According to the National Institutes of Health, insomnia is experienced by almost half of Americans who are aged 60 years old and above. If you are worried most of the time, then chances are high that you will find it hard to relax and fall asleep.
Here are some helpful tips based on science to help you fall asleep faster.
- Make an effort to keep yourself awake.
Sounds ironic, doesn’t it? That’s the power of reverse psychology. A study done in the University of Glasgow found out that a person who has sleep-onset insomnia fell asleep faster if they lay in bed and try to keep themselves awake while their eyes are open. They also had reduced sleep performance anxiety. - Get out of the bed and be productive for 10 minutes.
If you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep, try doing an activity that involves your head and hands such as a coloring book or jigsaw puzzle. The stimulus control theory asserts that the body should associate lying in bed as a signal to sleep. You should stay away from your bed if you are doing any other activity besides sleeping. - Keep your clock out of sight.
Tossing and turning at night while staring at your bedside clock won’t do you any good. Checking the time regularly will only add up to your stress, which will only agitate your nervous system even more. - Adjust the temperature of your room.
Your body temperature is related to your biological body clock. Experts from Harvard Medical School suggest that the body slightly cools down when you go to sleep, which facilitates the sleeping process. The National Sleep Foundation suggests that the most optimum temperature to encourage sleep is from 60-67 degrees F. - Dip your face in ice-cold water for 30 seconds.
Doing this technique initiates a phenomenon known as the Mammalian Dive Reflex. This decreases your blood pressure and heart rate which will help you to relax. - Listen to some music.
A study conducted in 2008 reports that students from 19 to 28 years old displayed a big improvement in the quality of their sleep after listening to classical music. The rhythm of the music you choose should be 60-80 bpm. - Use your imagination.
Try to think of a place that will make you feel happy and relaxed. The scene should be able to distract you from what makes you anxious. A study done by Oxford University indicates that people who do this technique fell asleep faster by 20 minutes. - Try Acupressure.
According to Chinese tradition, there are certain points in your body such as in your eyebrows, toes and ears that will help regulate insomnia. Pressing on these points will regulate the body, mind and spirit to help you doze off. According to the National Institutes of Health, insomnia is experienced by almost half of Americans who are aged 60 years old and above. If you are worried most of the time, then chances are high that you will find it hard to relax and fall asleep. - Inhale using your left nostril.
A book on natural sleep therapies suggests that this yoga technique will help menopausal women and people with high body temperatures to fall asleep. It decreases blood pressure in order to calm you. - Create a worry list.
Thinking about your unfinished tasks causes insomnia. This makes you anxious of forgetting the things that are needed to be done. Create your to-do list before going to bed so you can forget about it until the next day.Last but not least, is your mattress keeping you up at night?Call our Mattress experts at Mattress World at 866-35-SLEEP 1-866-357-5337
