy a supplement that accurately lists the dosage and ingredients on the package.
10. Try magnesium. Research has shown that magnesium can help improve overall sleep quality.Try to take the recommended daily dose of 300 to 400 mg or a little more to promote sleep. However, don't use more than 1,000 mg per day. Check with your doctor for a dose recommendation and to make sure you can safely use magnesium supplements.

Part 2 of 3: Setting up a sleep routine

1. Stick to a sleep schedule. If you want to work on improving your sleep in the long term, have a regular sleep schedule. Your body runs on a circadian rhythm that adjusts to set sleep / wake times. If you make an effort to fall asleep and get up at the same time each day, you will sleep better and wake up more easily.
   • Make gradual adjustments. If you normally fall asleep around 2am and find yourself lagging in the morning, you cannot go to bed immediately at 11pm. Try to go to bed 20 or 30 minutes earlier every night until you reach your desired sleep time.
   • Stick to the schedule, even on weekends. While it may be tempting to sleep late on a Saturday, this confuses the body's circadian rhythm. This makes falling asleep on a Sunday evening and waking up on a Monday morning difficult.
2. Relax before going to sleep. Your body needs at least an hour before bed to relax. Choose to do calming activities an hour before bed.
   • Reading, doing crossword puzzles, taking a warm bath, or listening to music are all relaxing activities that can help you fall asleep.
   • Many people watch television to relax before going to bed. If you choose to do this, watch something that takes half an hour or less to limit exposure to bright light. Choose a relaxing, light-hearted program over anything heavy. Seeing something that upsets you before bed can lead to sleep problems.
3. Avoid bright light at night. Electronic devices, such as laptops, tablets and smartphones, emit "blue light", which is stimulating and can disturb your sleep. Try to avoid these devices before going to bed or look for options that reduce blue light emissions at night, such as programs such as f.lux for your computer or "Night mode" for your smartphone.
4. Watch what you eat before going to sleep. Eating heavy foods before bed can result in an upset stomach that keeps you awake at night; However, going to bed hungry can also be distracting. If you're hungry before going to bed, choose a low-calorie healthy snack over something greasy or sugary. Healthy food fills you, so that you can fall asleep satisfied.
   • Try a slice of whole grain toast with a little peanut butter. This is a satisfying snack that can also help you fall asleep, as the complex carbohydrates help your body deliver sleep-inducing tryptophan to your brain.
5. Adjust your bedding. If you have chronic sleep problems, your bedding may be the problem. Uncomfortable pillows can cause restless nights.
   • If possible, opt for all cotton bedding. These promote air flow and breathability, making them less likely to cause irritation.
   • Avoid irritants. Check the labels on your sheets, duvet, pillows and pillowcases. There may be a substance in the fabric that you are allergic or sensitive to, which can lead to sleeping problems.
   • Pillows lose firmness over time. If your pillow keeps getting weaker, replace it.

Part 3 of 3: Making lifestyle changes

1. Exercise. Having an established exercise routine can help regulate your sleep cycle. Just 10 minutes of light exercise a day can improve the quality of your sleep. It also reduces the risk of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome.
   • Exercise aids in sleep and it improves the overall health of your body and also helps manage stress. Doing aerobic activities, such as jogging or cycling a few times a week, can help you fall asleep faster.
   • Timing is important when it comes to the effect of exercise on sleep. Exercising too late in the day can lead to an increase in energy, which can lead to difficulty falling or staying asleep. Try to exercise in the morning or late afternoon.
2. Reduce nicotine, alcohol and caffeine intake. Nicotine and caffeine are both stimulants that have been in your system for a long time. Smoking or drinking coffee too late in the day can lead to sleep problems. Try to avoid coffee in the early afternoon and if you smoke, make an effort to quit. Tobacco can have other negative health effects in addition to sleeping problems. While alcohol can make you drowsy, the quality of sleep you have when you are intoxicated is less. Try to avoid more than one or two drinks a night if you want better quality sleep. Alcohol also interrupts REM sleep.
3. Reduce stress. If you have a lot of stress in your life, this can keep you up at night. If you want better quality sleep, make efforts to reduce your overall stress level.
   • Start with the basics. Try to be more organized. Small changes, such as keeping your environment tidy, can have a dramatic impact on stress.
   • Take breaks. Don't force yourself to work too hard all day long. If you need a little rest, take 10 or 15 minutes to relax.
   • Look at stress-reducing activities. Things like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises can have a dramatic effect on your stress levels.
4. Know when to see a doctor. Contact your doctor if you often have sleep problems, even after making certain changes. Sleep problems can indicate several underlying health problems. A medical evaluation is necessary to rule out serious health problems. Your doctor may be able to prescribe you medication to treat sleep disorders.