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How to Fall Asleep Fast - 8 Tips for Quality Sleep
Overview:
Wondering how to fall asleep fast? It all comes down to sleep hygiene: your overall schedule, bedtime routine, and sleep space can all help. There are also several different kinds of sleep aids you can try.
Intro:
Even after a long and tiring day, it can be difficult to actually fall asleep once you tuck into bed. You might find yourself lying awake with your mind racing, going over what you need to do tomorrow. Or maybe you feel perfectly calm, but you just can’t seem to drift off.
The good news is, there are many different strategies for falling asleep that you can try to find what works best for you. From different bedtime routines to sleep sprays to weighted blankets, there’s a whole world of support out there to help you find restorative rest.
1.Establish a Bedtime Routine
For people of all ages, a regular bedtime routine can be a big help when it comes to falling asleep. Try to set a consistent bedtime, and plan relaxing activities beforehand (like drinking a cup of herbal tea, reading, or stretching) to let your brain know sleep is on the way.
How to Fall Asleep Fast For Kids
A consistent bedtime routine is especially important for kids and can help them fall asleep more quickly. Younger kids might not realize how tired they are when bedtime rolls around, so having a familiar routine with fun activities like read-alouds can help them unwind and connect to that sleepy feeling.
As a parent of a little one, you might find yourself frequently wondering how to make someone fall asleep fast! There’s no way for you to control whether another person is ready for rest, but you can help out by creating a relaxing sleep environment and encouraging your loved one to find soothing activities to unwind before bedtime.
How to Fall Asleep Fast For Teenagers
A bedtime routine can help anyone fall asleep more easily, and teenagers in particular might find that reducing screen time is a helpful addition to their routine. It can also help to avoid doing homework in bed, keeping the bed a dedicated space for sleeping.
According to the CDC, teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep each night, and about 72.7% of American teenagers don’t get enough sleep on school nights. Sticking to consistent sleeping and waking times (even on the weekends) can help fix this.
- Reduce Screen Usage Before Bed
Our circadian rhythms (or sleep/wake cycles) are dependent on sunlight, which is why artificial blue light can make it harder to sleep. But this doesn’t mean that in order to get a good night’s sleep, you have to cut out screens entirely!
Creating a “buffer time” before bed where all screens are out of sight can be a big help, letting your body know that it’s time to rest.
- Curate a Comforting Sleep Space
It might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to forget just how much the space we sleep in influences the quality of our sleep. From your sheets to the color of your walls, there are many parts of your bedroom that could help you feel cozier and calmer while trying to fall asleep.
A knitted weighted blanket might also be a welcome addition to your bedroom set. Weighted blankets are scientifically proven to lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and increase melatonin (the sleep hormone), so it’s a great idea to have one within arm’s reach for deeper sleep.
How to Fall Asleep Fast With Insomnia
When you’re finding it impossible to sleep, it’s actually a good idea to get up and leave your bed behind. Lying awake in your bed can make it harder to fall asleep in the long run, because your brain will start to associate your bed with being awake — not with sleeping.
- Seek Soothing Sounds
Some people prefer to sleep in absolute quiet, while others like to have a soundscape in the background such as ocean waves, rain sounds, or simply white noise.
If you’re a quiet sleeper and you’re finding things too noisy at night, you can try to further soundproof your sleep area with curtains or sound-absorbing panels.
If you find that repetitive background sounds help you drift off, you can try a sleep sounds app or invest in a white noise machine.
- Adjust Your Lighting
For the same reason that it’s best to avoid blue light before sleep, the lighting around you before bed can make a big difference. It all comes down to our circadian rhythms, or sleep wake cycles.
To welcome in sleep, it can help to surround yourself with warm lights (rather than lights with a cold/bluish hue), and gradually reduce light levels as it gets closer to bedtime.
- Try a Sleep Spray
If you’re looking for a shortcut to fall asleep fast, you might think about trying something like a sleep spray. These sprays typically include sleep-inducing minerals and herbs, and can be a more natural sleep solution than medications — especially if you opt for an all-natural sleep spray like Rejuvia.
- Drink Less Alcohol
Because alcohol can make you feel drowsy, it’s easy to mistake it for a sleep aid. But while a drink might cause you to fall asleep more quickly in the moment, it can make it much harder for your body to access the deep sleep it needs through the night.
This is why you’ll often wake up feeling groggy after drinking the night before. So reducing your alcohol intake can put you on track for more restful sleep in the long run.
- Exercise During the Day
One way you can help your body sleep faster is by seeking more energizing movement throughout your day. It makes sense: if your body is more physically tired, it will be easier to rest once bedtime rolls around.
From lunchtime walks to gym sessions to yoga practice, there are many different ways that you can incorporate more movement into your day to improve your sleep.
That said, according to some studies, exercising right before bed can make it harder to fall asleep for individuals with insomnia. So if you already have ongoing trouble sleeping, it’s best to keep any high-intensity activity limited to earlier hours.
- Practice Mindfulness
As part of your bedtime routine, it’s a good idea to find ways to include mindful moments, easing your brain out of “work mode” into “rest mode.” Whether you prefer to meditate, journal, listen to music, or any number of other mindful activities, finding a way to reconnect with your body and mind before bed can be one of the best ways to fall asleep fast.
How to Fall Asleep Fast With Anxiety
Journaling, meditating, and other mindfulness practices are also a great way to calm down if you find yourself feeling anxious when you try to sleep.
This will look different for everyone depending on your own stressors, so it’s a good idea to experiment to find what mindfulness activity helps you find some peace and calm.
One tried-and-true strategy involves taking time to write down a physical to-do list of your tasks for the next day before heading to bed.
Conclusion
There are many different reasons why you might be having trouble falling asleep, and it can be hard to know exactly why you’re struggling. Whether you opt for a new bedtime, an updated exercise routine, or a revamped sleep soundscape, trying a variety of strategies for falling asleep fast can help you find a sleep solution that works best for you.