There’s nothing like the feeling of crawling into your comfy bed after a long day and collapsing onto the pillow. Sometimes, your eyes refuse to stay open any longer and you drift into dream land within minutes. But that’s not always the case… you’ve all had night tossing and turning, trying to get comfy, when you start to think the possibility of falling asleep is hopeless. You watch the minutes on the clock tick by, doing the math to calculate how many hours of sleep you will get if you fall asleep right that minute. Instead of staring at the ceiling and recalling every embarrassing thing you’ve done since middle school, try a few of these tricks.
We’ve rounded up the most effective tricks proven to quickly induce deep sleep. While we think that silky soft bedding and cute PJ’s help, these tricks are backed by scientific studies. Stop thinking and start dreaming!
Oh, and we thought this was the perfect time to throw some major bedroom inspo at you! THAT will give you something to dream about.
1. Be Cool
Crank down the AC. Your internal body temperature regulates your body’s clock. It has been proven that you fall asleep faster in cooler temperatures. The National Sleep Foundation recommends a bedroom temperature of 60 to 67 degrees F. Throw some fuzzy socks on too! There’s some science that suggests keeping your extremities warm when the rest of your body is cooling off also helps you fall asleep faster.
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2. Count it out
Want to fall asleep in under a minute? The 4-7-8 method, created by Dr. Andrew Well, has received wide recognition for it’s effectiveness. It increases the amount of oxygen in your blood and slows your heart rate. So how does it work? Simple:
- Put the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth. Keep it there through the entire exercise.
- Exhale completely through your mouth. You should make a loud airy sound.
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose as you count to four.
- Hold your breath and count to seven.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making another loud airy sound to a count of eight.
- Repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
Voila! You’ll be dreaming in no time.
3. Stop and smell the lavender
Yes, it might be time to invest in that diffuser or treat yourself to a new candle! This herb has been linked to increased relaxation and lower blood pressure. Light a candle or bring out the diffuser about an hour before you you want to go to bed to unravel your nerves so you can drift into a deep sleep more quickly.
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4. Take a vacation
In your mind! One of the biggest deterrents to falling asleep is the inability to clear your thoughts. Reviewing problems from the day and mulling over things in your head when lying in bed promotes stimulation, not sleep. Despite what mom might have taught you, counting sheep is not the best way to take your mind off of things. Instead, imagine your favorite place or a peaceful setting. Picture yourself lounging on the beach in the warm sun or curled up next to the fireplace with a mug of hot chocolate- whatever makes you take a deep a deep breath and think ahhhhh…
5. Bye bye blue light
You knew this was coming. Put away the phones, tablets and computers! If you’re the person who scrolls through Pinterest and Instagram or binge watches Netflix in hopes of getting tired, think again! Blue light halts the your body’s production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep and wake cycles. That might not be the only source of blue light in your room. LED and fluorescent bulbs, which many people use to save energy, also produce blue light. Say bye bye to blue lights and light a couple of candles at bedtime instead.
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7. Team routine
Routine is arguably the most important factor in helping you quickly fall into a deep sleep. It programs your body’s internal clock and conditions your body to fall asleep faster. Start with going to bed at the same time every night. Try to keep your nightly routine the same. Take a warm bath with your favorite bath salts, listen to a relaxing playlist, make a cup of chamomile tea while you journal your day’s thoughts, then hop into bed. If you do this every night ,your body will start to recognize your actions and prep for sleep. When you slip into bed you will be minutes from dozing off!
We wish you the sweetest of dreams and deepest of sleeps! If we missed your favorite trick for falling asleep, leave us a comment!
Keep dreaming,
-xo
The Rodéo Girls