Importance of good sleep
You can use certain strategies to help you fall asleep fast.
Good sleep hygiene means practicing habits that help you get good quality sleep every night. Adequate sleep is essential for your overall mental and physical health.
How do you fall asleep in five minutes?
There are no quick fixes to fall asleep within five minutes. Here are some tips that will help you fall asleep faster.
- Sleep when sleepy: Try to sleep when you actually feel tired or sleepy rather than spending too much time awake in bed. Avoid looking at the clock when in bed. This will delay sleep onset.
- Use your bed only for sleep and sex: Try not to use your bed for anything other than sleep and sex. If you use the bed to watch TV, eat, read, work on your laptop and other things, your body will not learn to associate bed with sleeping.
- Stick to a schedule: Always stick to a specific bedtime and get up at the same time every day, including weekends. Consistency will make it easier to fall asleep faster.
- Practice a bedtime ritual: Certain activities, such as taking a warm bath, massaging your head with warm oil, reading a book, listening to music and practicing deep breathing exercises for 15 to 30 minutes before sleeping makes your body aware that bedtime is near. Certain bedtime snacks like warm milk, chamomile tea, bananas and almonds may make it easier for you to fall asleep.
- Make your bedroom conducive to sleep: Have a firm mattress and a good pillow with neck support. The bedroom must be dark, but cool. Use earplugs or an eye mask if sound and light bother you too much. A room temperature of about 65 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal to fall asleep. Unplug: Avoid the use of laptops, eBooks and cell phones at least 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. The blue light emitted from computer screens and hand-held devices can confuse your brain and make it difficult to fall asleep.
- Avoid napping in the afternoon, especially after 3 PM: Naps late in the day, especially if they are longer than 30 minutes, may make it more difficult to fall asleep. Get regular exercise: Being physically active may help you fall asleep faster. However, exercising in the late evenings may make it difficult to fall asleep.
- Avoid smoking, coffee and eating a heavy dinner: Drinking alcohol at night may make it easier to fall asleep, but it can cause nighttime awakening and disturbed sleep patterns in the long run.
- Have a buffer zone before bedtime: Set aside time to worry every day. Use this time well before bedtime to plan your activities for the next day and acknowledge your worries. Using a journal can be helpful. Never take your worries to the bedroom.
- Expose your eyes to sunlight first thing in the morning: Daylight is key to regulating sleep patterns. Try to get outside in natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes every day, preferably as soon as you wake up. This will help you wake up during the day and make it easier to fall asleep at night.
- Adjust your medication schedule: Some commonly prescribed medicines to treat heart conditions, high blood pressure, colds or asthma can disrupt sleep patterns. If you have trouble going to sleep, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. They may tell you whether any drugs you are taking might be contributing to your insomnia (inability to sleep). Ask whether those drugs can be taken at other times during the day or early in the evening.
