How to fall asleep

Tired of your insomniac routine and is searching for some better ways to how to fall asleep ? Then, you have got a better platform to have the solution for your problems.

Sleep is one of the most necessary activities of a human being. After having a busy and a restless day, our bodies need some rest and for that reason, it is necessary to have a sound sleep. Thus, falling asleep is like a diet to a human being for the survival. However, some people have to wait for the whole nights, tossing on their beds and failing in the trials to sleep. They search for the better ways to be able to make themselves comfortable but mostly fail in it. As Thomas Dekker said, “Sleep is the golden chain that binds health and our bodies together”. So in order to have a better health we need discover how to fall asleep and how to get a better sleep.

How to fall asleep?

There are several ways that you can adopt to ensure a better sleep:

Solution 1: Adjust your sleep cycle.

Most of the time our sleep cycle is affected by the differing timings that we utilize to fall asleep, resulting into an abrupt sleep cycle. This is the major cause that becomes an obstacle to your sleeping pattern. Thus focus on adjusting the cycle.

Tips:

  • Try to sleep and wake up every day at a fixed time. Let your body adjust the sleeping clock and do not disturb that clock again.
  • Avoid the naps during the day. Sometimes you feel dizzy all day and take multiple naps which affects the sleep cycle for the night time. Thus try to have an approximately 10-20 minutes nap during the day and not more than that.
  • Try to overcome the drowsiness that overcomes you during the day. This can be done by involving yourself in different activities such as exercising, doing house chores, reading or writing.

Solution: 2 Make your room comfortable and cozy

Sometimes the sleep is affected by the irregular arrangement of the objects present around or by the uncomfortable bed and pillows. Moreover, if our body temperature is not at its normal point and we either feel hot or cold, then we cannot have a cozy sleep and keep on tossing on the bed till we get a good temperature to sleep.

Tips:

  • Keep a comfortable pillow and a high quality mattress for yourself. Make sure that if it’s cold outside, then your room is at a temperature at which your body can adjust and feel comfortable and vice versa.
  • If you are not in a habit to sleep in a place where there is a lot of nice, then try to find yourself a quiet corner of the house to sleep, so that your brain would not be disturbed.
  • Control the light of the night bulbs according to how much light your brain can process and still will let you sleep.

Solution 3: Keep the electronic gadgets away once you enter your bed

The electronic gadgets such as laptops and the mobile phones have such radiations that give a signal to the brain as if it’s still the day. This results into an insomniac state, which most people consider as the cause of depression or any psychological defect. So it is best recommended by several psychologists that a person should put away all the gadgets before entering the bed.


Tips:

  • Try to keep a book or meditative audios for yourself while going to sleep as it is a general observation that reading a book helps you sleep better and faster.
  • Even if there is an important work to be done, try to keep the brightness of the gadgets to the lowest point, so that the blue lights emitted by them will not affect your eyes or the brain.
  • The best time that is recommended to dispatch from these devices before bed is 30 minutes. Try to adjust with the time frame and leave the devices 30 minutes before going to the bed.

Solution 4: Keep a check on your eating habits

If you take a heavy meal at night, you can have nausea or a stomach ache. This disrupts your sleeping pattern a lot and becomes a barrier for your sleep. Try to avoid taking heavy meals before sleeping and take some light snacks if you feel hungry before sleeping.

Tips:

  • Avoid spicy or heavy food items that are not good for your health and can because you stomach problems.
  • Do not take caffeine or alcohol before sleeping, as they may disrupt you while falling asleep.
  • Try not to have a lot of liquid intake before sleeping as it will make you to use the rest room frequently, causing you a trouble to sleep.

How to sleep easy and faster?

Need help to make yourself sleep faster? Here are some tips to make you comfortable through some exercises and sleep faster.

1. The 4-7-8 method by Dr. Andrew Weil:

  • Sit straight with a straight back.
  • Keep your tongue behind the upper front teeth throughout the whole exercise. The exact location is on the ridge tissue for placing the tongue.
  • Start exhaling through your mouth and make a ‘whoosh’ sound.
  • Then, you have to inhale through your noise while counting for 4 times, keeping your mouth closed.
  • Count for 7 times and hold your breath till this count finishes.
  • Then, make a whoosh sound 8 times by exhaling through your mouth.
  • This whole procedure will make a single breath and you have to repeat this process for 3 more times.
  • Thus try to do this procedure twice a day.

2. The military method:

  • Loosen up the muscles in your face, including tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes
  • Drop your shoulders as far down as they’ll go, trailed by your upper and lower arm, each side in turn
  • Inhale out, loosening up your chest followed by your legs, beginning from the thighs and working down
  • You should then go through 10 seconds attempting to free your psyche before considering one from the three after pictures:
  • You’re lying in a kayak on a quiet lake with only a reasonable blue sky above you
  • You’re lying in a dark velvet lounger in a totally dark room
  • You state “don’t think, don’t think, and don’t think” to yourself again and again for around 10 seconds.

