Do you want to know how to shorten the time between lying down and actually falling asleep?
Getting enough sleep is one of the most important things that we can do for ourselves outside of diet and exercise, and sometimes falling asleep can be a nightmare… couldn’t resist, the urge to pun was way too strong.
It should typically take around 15 to 20 minutes to fall asleep, but there are things that you can do to speed that process up a little bit.
7. Turn off or at least silence your electronics
Step one for falling asleep faster, as much as you’re going to hate hearing it, is to turn off or at least silence your electronics.
A good rule of thumb is, if it has an electric current going through it, you should turn it off, silence it or at the very least put it down an hour before you plan on going to sleep.
I know right who’s actually going to do that? But here’s why helps you fall asleep faster if you do.
As the sun goes down your body starts releasing hormones that increase your level of tiredness as the night crawls on. The blue light from whatever device you’re looking at delays the release of melatonin, which makes falling asleep take even more time.
If you’re a gamer this next part, you’re really not going to like it at all!
Studies conducted at the University of Arkansas concluded that people who play games more than seven hours per week don’t sleep as well as people who play games less than seven hours, but I guess it’s easy for people to judge who doesn’t know what it feels like to be in the middle of GTA height at 5 o’clock in the morning, right?
Social media outlets have been known to induce feelings of stress and anxiety, so updating everybody to let them know that you’re going to sleep might be part of the reason that you’re actually not falling asleep fast. Let me know in the comments below any tricks that you have for falling asleep faster.
6. Exercise
The next thing you can do to fall asleep faster most of the time is to have a regular exercise routine. Walking, biking, swimming …anything aerobic for 30 to 40 minutes, four times per week will not only improve the quality of your sleep but also help you fall asleep faster more regularly.
5. Watch what and when you eat
Protein helps your body make tryptophan, and your brain uses tryptophan to induce sleepiness by converting into serotonin and then in the melatonin which helps you sleep. Carbohydrates help your brain use tryptophan so a late bedtime snack containing both will help you fall asleep faster.
Something along the lines of peanut butter spread out on a piece of bread or maybe even a piece of toast should do the trick just make sure to keep it small. It’s also a good practice to eat dinner three hours before you go to sleep so that when you’re laying there trying to sleep, your body isn’t trying to process an entire meal.
4. Having a consistent sleep routine
Having a consistent sleep routine will also help you fall asleep faster. If you’re like me, and you go to sleep at different times all the time with no real set schedule, then our bodies don’t really know when to start making us tired, and essentially we’re kind of screwing up our circadian rhythms a little bit, which is having a negative effect on our sleep.
However, if you’re somebody that holds a pretty tight schedule together, and you can say I’m going to bed at this time every single night, Doing so help you fall asleep faster.
3. Set ideal temperature
If you have an air conditioner, turning it on will help lower your core body temperature, which will help your body create the processes involved in making you fall asleep.
The ideal temperature is dependent on the person, for example, what’s perfect for me maybe a little bit too cold for you or vice versa.
The recommended starting temperature to figure out what’s best for you is 65 degrees Fahrenheit or about 18 degrees Celsius, then you adjust accordingly based on what you find to be the most comfortable.
2. Take a Hot Bath
Taking a quick and warm shower or bath can actually help you too. Studies have shown that warming your skin surface can actually help you fall asleep faster.
I know what you’re thinking, wait a minute here! didn’t you just say that I need to turn on my air conditioner? I did. You see the air conditioner’s going to help lower your core temperature, which is going to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. The shower is going to raise your skin temperature, and it’s going to help you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper.
So mixing the two makes for a perfect combination of faster, deeper sleep.
1. Darkroom
A cool dark room is going to give you the best results when it comes to trying to fall asleep faster.
If you take out your TV or at least keep it off a couple of hours before going to bed, and you don’t bring anything work-related in your bedroom, then your brain is going to associate your bedroom with relaxation and going to sleep.
In the end, staying asleep, Falling asleep, and getting the right amount of sleep is crucial to your health and well-being.
