Content

• Steps

Many people have trouble sleeping. Staying up all night is extremely uncomfortable and has negative health effects. Lack of sleep can lower your immune system, make you more susceptible to depression and anxiety, and increase your risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. However, there are some simple methods that can help you relax enough to fall asleep faster.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Use relaxation relaxation techniques

1. 

   Exercise during the day. This will keep your body tired when night comes. It also secretes pain-relieving compounds in the brain, endorphins that calm your emotions.
   • Exercise will keep the body awake, so exercising at the earliest possible time of the day is best. If you can choose between going to the gym in the morning and in the evening, give it a try in the morning.
   • Adults 18-64 years of age each week should do at least 150 minutes of low intensity exercise and at least 10 minutes at a time.
   • Ensuring a child who has trouble sleeping needs enough exercise. This will keep them tired at night.

2. 

   
   
   Drink soothing tea. A decaffeinated tea with chamomile or valerian can help initiate the pre-bed relaxation process. Look for teas that contain a soothing ingredient or those with a "sleep aid" label.

3. 

   Exercise breath. This is a great way to relieve anxiety and soothe your body so you can fall asleep. When you are lying in bed in a comfortable position:
   • Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
   • Close your eyes and focus on feeling the breath as it moves through your body. Visualize that pathway through the mouth and nose, to the lungs, and inhale again.
   • Notice tension in your body. As you exhale, focus on relaxing those areas.
   • If you think about your worries again, notice them and then focus on your breathing again.

4. 

   
   
   Use images. With this method, you give a mental image to your mind to focus on other than the stresses of everyday life. Which image makes you the most yourself. It could be a favorite place, an imaginary place, doing an activity you enjoy or telling a story to yourself.
   • Slowly imagine the scene in as much detail as possible. For example, if you are imagining a beach, visualize the waves, listen to them rushing ashore, hear seagulls cry and imagine what the sea water tastes like. Feel the blowing breeze and the warmth of the sun.
   • If you find yourself returning to your usual stressors, remind yourself that you will face it tomorrow and focus again on the image. This takes practice, but over time you will feel better.
   • This method may also help children who have trouble sleeping.

5. 

   
   
   Try continuous muscle relaxation. This method is especially good for people under physical stress.If you are the type of person who when stressed, when you experience some tension in the back, neck or head, this method can help you relax and fall asleep.
   • Start with your toes and slowly work your way through each muscle group in your body.
   • Tense muscle groups for 5 seconds. Focus on how it feels. Then deliberately relax the muscle group. Feel the difference. Repeat 5 times for each muscle group. Then move on to the next muscle group.
   • Do not hold your breath while tense the muscles. Take a deep, relaxing breath.

6. 

   Ask your partner to massage. If you have tight body areas, this can lead to pain that makes it difficult to sleep. Many people experience tension in the shoulders and neck, causing back pain and headaches.
   • Ask your partner for a short, gentle massage before going to bed. If you have pain in a specific area, focus on that spot. A massage and a calming sensation will help you to soothe both physically and mentally, making it easier to fall asleep.
   • Turn off lights or keep them low to reduce visual stimulation.
   • If you are using a massage oil, choose something with a mild aroma, like lavender or vanilla.

7. 

   Read a soothing book. Read something engaging enough without worrying you. But don't read a book so stimulating that you won't be able to stop reading it.
   • Reading scientific literature or having lots of information will excite the mind, not the emotion.
   • Avoid reading mystery novels. They increase the chance of you staying up all night to finish reading.
   • This method is good for children who have difficulty relaxing at the end of the day. Read stories 10-20 minutes before bedtime to soothe them.

8. 

   Write down some stress and anxiety. If you can't relax because you're trying to keep track of everything you need to do for the next day, stop and write it down. Write down anything that bothers you or worries you. If you start to feel stressed again, remind yourself that you've written everything down and that you can choose to do them tomorrow.

9. 