The method is said to work for 96 percent of individuals following a month and a half of training.

3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Method (PMR):

If you are suffering from insomnia then you should try the third method i.e. PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation Method.

  • While inhaling, contract one muscle group (for example your upper thighs) for 5 seconds to 10 seconds, then exhale and suddenly release the tension in that muscle group.
  • Give yourself 10 seconds to 20 seconds to relax, and then move on to the next muscle group (for example your buttocks).
  • While releasing the tension, try to focus on the changes you feel when the muscle group is relaxed. Imagery may be helpful in conjunction with the release of tension, such as imagining that stressful feelings are flowing out of your body as you relax each muscle group.
  • Gradually work your way up the body contracting and relaxing muscle groups

FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions):

1). Is my sleep affected by day time naps?

If you take a day time nap for more than 20 minutes, then it will defiantly affect your night time sleep. Mostly, people are tired during the day after a load of work and in order to have some rest, they take a longer amount of naps. This totally disturbs the sleep cycle giving you a feeling of insomnia at night and you will be tossing the whole night. Thus it is recommended to have a nap for only 15-20 minutes and not more than that.

2). Is it normal to have dreams while we fall asleep?

Dreams are associated with our unconscious part of the brain. If you are having a better experience of life then you will have better dreams but if you are having a bitter experience, then it can be painful for you to have dreams. Thus for some people it is normal but traumatic incidents can affect them. Therefore we should try to overcome the painful memories of life to have good dreams.

3). Can lack of sleep affect our health?

Yes, definitely. The lack of sleep can result into psychological as well as physical illness. The physical illness include dizziness, fatigue and psychological can include lack of concentration and insomniac state. It has also been observed that the people who do not take enough sleep are easy irritable and it can cause them anxiety and depression. Thus if you are suffering from lack of sleep, you need to see a doctor or follow a proper schedule.

References

References

1). How to Sleep Better | Sleep Foundation
2). How to Sleep Better - HelpGuide.org
3). https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/fall-asleep-

2 Likes

Happy to learn about this, i have some follow up questions, if you don’t mind answering:

  1. Does sleep affects weight loss or weight gain in anyway ?
  2. What should be the ideal sleeping hours for adults especially those who want to loose weight.

I am trying to maintain a healthy life style by loosing weight and getting enough sleep, please spread your thoughts on this.

1 Like

1.Does sleep affects weight loss or weight gain in anyway?

Sleep affects the weight and sleep deprivation can lead to a great amount of weight gain. According to a research in the University of Colorado, a person can gain an amount of 2 pounds, if he sleeps for only 5 hours a day. So, it can result in weight gaining due to the following reasons:

1). Sleep deprivation leads to an increased appetite:

It has been found out through researches that the people who take a less amount of sleep feels hungry a lot. The reason is that their hormones such as ghrelin are triggered including some other hormones that are the cause of hunger and appetite. Thus the person demands for fatty, sugary and junk food. Another research by Northwestern Medicine found that a person who sleeps in late can have 248 calories per day. Moreover, another hormone called cortisol triggers your body’s need for food. It affects the body’s system by craving your brain to eat more.

2). Sleep deprivation reduces your metabolism:

Another reason for weight gain as a result of sleeping less is that the system of digestion becomes slower. If insulin in your body is active, it removes the fatty foods and acids from your body but if it is not working well, it helps these acids to generate in your body. Researchers have also shown that the sleep deprivation increases the risk of obesity and diabetes. Thus if you are not able to make it to sleep every night then you need to look for ways to how to sleep faster.

So on a whole, the lack of sleep:

• Meddles with the body’s capacity to use starches and causes high blood levels of glucose, which prompts higher insulin levels and more prominent muscle to fat ratio stockpiling.
• Drives down leptin levels, which makes the body hunger for starches.
• Decreases levels of development hormone- - a protein that controls the body’s extents of fat and muscle.
• Can prompt insulin obstruction and add to expanded danger of diabetes
• Can expand pulse
• Can expand the danger of coronary illness

2.What should be the ideal sleeping hours for adults especially those who want to lose weight?

The ideal sleeping hours for adults who want to lose weight are 7-9 hours or even more than that. Also be careful to take this sleep at night, because it is healthier than the day time naps. This difference is so intricate that according to an observation, the women who slept for 6 hours had a chance to gain weight of more than 10% as compared to women who slept for 7 hours. If you want to lose weight you shall keep a high check on your diet as well as the sleeping patterns and you need to exercise more in order to help you reduce fatty acids from your body. Moreover you shall maintain a proper sleeping cycle and routine for the improvement in your sleeping cycle.
1 Like

Thank-you for explaining it so well.

