There is an act that the human body cannot do without: sleep. However, sometimes getting restful sleep isn’t so easy, and more than half of adults are dissatisfied with the quality of their sleep. If you desperately need a good night’s sleep, read on.
8 ways to help you fall asleep faster
Many of us have a hard time getting enough sleep to feel like we’ve been adequately rested, but is it really that important to meet the hours of sleep every night? In short, yes. It seems that everyone talks about the great importance of sleep, and they are right. A lot of studies[1] show that getting enough sleep can help improve memory, learning, decision-making, and creativity.
If you can’t stand any more nights without adequate sleep and you don’t have the strength to start the day, worry no more. Here are eight tips that will help you fall asleep faster, regardless of your lifestyle.
1. Organize your sleep schedule
The starting point to start getting a good night’s sleep is to set yourself a consistent schedule. You’ll need to go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time every day. But don’t panic if you go to bed later on the weekend, it’s good to get out and do things you love!
However, getting your body used to a routine whenever possible will help you fall asleep faster. The more you stick to a regular schedule, the easier it will be for your body to enjoy restful sleep.
2. Practice yoga, meditation and mindfulness
Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness have one thing in common: they help reduce stress! Although stress can bring short-term benefits, it is known to disrupt sleep due to its effect on hormone production.
The key to making yoga or meditation work for you is to fit it into your lifestyle. To get the benefits of yoga, you don’t have to practice it just before going to bed. However, spending just ten minutes a day during your breaks can be more than enough to lower your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and prepare your mind and body for sleep when the time comes.
3. Exercise regularly
Practicing exercise influences sleep in many ways. First, you have to take into account its influence on a physical level. It’s easier to fall asleep when your body is tired, and obviously getting plenty of exercise during the day could help. Then there’s the impact on sleep disorders, such as insomnia.
Researchers from the Federal University of São Paulo[2] discovered data suggesting that regular exercise could help you fall asleep 13 minutes faster and stay asleep 18 minutes longer. It may not sound like much, but when you add in the extra sleep of an entire work week, it sure starts to look interesting to go for a quick walk or do a gym session at lunchtime.
4. Limit caffeine intake
For many of us, a cup of coffee is an essential part of our lives. However, as the day progresses, the buildup of caffeine can begin to negatively affect our sleep. Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, preventing the neurochemical from promoting sleep readiness. This can come in handy first thing in the morning, but can severely disrupt restful sleep at night.
We are not proposing that you stop consuming caffeine completely, but we are suggesting that you stop taking it at least six hours before going to bed, or better still, from noon.
5. Avoid electronic devices before bed
You’ve probably already read articles advising against browsing Facebook or Twitter before bed, but it’s worth a brush up. The problem, of course, is not those adorable videos of cats and dogs, but the blue light of the device itself.
The investigation[3] suggests that blue light could disrupt sleep by disrupting melatonin production. Melatonin is a vital hormone for restful sleep, as it helps regulate our body’s sleep/wake cycle. Darkness causes a buildup of melatonin that tells the body it’s time to sleep, but electronic devices can inhibit this natural process.
To get your body back to normal, try to avoid your phone (or any device with a strong light source) for at least an hour before you go to sleep.
6. Try the military method
Getting a good night’s sleep is hard enough in a comfortable bed, but even more so if you’re stationed in some of the harshest environments on the planet. Yet for soldiers around the world, this is precisely the reality they face. It turns out that the secret to a good night’s sleep might lie in the “military method,” a series of steps designed to help you fall asleep faster. It may take several weeks to get used to, but if it works for troops on deployment, there’s no reason why it couldn’t be beneficial in our own home. Here’s how to do it:
• Focus on relaxing the entire face.
• Let your shoulders and arms rest naturally at your sides.
• Breathe in and out calmly, concentrating on relaxing your chest.
• Repeat the same process from the beginning and now focus on relaxing your body from the waist down. The key is to imagine working each muscle group, relaxing one by one at a time.
• The final part consists of clearing your mind for ten seconds. Try to visualize calm situations, like the waves of the sea or the clouds in the sky.
7. Use the 4-7-8 method
Another popular way to improve sleep quality is the 4-7-8 method. If you’ve never heard of it, don’t worry. It consists of the following:
• Open your mouth, exhale fully, and whistle.
• Close your lips, inhale silently through your nose and count to four.
• Hold the breath you just inhaled for seven seconds.
• End with an eight-second hissing exhale.
Practicing a breathing routine is meant to help practitioners enter a deep state of relaxation. To start, try repeating the above steps four times, gradually increasing to a maximum of eight cycles once you get comfortable with it.
8. Take supplements to improve sleep
Our last tip for a restful night’s sleep is sleep-enhancing supplements. There are many to choose from, so the best option will depend on your wellness needs. Anyway, we’ve highlighted some of our favorites to make it easier for you:
• Melatonin: It is entirely possible to increase natural melatonin levels by taking supplements. Encouraging a balanced sleep/wake cycle is an excellent way to improve sleep quality in the short term.
• 5-HTP– By increasing the body’s natural serotonin levels, 5-HTP supplements may help combat the impact of stress to promote restful sleep.
• Lavender: This holistic herb has centuries of use around the world, and is highly regarded for its calming and sleep-promoting qualities. The scientists[4] they suspect that these effects could be due to the terpene content of the plant.
• Chamomile: This is another plant with a rich and interesting history, which could help improve sleep quality thanks to its sophisticated blend of flavonoids and terpenes.
• Valerian: Valerian root’s ability to modulate the GABA system could balance the stress of modern life and thereby improve sleep quality.
Here you have them. Eight tips that will help you fall asleep faster and for longer. It is highly recommended to try them out to find the one that best suits you. Because sleep is essential to feeling good inside and out, there’s no reason not to try it.
If you are interested in trying CBD and other natural supplements to help you get a good night’s sleep, visit the Cibdol store for a full selection of oils, capsules, supplements and much more. And if you want to see the natural sleep aids in detail, consult our CBD Encyclopedia.
