Can’t doze off at night? Does everyone else fall asleep before you, while you need hours to relax and get a shut-eye? You are not the only one. If you don’t want sleep deprivation to take a toll on your health, you should act now. Here are a couple of tips that can help to fall asleep quickly.

1.   Re-plan Your Daily Schedule

The current pandemic has turned our daily schedule upside down. All the plans that you had, like going to the gym and eating healthy meals, are now going down the drain. The lockdown has left us craving fast foods and exercising less. We are also sleeping more and going to bed late.

But, if you want to sleep better, you need to get your daily schedule back on track. Experts believe our body needs a routine. It’s healthy for the system and allows us to control the way we spend our time. To do that, you will need to:

  • Set a bedtime, including waking and sleeping hours.
  • Leave around 15min to 20min a day for a break.
  • Do physical activity.
  • Get enough sunlight in the morning to reset the circadian rhythms.

With these tricks, you can return your sleeping in no-time.

2.   Avoid Caffeine Before Bed

Caffeine is a strong stimulant that can interfere with the nervous system. Drinking caffeinated drinks can give you a quick energy boost in the morning, but at night, they can keep you awake.

According to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, taking caffeine even 6 hours before bed can reduce sleep by over 1 hour. When calculated on a long term basis, this is a massive sleep loss issue.

If you are too used to taking this stimulant and you forget to have it before bed, it’s possible to experience withdrawal. This can lead to restless sleep. If you want the sleeplessness to dissipate, try to limit caffeine consumption so that the body will learn to overcome the dependency.

3.   Stay Away from Alcohol

Alcohol creates a sedative effect. It reduces brain function and activity. When we are drunk, the alcohol will feel like it’s inducing sleep. But, when the effects dissipate, and the body flushes out the toxins, that’s when we start feeling the after-effects.

People who’ve consumed a lot are prone to nausea and vomiting. The headaches and stomach pain can interfere with sleep and wake us up in the middle of the night. This will immediately interrupt the sleeping pattern and make the brain feel more alert and on edge.

4.   Keep the Naps to a Minimum

Deep sleep is healthy sleep. If you want to feel rested, you have to sleep over 7 hours a day. But, one of the most common mistakes people do is taking long or multiple naps. Unfortunately, they are doing us more harm than good.

It’s a good idea to doze off for a maximum of 30 min. But, anything longer than that is not healthy. With long naps, you are tricking the body into thinking it’s well-rested, when in fact, it needs more rest than you realize. That’s why a short nap will do the trick.

5.   Get Rid of the Distractions

Is there anything in the room that keeps you awake? Like the phone, computer or TV? Electronics will be your worst enemy. What you want is to remove the distractions and focus only on sleep. Once you do that, the body will be able to relax better.

6.   Prepare the Environment

Do you prefer dark or lightroom? Would you like some peace and quiet? Or you want a memory foam bed that is suitable for you. Whether it is the lighting, music or mattress, the key is to allow the body to relax. By changing the environment and readjusting it to your personal needs, you will doze off quicker than you realize.

7.   Cut Back on Fluids Before Bed

The more you drink, the more you will need to go to the bathroom. This will be a real problem at night. Drinking water during the day is an excellent thing. However, if you drink a lot before bed, you will need to urinate more often. This will make falling asleep difficult and draining.

Conclusion

Our body can’t work properly without a good night’s rest. But, if you manage to revamp your daily schedule and put some effort into it, you will immediately figure out the best approach to solve the problem. Give these options a try and tell us what you think. Share your experience in the comments below.

7 Tips to Have a Healthy Sleep