1 Like

MY OPINION ON " HOW TO FALL ASLEEP. "

Sleep plays an important role in our physical health. Sleeping is one of the most important and basic parts of our daily life routine. Without taking asleep the whole day, a person can be surrounded by big diseases, some of them also need high-level treatment from professionals.

WHY SLEEP IS IMPORTANT?
Sleep plays a vital role in our daily life. There are many points on why sleep is important, they are :

  • Makes immune system strong
  • Maintain optimal health
  • Better productivity and concentration
  • Lowers the weight gain risk
  • Lower risk of heart disease

WHY SHOULD WE SLEEP ON REGULAR TIMINGS? NO MORE, NO LESS
We should always sleep on regular timings.
There should be a good control of every person on sleep. If we sleep at very late timings/late night, for 2 to 3 days, our sleep routine will not get maintained

According to Google, these are the timings of sleep recommended to all ages :

  • Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
  • Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours
  • Toddler (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
  • Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
  • School-age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
  • Teen (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
  • Adult (18–60 years): 7-plus hours
  • Adult (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
  • Adult (65+ years): 7–8 hours

WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGES OF SLEEPING?
Sleeping has so much of the advantages in its own, which includes :

  • Sleep helps reduce stress
  • Sleep can lower your blood pressure
  • Sleep helps your body to fight back
  • Sleep puts you back in a better mood
  • Sleep can help you maintain weight

WHAT ARE THE DIS-ADVANTAGES OF SLEEPING LATE AND WAKING UP VERY LATE?
There are many disadvantages of sleeping late and waking up very late which affects our health in a very negative way. They include :

  • Eyes will become red day by day
  • Un activeness occurs
  • The face starts to become ugly
  • Can lead to some serious diseases
  • Eyespots will occur

WHAT ARE THE BEST SLEEPING POSITION WHICH LEADS TO EARLY SLEEPING?
When a person lies on a bed, he gets sleepy in a very little time, Why? because he has nothing to do so. Like physical activities. Sleeping in the wrong way can lead to massive disastrous pain.
The best sleeping positions are :

  • The Soldier position
  • The Starfish position
  • The Fetal position
  • The Log position
  • The Spooning position

HOW TO AVOID LATE SLEEPING ROUTINE?
A person’s late-night sleeping routine can only be set by himself, it includes some very useful points, they are :

  • Strict to the sleep schedule
  • Do regular physical activities
  • Avoid daytime sleep, because it will affect soo much on your routine, throughout the night-time sleep.
  • Regular meditation/ yoga
  • Avoid tea coffee after 7 pm, because drinking tea or coffee leads to a long time of sleep.

We should always have good control over your daily routine/sleep because this leads us to have good health care.
In the sleeping faster and easily portion, you mentioned the points officially said/ suggested by Dr. Andrew Will. Yes, the written points are very good in themselves, but you must have mentioned the points given by the World Health Organization (WHO). Their points are way too good, in an expressive way. As per written, every single person should maintain their sleeping routine very well enough to do so.

CONCLUSION :

Sleeping plays an important role in our daily life. Here are some points to fall asleep :

  • Relax your entire face, including the muscles inside your mouth.
  • Drop your shoulders to release the tension and let your hands drop to the side of your body.
  • Exhale, relaxing your chest
  • Relax your legs, thighs, and calves
  • Clear your mind for 10 seconds by imagining a relaxing scene
1 Like

How to fall asleep instantly?

Why sleep is so important?

A study on medical interns found out by experimenting that Interns on a traditional schedule with extended work hours of more than 24 hours made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed more sleep. Good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and enhance memory performance of both children and adults.

This is just one advantages, there are several many reasons which scientifically prove why sleep is so important for human body, Such as:

1. Good and proper sleep improves connection and productivity

Sleep has a direct connection with the performance of our brain cells. This includes cognition, concentration, productivity, and activeness.
Good sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function.

2. Good sleep improves your immune function

Immune system is the defense system of our body which helps in preventing us from diseases.
Getting at least 8 hours of sleep can improve our immune function and help fight the common cold and several health problems.

3. Better calorie regulation

Getting a good night’s sleep can help a person consume fewer calories during the day because sleep patterns affect the hormones responsible for appetite.
So when a person does not sleep long enough, it can interfere with their body’s ability to regulate food intake correctly.

4. Good Social and Emotional performance

Sleep has links to people’s emotional and social intelligence. Someone who does not get adequate sleep is more likely to have issues with recognizing other people’s emotions and expressions.

5. Better Athletics Performance

Adequate sleep for adults is between 7 and 9 hours a night, and athletes may benefit from as many as 10 hours. Accordingly, sleep is as important to athletes as consuming enough calories and nutrients. One of the reasons for this requirement is that the body heals during sleep.

