We’ve talked a lot about the importance of sleep and how it’s directly related to your health quite a bit at Health Wellness Coaches over the past few years. Proper sleep enables your body to heal and prepare your mind for the next day. A full 7-8 hours is essential every single night, but many of us struggle to get even close to that because of busy lifestyles and the inability to calm the mind down each evening.
Here are 10 Ways to Fall Asleep Faster
Set the thermostat between 60-65 degrees
Sleeping in cooler temps improve sleep quality creating a comfortable sleep space that will enable you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Don’t eat 3 hours before going to bed, especially chocolate
Doctors say it takes 3 hours for a person’s stomach to break down food and if you climb in bed before your body has a chance to do its thing, sleep can disrupt the process. But more importantly, if you’re eating chocolate ice cream or cake, you’re probably taking in loads of sugar. While that’s bad enough when it comes to your sleep, chocolate can be a source of caffeine and just a little of it can disturb falling asleep.
Take a detox bath to relax and calm your mind and body
Studies show that taking a hot bath an hour and a half before bed could help you fall asleep more quickly. The hot water helps to change your body’s core temperature and that drop helps signal the body that it’s time for bed.
Eat foods rich in magnesium
Eating magnesium regulates neurotransmitters, which send signals throughout your nervous system and brain, while also regulating melatonin guiding sleep cycles in your body. Eat foods like low-fat milk, yogurt and leafy greens.
Sip on some chamomile tea
Chamomile is a plant that’s often used to promote sleep because of its sedative effects and can also induce muscle relaxation. Sipping on some while preparing for sleep will help you fall asleep faster.
Maintain a regular sleep schedule
Our bodies function much more efficiently with routine so maintaining the same sleep schedule to the best of your ability each night will also help you to fall asleep faster.
Get some sunshine to reset your biological clock
It’s been found that sunshine plays a role in regulating hormones and sleep patterns by affecting melatonin; which is produced from the chemical melanin that is produced in the skin through sunshine. Ultimately, melatonin induces sleep.
Diffuse some lavender essential oil
Lavender has been found to relieve anxiety and act like a sedative at the same time increasing calm and relaxation. It helps to quiet the brain and nervous system enabling you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Keep electronics out of bed and turned off an hour beforehand
The blue light from electronics of any kind from television to your cell phone or iPad affects the brain and will keep you awake even after you turn them off. Be sure to finish up with your electronics an hour before bedtime. In addition, scrolling through social media is not healthy any time of day, but most especially before sleep.
Meditate and breathe
If all else fails, this is probably the most effective way to calm your mind and body. Take 5-10 minutes to breathe and calm your mind. 10 deep breaths in through your nose and out of your mouth will do wonders to prepare you for sleep.