Sleep deprivation can lead to various health problems. Not only will it impact your ability to think, but it can also weaken your immune system! In other words, you'd be more likely to get sick.
It’s important that you get enough sleep every night. Ideally, you want to aim for 7-8 hours. Any less and you’d be putting your health at risk!
For some people, however, falling asleep is a challenge. After all, insomnia is a thing.
Want to know how you can fall asleep faster? If so, you’ve stumbled on the right page— because that’s what we’re here to talk about!
Keep reading for tips and more!
Sleep is crucial for our health. Put it simply, we can’t function without it.
Think of it this way—it allows the body to repair and rejuvenate itself. Not only that, but it plays other roles too. For one thing, it helps strengthen your memory.
For example, one of the things that it does is that it facilitates memory retention. Without proper rest, you wouldn’t be able to learn nearly as efficiently!
Insomnia is a sleep disorder in which an individual has difficulty falling or staying asleep. As a result, it often leads to fatigue.
There are several reasons why someone might experience this. For instance, it’s not uncommon for stress to be responsible. Certain conditions such as back pain or arthritis can also make it more difficult to sleep.
In some cases, it may be due to psychological issues such as depression.
Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to improve your sleep (aside from taking medications). Here are a few tips that might help:
It’s not uncommon for some people to take naps during the day. While it can make you feel more alert, it can actually prevent you from sleeping at night.
In one study, college students who took more than three naps per week had the lowest quality of nighttime sleep.
Given that, you want to do your best to eliminate naps altogether. If you must, keep them short (less than 30 minutes).
It’s not uncommon for people to wake up in the middle of the night. While that’s normal, you want to avoid looking at the clock.
Why? It can make it more difficult for you to fall back asleep as you might obsess over the fact that you can’t fall asleep. If necessary, hide your clock before going to bed. For example, you can put it in a drawer.
Regular exercise can increase the quality of your sleep. For one thing, it decreases levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that can disrupt your sleep pattern.
With that said, you want to keep in mind the time of day when you exercise. Avoid doing so late in the evening. If possible, work out early in the morning or during mid-day.
Put away all your electronic devices (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops) an hour before going to bed. The blue light from the screens can suppress melatonin, which can prevent you from falling asleep.
Not only that, but it can also delay the onset of REM sleep. This can cause you to feel sleepy in the morning, even if you’ve had eight hours of shuteye.
Caffeine is a stimulant that promotes alertness. As a result, it can disrupt your sleep. Given that, it only makes sense that you’d want to limit its intake in the evening.
While its effects differ from person to person, it’s a good idea to refrain from consuming caffeine at least six hours before going to sleep.
Reading before bed can help you fall asleep faster. If anything, it’s a great way to wind down before bed.
It’s important to note, however, that this only applies to traditional paper books. Reading from an electronic device can have the opposite effect, as mentioned earlier.
The temperature of your room can impact your sleep—that is, you’ll have a harder time falling asleep if it’s too warm.
The opposite is also true. Cooler temperatures can make it easier for you to fall asleep. For this reason, you might want to consider playing around with your thermostat.
Taking a warm shower before bed can help you relax, which can make it easier for you to fall asleep.
Not only that but stepping out of the shower can cause your body temperature to drop significantly. This rapid decrease can slow down your metabolism, which prepares you for sleep.
Studies have shown that aromatherapy can help improve sleep quality. In other words, it might be a good idea to get an essential oil diffuser.
There are many relaxing scents that are known to encourage sleep such as lavender. Experiment with a few and see what works best for you.
And there we have it—nine tips on how to fall asleep faster at night. As you can see, there are a number of things that you can do. Why not give some of them a try?
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