Difficulty falling asleep affects many people and this inevitably affects not only the quality of sleep but also daytime activities, conditioned by unsatisfactory rest. If the problem is chronic and disabling it is necessary to consult a doctor but if the situation is less serious it is possible to try some small tricks that would allow you to fall asleep in seconds.
If you are looking for an effective technique to fall asleep quickly, here you will find various ideas to test; find the right one for you and try it when it’s time to go to sleep. Read down below and find out how to fall asleep fast.
Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique
It comes from yoga breathing and is a relaxation technique for sleeping that increases the amount of oxygen in the blood and slows down the heart rate. It can be used both as a sleep remedy and as a technique for relaxing in stressful times. Here’s how it works:
- Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth on the gum
- Take a deep exhale, pushing all the air out of your lungs
- Inhale through your nose, keeping your mouth closed, mentally counting to 4
- Hold the air in your lungs for a mental count to 7
- Exhale through your mouth while mentally counting to 8
- Repeat the sequence a total of 3 times
Use progressive muscle relaxation
It is a relaxation technique based on the alternation of contraction and relaxation of the muscles, proposed by dr. Edmund Jacobson in 1959. Here is an example sequence that can help you on how to proceed, starting from the supine and relaxed position, the total duration could be around 30 minutes, so proceed through the various steps without rushing but concentrating on each single step:
- Push your right toes down, then extend them and pull them toward your shinbone.
- Squeeze your right calf muscles as if you were going to stand on your toes, then relax them.
- Contract the anterior and posterior muscles of the right leg, to do this imagine that you want to push the heel towards the buttocks. Then relax.
- Repeat the previous points with the other leg.
- Make a fist with your right hand and bend it towards your forearm. Relax.
- Flex and straighten your right arm. Relax.
- Repeat the previous points with the left arm.
- Contract only the muscles of the buttocks, leave the legs relaxed. Relax.
- Contract your abs and then relax them.
- Raise your arms and try to bring your forearms close together, this will contract your pectoral muscles, then relax them.
- Shrug your shoulders straight up as much as possible. Relax them.
- Contract the muscles in your mouth, for example by opening your mouth as wide as possible or by pressing your lips together. Relax.
- Squint your eyes, then let your lids relax little by little.
- Raise your eyebrows as high as you can to tense your forehead muscles, then relax.
- At the end, lie down for a few minutes trying to feel the deep relaxation and conclude the exercise with slow and deep breathing.
It is advisable to carry out this exercise at least 2 or 3 times a week, to keep body and mind constantly relaxed.
Relax your body gradually
is a technique for falling asleep similar to the previous one, which is also used by the American marines to be able to sleep in situations of precarious comfort: Start from the head and gradually relax all the muscles: the eyes, the mouth, the neck, let the shoulders down, then relax arms, chest, thighs, calves, feet. It is therefore necessary to pass muscle relaxation as a flow from top to bottom. Instead, the mind should try to focus on a peaceful and pleasant image, did someone say Caribbean?
Read a relaxing book
Possibly in paper form, because the screens of the devices would have the opposite effect to the one hoped for. Books help take the mind off everyday worries and direct attention to the story being told. This will help you detach from any problems and sources of daily stress and maybe give you some fantastic dreams. Maybe save Stephen King for afternoon reading, more exciting!
Write a diary
Writing down one’s sensations and thoughts can help to have a cathartic effect and can be one of the remedies for falling asleep immediately; all worries will end up on paper, instead of continuing to spin in our minds in the dark of night.
Treat yourself to a relaxing bath
passive heating of the body will make you go from the heat of the water to the cooler temperature of the room and will lead to a sudden change in temperature that induces our body to the right level of relaxation for sleep. Soaking for at least 30 minutes, perhaps with a few scented candles, could be a good way to relax and sleep.
Listen to relaxing music or sounds
Music and soothing sounds, at a moderately low volume, have proven to be a good technique for falling asleep. However, we advise you to set a timer to ensure that these go off by themselves, instead of having white background noise in your sleep, which we hope will not be long in coming.
Knowing that you have difficulty falling asleep can in itself be a source of stress and anxiety, even leading to fearing the moment of rest at night, and going to bed already restless, disturbed by the fear of not being able to sleep. The thought of necessarily having to fall asleep has a totally opposite effect, and keeps our mind active with agitation, preventing us from sleeping. Relaxation in general is therefore the key method to help you fall asleep right away.
- Food supplements are not intended as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet combined with a healthy lifestyle.
- Melatonin contributes to the reduction of the time required to fall asleep.