   Stop trying when you can't sleep. If you lie awake for more than 20 minutes, get up and walk around. This will help you to get rid of your sadness and worry. Take 10 minutes and try:
   • Take a warm bath in the shower to soothe your body.
   • Read books to clear your mind.
   • Listen to soothing music.
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Part 2 of 3: Develop a sleep routine

1. 

   Maintain a sleep schedule. Waking up and sleeping at the same time each day will help your body get a sleep and wake rhythm to help you fall asleep and stay up on time. Keep this schedule for the whole week. While it is okay to fall asleep late on weekends, don't let the temptation keep you up late or sleeping late.
   • Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. If you are still tired, this may be due to coincidence that you need more sleep. Some adults may need 10 hours of sleep each night. Children and teenagers often need more sleep.
   • Try not to take a nap. While this can be good at times, if it means that you can't sleep at night, taking a nap is more harmful than helpful.

2. 

   Take a warm bath or shower. About an hour before going to bed, indulge yourself by taking a warm shower or bath, soothing and warming your body. When you step out into cool air, your body temperature drops, which is exactly what your body is doing as if it were preparing for sleep. Adding this step to your nighttime routine can help your body begin to fall asleep.

3. 

   Prepare your bedroom for a comfortable rest. Reduce any stimulation that may wake you up. These can include noise, inappropriate temperature, television, lighting, allergens, or uncomfortable mattresses. Some solutions that can manage these problems include:
   • Use headphones or "white noise machines" to reduce the sound. The white noise machine makes a low and continuous sound, which after a few minutes, you won't notice it. However, it also balances other sounds that might bother you. These methods can be helpful if traffic or neighbor noise makes it difficult to sleep.
   • Use a dark colored blind or curtain to reduce the light. This can be helpful if you work at night and sleep during the day, or if there is street light out the window.
   • Keep the room temperature right. Most people sleep best when the room temperature is 16-19 ° C. If you live in a hot, dry climate, try using a humidifier or fan to lower the temperature.
   • If you have allergies, try to reduce the amount of allergens you have in the room. If you have pets, keep them out of the room. Another option is to vacuum regularly to remove allergens such as pollen, dust and pet hair.
   • If your mattress is more than 10 years old and you have back pain when you wake up, then it's time to replace it. After heavy use, some mattresses no longer support you as they did when they were new. Check the mattress to see if there is a fixed indent where you sleep. If so, consider buying a new one. The investment in a quality mattress and pillow is well worth it.

4. 

   Turn off all electrical equipment. These include desktops, laptops, televisions and radio receivers. Bright light from screens can make it difficult for your body to go into sleep during its wakefulness cycle. Staying away from devices like tablets and televisions out of the room is purely fine. Try to make the bedroom just a place to sleep.
   • Turn off or move desktops and monitors that have glare. The light will stimulate and prevent the circadian rhythm from entering night mode. This will make it harder to sleep.
   • Turn off noisy devices. That means you have to switch the clock that makes a loud ticking sound or turn off the radio. If you have an easy time falling asleep with background noise, choose something that sounds soothing without words. Words will engage your mind and can prevent you from falling asleep.
   • Don't let yourself watch the clock when you try to sleep. This will make you worry about not being able to sleep, making it harder for you to sleep.

5. 

   Use light to regulate your sleep cycle. This method can be useful for workers who have to stay awake at night and sleep during the day. You can control the light stimulus you experience naturally, or control it more precisely with lights with natural light.
   • Take advantage of natural light by letting sunlight enter your room in the morning or taking a short walk in the sun. This will help your body watch programmed to wake up at that time. Likewise, avoid bright lights briefly before bed.
   • Buy a light with a natural light that you can programmed to be improved a few minutes before the alarm goes off. This light will cause you to receive the sun's spectrum, causing the body to start waking up. This helps the body maintain a steady sleep cycle. This can be very useful for shift workers who are not exposed to natural light during waking up.

6. 

