Insomnia seems to be one of the biggest problems in contemporary society. People sacrifice their sleep in order to work, socialize, or simply to watch their favorite TV show.
That sounds like a convenient idea up until it becomes a problematic matter – over thirty percent of adults have a sleeping disorder. Lacking quality sleep leads to a series of issues; a significant decrease in productivity, lack of focus and concentration, and even driving while drowsy – five percent of adults with sleeping problems reported having an accident because of it.
However, most of these problems can be solved – you can resolve them by yourself. It will be necessary that you introduce changes to your behavior, but considering the fact that you’ll be able to fall asleep in time and wake up rested, they are worth the trouble.
Routinize Your Nights
The human body responds to rhythm. Unfortunately, young adults tend to neglect many healthy habits, like scheduled meals and – sleeping.
Once you disturb your sleeping pattern, your body will react. In essence, the usual release of melatonin – the sleeping hormone – will be violently interrupted.
The first precondition for being able to fall asleep on time is building a routine. An early dinner, some time to unwind and then off to bed.
Reverse Psychology
It’s very amusing how the human mind works – you can even manipulate it yourself.
When you have troubles sleeping, and you’re just watching time go by while you’re tossing and turning in bed, you’re just putting an impossible amount of pressure on yourself. That has a contradictory effect, and you won’t be able to fall asleep.
However, if you force yourself to stay awake, you just might be able to achieve your goal and fall asleep. According to a study, reverse psychology works even in this case – examinees with sleeping problems who directed their efforts towards trying to stay awake as long as possible managed to fell asleep more quickly.
No Damaging Substances
To regulate your sleeping pattern, you should make some changes in your diet as well. For starters, you shouldn’t have coffee after five – it’s designed to keep you awake, so make sure to steer clear of it. You can replace it with a soothing cup of tea, but make sure it’s decaf as well.
Alcohol and smoking shouldn’t only be reduced to a minimum, but you should strive towards getting rid of these damaging habits once and for all.
Burn Energy
Excess energy is a very common cause of sleep deprivation. The fact is that a majority of adults spends most of their day bound to a workstation and a computer. The fact that it is mentally challenging doesn’t really count here.
Therefore, the benefits of working out go beyond physical health and being satisfied with the way you look. So, find an activity that suits you and burns that energy (and calories).
Take a Short Break
Another way to manipulate your mind into finally falling asleep is allowing it to focus on something else. When you find yourself staring at the ceiling again, get up and find some kind of activity that requires of you to use your hands, like a putting together a puzzle.
After a period of fifteen minutes or so, go back to bed because you should be able to fall asleep with ease. This break is there to take your mind off your inability to fall asleep.
Don’t Check the Time
If you constantly check the time to find out for how long you have been trying to fall asleep and how much hours of sleep you have left, you will stress yourself out. So, if you are having this issue, get rid of all the clocks in your bedroom.
Open a Window
If you’re trying to sleep and it’s too hot, it’s no wonder you are having troubles. Although some people find a hot bedroom very comfortable, it doesn’t provide good conditions for sleeping and it will make getting up a lot more difficult.
While you’re sleeping, the temperature of your body is decreased. So, if you open up a window and let some cool air in, you’ll be able to, in a way, trick your body into thinking that it’s under the influence of melatonin.
If you want to make the process we just talked about even more efficient, you should take a steamy shower just before going to bed. After that, the temperature of your body will drop significantly, and that, combined with a cool room, is a great combination.
Warm Up Your Feet
Some people find socks in bed to be a nasty habit, but they might change their opinion when they find out that it can help them fall asleep faster. When you are wearing socks in bed, the blood vessels on the surface of your feet expand. Because of this side-effect, your body is able to cool down faster and, as we explained, that’s one of the ways to trigger melatonin release.
Sounds Instead of Screens
Browsing online or watching shows is a very common before-bed routine that many adults practice. However, the screen is your enemy and, and so is the internet in this situation.
Social media can cause a certain amount of anxiety – most users can’t resist checking a notification as soon as their smartphone makes a sound. So, you should either turn on airplane mode or leave your smartphone outside your bedroom doors.
Furthermore, you should know that visual stimuli – such is watching a show for example – keeps you awake. Your mind isn’t challenged enough so it gets tired while watching something, and it won’t lead to you dozing off. Besides, screens and melatonin don’t work well – they prevent the release of this hormone.
If you’re looking for something to serve you as a lullaby, you should turn to classical music, soothing sounds made to help you fall asleep. You can go for even audiobooks and radio shows.
Now when you’re armed with enough information to defeat insomnia, bedtime shouldn’t be a frustrating part of the day. Just be persistent, try out different tips until you find the one that works for you best, and you should be able to return to a healthy sleep pattern quite soon.
