If you’ve been working to improve the quality of your sleep, you might be getting better sleep, but are you getting enough of it? Some of us find that our sleep troubles stem from the ability to fall asleep in the first place, even if we’re getting quality sleep when we finally manage to drop off. If you’re waking up still tired or are lying awake for ages listening to your partner snore, here are some top tips to help you fall asleep faster.
- Try pillow sprays. There are lots of pillow sprays, most containing lavender, designed to help you drop off to sleep. Give your pillow a good spritz and breathe deeply. The relaxing aromas and deep breathing will you to quiet your mind and fall asleep more quickly. Other sprays can be useful too. Buy CBD night spray oils online, for example, to help you to relax enough to get to sleep.
- Keep your bedroom dark and cool. Light can keep you awake more than you might think, and there are often many culprits in a bedroom that you might not realise are disturbing you. Even if you’ve already invested in blackout curtains and don’t leave lamps on, the glow from a digital alarm clock, your partner looking at their phone next to you, or even power lights, can disturb you enough to keep you awake. Remove or cover up these light sources. A cooler bedroom is better for sleep too, as most of us find it hard to sleep when we’re too hot. Your body temperature naturally drops when it’s time to sleep, so you can encourage this with a cool room.
- Meditate. Try a guided meditation app at first to learn some meditation routines that can help you to fall asleep. Mediate to still your mind and relax your body, making you primed for restful sleep. Once you’ve learned some routines, you can do them yourself without the apps.
- Release muscle tension. If meditation is a bit ‘woo’ for you, there are some other things that you can try to relax your mind and body. Try progressive muscle relaxation. Lay in bed and breathe slow and deeply. Hold your breath and tense the muscles in your feet. Hold for a few seconds, then release. Repeat, and then do the same with your legs. Work gradually up your body, tensing and releasing different muscle groups. This can help you to feel very relaxed, allowing you to sleep easier.
- Don’t look at the clock. If you’re struggling to sleep, it’s tempting to check the time. This doesn’t help. Knowing how late it is won’t help you, and can instead make the problem worse. Instead of falling asleep, you end up lying awake worrying about the fact that you can’t sleep and working out how many hours sleep you’ll get if you fall asleep now. Ban yourself from checking the clock.
- Get up. It might sound counter-productive, but if you can’t sleep, get up again. There’s no point lying and staring at the ceiling, worrying. Get up, and potter round until you feel tired, and then try again.