   Avoid other caffeinated substances that will not disturb sleep. Includes caffeinated beverages, alcohol and nicotine.
   • Don't drink coffee, caffeinated tea, or caffeinated soda after lunch. Even if you feel tired and think it will keep you from going to sleep, it affects how your body regulates its wakefulness cycle.
   • No smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant and it can make it difficult to sleep.
   • Reduce alcohol. Although excessive alcohol consumption can cause you to "lose consciousness", alcohol can interfere with deep sleep phases, leaving you awake and waking up more often. Also, if you drank a lot before bed, you may have to wake up to urinate a lot at night.

7. 

   Do not eat much before bed. Acid reflux can make you uncomfortable in bed. Eating dinner at least two hours before bed allows you to digest your food. If you get hungry before bed, have a snack like a piece of fruit or a cracker.
   • Avoid indigestible foods, such as fatty foods, tomatoes or foods high in spices.

8. 

   Limit the amount of water you drink before bed. Don't dehydrate your body because if you are thirsty, you will wake up. But avoid drinking a lot of sugary drinks before bed. These drinks will keep you awake and urinate in the middle of the night.
   • If you reduce your fluid intake before bed, don't forget to drink a glass of water when you wake up to avoid dehydration.
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Part 3 of 3: Ask for help

1. 

   See your doctor if sleep problems interfere with your life. Many people with sleep problems, including insomnia, have some of the following symptoms:
   • Takes 30 minutes or more to sleep
   • Woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't go back to sleep
   • Waking up too early
   • Sleepy during the day
   • In a bad mood, feeling depressed or anxious
   • Often forget, make many mistakes at school and at work
   • Headache
   • Digestive problems
   • Worry about not getting enough sleep

2. 

   Discuss medications with your doctor. Some medicines contain stimulants or change sleep in other ways. This even includes some over-the-counter medications. Some drugs that can do this include:
   • Over-the-counter pain relievers, decongestants, and diet products
   • Stimulants such as the drug Ritalin
   • Allergy
   • Corticosteroid drugs
   • Depression reliever medicine
   • Medications for heart and blood pressure

3. 

   Try therapy. This is usually mentioned for people who have trouble sleeping for more than a month. There are a few methods that specialists can use:
   • Cognitive behavioral therapy: This therapy is intended to help you change the type of thinking that keeps you alert. This can be helpful if you are prone to anxiety or under a lot of stress.
   • Stimul-control therapyIn this method, you will reduce the amount of time you spend awake while lying in bed and only use your bed to sleep and have sex.
   • Sleep restriction therapy: In this method, you reduce the amount of time you sleep one night, with the goal of making you sleep better the next night. When you find a regular sleep cycle, you can increase your sleep time.
   • Paradoxical intentions: This treatment may be helpful for people who are heavily worried about not being able to sleep. Instead of worrying about it, try to stay awake.
   • Biological reaction: This method may be helpful for people who may not realize they are too stressed out while sleeping. By measuring physical activity, like heart rate and muscle tension, you can learn to consciously relax. To make sure you're dealing with someone you trust, ask if there's a doctor supervising this.

4. 

   Get short term help from medications. If you have severe sleep deprivation, your doctor may recommend a medication that makes you sleepy. However, there are also a lot of serious side effects including addiction, so it's important to take them for as short a time if possible. It is generally not recommended to take such medication for longer than a month. Some medications you can take for sleep include:
   • Drugs used to treat allergies are not prescribed by prescription. Realize that you may be too sleepy to drive or operate the machine tomorrow morning. Also, if you have urinary problems or often have to wake up several times at night to urinate, these medications can make things worse.
   • Melatonin (Circadin Medication). This medication includes the hormone melatonin that helps control the sleep cycle. It is often used for the elderly. Duration can be used up to 13 weeks. Side effects include headache, cold symptoms, back pain, and joint pain.
   • Benzodiazepines (Valium and others). These drugs can be addictive and, as you get used to, they become less effective. They also cause side effects such as dizziness, difficulty concentrating, lack of emotion, depression, irritability and drowsiness the next day.
   • Sleeping pills Z (sedatives Ambien, drug Sonata). These drugs are also addictive and less effective over time. They can cause drowsiness, diarrhea, snoring, dry mouth, confusion, nightmares, delusions and hallucinations. If you experience psychological side effects, go to the emergency room right away.
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