Other benefits include:

  • better performance intensity
  • more energy
  • better coordination
  • faster speed
  • better mental functioning

How many hours of sleep are recommended for an adult?


Sleep needs vary from person to person, depending on their age. As a person ages, they typically require less sleep to function properly.
Different categories are given as follows:

Age Group and their Requirement

  • Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
  • Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours
  • Toddler (1–2 years): 11–14 hours
  • Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours
  • School age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
  • Teen (13–18 years): 8–10 hours
  • Adult (18–60 years): 7-plus hours
  • Adult (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
  • Adult (65+ years): 7–8 hours

5 ways to sleep fast

1. Avoid trying to fall asleep when you get into bed.

This might seem counterintuitive, however you should make your goal to unwind and to relax, knowing that sleep will follow. This will put less pressure on falling asleep and help you get some rest sooner rather than later.

2. Improving Your Sleep Environment

  • Keep lights dim an hour before bedtime, and turn off all overhead lights, night lights, and lamps when you go to bed. If you can, keep noise in and around your room to a minimum at night. For example, if you have an old-fashioned clock that ticks loudly and keeps you awake, replace it with a silent one.
  • If you want to read or write before bed, try using a small book light rather than a desktop lamp or overhead light. If you have a bright clock, use the dimmer option to lower the brightness of the screen.
  • Lowering your core body temperature helps induce sleep, so try lowering your thermostat. Setting the temperature between 60° and 70° F (15.5°-21°).

3. Trying Food and Refreshments

4. Productive Routine

  • It’s also important to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. This has been shown to be the optimal sleep duration for adults. Many people find that setting a sleep schedule helps them fall asleep easier.
  • Tired body and mind would automatically crave for relaxation and comfort, having a productive routine where you are engaged in active stuff whole day is the quickest remedy to fall asleep instantly.

5. Yoga

  • Research shows that yoga can have a positive effect on sleep parameters such as sleep quality, sleep efficiency, and sleep duration because it helps in an enhance melatonin levels and assist the brain in achieving a specific state where sleep is easily achieved.
  • Lastly, mindfulness may help you maintain focus on the present, worry less while falling asleep, and even function better during the day.

How to fall asleep when you are sick?

  • Relax your entire face, including the muscles inside your mouth.
  • Drop your shoulders to release the tension and let your hands drop to the side of your body.
  • Exhale, relaxing your chest.
  • Relax your legs, thighs, and calves.
  • Clear your mind for 10 seconds by imagining a relaxing scene.
  • If this doesn’t work, try saying the words “don’t think” over and over for 10 seconds.
  • Within 10 seconds, you should fall asleep!

Brain tricks to fall asleep quickly

  • Imagine yourself in a happy place
  • Listen to classic music that you love on a low pace
  • Prepare a to-do list
  • Eat the foods having low calories
  • Think of positive things happened in your whole day
  • Wear socks and keep yourself warm
  • Dim lights of your room

Ways to Fall Asleep Fast & Naturally

  • Lower the temperature. Your body temperature changes as you fall asleep.
  • Use the 4-7-8 breathing method.
  • Get on a schedule.
  • Experience both daylight and darkness.
  • Eat a diet with low calories at night.
  • Read a book and keep your brain relaxed.
  • Relax your entire face, including the muscles inside your mouth.
  • Drop your shoulders to release the tension and let your hands drop to the side of your body.
  • Exhale, relaxing your chest.
  • Relax your legs, thighs, and calves.

4-7-8 Breathing Method to sleep fast


Doctor Jo, a licensed physical therapist and doctor of physical therapy, demonstrated a simple breathing exercise that she recommends to clients, claiming it can help you drift off nice and quickly, rather than spending hours in bed, staring at the ceiling or counting sheep.

It is known as 4-7-8 technique:

  • Inhaling for 4 seconds
  • Holding that breath for 7 seconds
  • Exhaling for 8 seconds

She says:

“When you’re breathing in, you’re just going to breathe in gently and normally through your nose, then you’re going to hold that 7 seconds, then when you breathe out, you’re going to purse your lips and kind of make like a whooshing sound as you breathe out, so it’s a pretty forceful breath for that 8 seconds, and sometimes you might not make it to the 8 seconds, but the more you do, you’ll eventually be able to get there.”

Other Benefits of 4-7-8 Breathing Technique:

  • decreased fatigue
  • reduced anxiety
  • reduced symptoms of asthma in children and adolescents
  • better stress management
  • reduced hypertension
  • reduced aggressive behavior in adolescent males
  • improved migraine symptoms
1 Like

Very well written. Its really informative for a person suffering from insomnia like me. As far as my experience is concerned, having a cup of lavender or rose tea helps alot in sleeping. Have a one cup of it one hour before going to bed.
Other than that, listening to nature ambience especially sounds of sea side or rain in forest is also a great way to relax and for having a deep sleep.