How To Go to Sleep.

Falling asleep is easy for most of us but can be a nightmare for some. About 30% to 50% of the general population suffers from insomnia (difficulty in sleeping) and they have difficulty either to go to sleep or staying asleep. This sleeplessness can be cured by simple sleep ideas and in most cases medication may not be necessary. Following a  proper sleep hygiene will help you rid yourself of your insomnia and fall asleep easily and fast.

Natural Sleep Aids To Get Sleep.

Adopting a good sleeping hygiene (good sleep habits) with the sleep ideas described below will help you sleep well. The following are some lifestyle habits and measures you should adopt, which will act as natural sleeping aids.

Sleep Hygiene To Sleep Better.

• Avoid caffeine, tobacco and stimulants at least about 8 hours before bedtime as these will not allow you to sleep. Nicotine which is present in tobacco is a stimulant. Caffeine and other stimulants provide a boost to your energy and heighten alertness. They last in the blood for more than 8 hours and should be avoided as such.
• Certain medicines taken over the counter such as nasal decongestants, pain killers, appetite suppressants and diet pills can cause insomnia. Avoid them and take your doctor’s advice for an alternative remedy.
• Avoid drinking alcohol about 6 hours before going to bed. Alcohol causes dehydration which makes you drink more water making you get up in the night during sleep to pass urine. Drinking alcohol can cause sleep disorders by changing the natural duration of the sleep stages and also by altering the total sleep time and  sleep latency (time needed to fall asleep). Though alcohol is a muscle relaxant, it worsens sleep apnea and increases snoring. Alcohol also reduces levels of melatonin which is a hormone needed to sleep better.
• Do not have heavy, spicy, oily and sugary meals for dinner. This will disrupt the ability to stay asleep as these foods are difficult to digest.
• Eat an hour or two before going to bed as it takes an hour for the serotonin levels to rise after you have eaten.
• Avoid that afternoon siesta. Sleeping during the day will make it more difficult to fall asleep at night. If you have to take a nap, have it in the early afternoon before 3 pm and do not let it be more than 20 minutes.
• Exercise is necessary but not at night before sleep. Regular exercise of moderate intensity will help you get your deep sleep but exercise only in the morning or afternoon. Strenuous physical activity before bedtime will cause problems falling asleep. Refrain from doing exercise at least 4 hours before bedtime. One study concluded that exercise is as effective as benzodiazepines (sleeping pills) in inducing sleep.
• Avoid watching the TV or working at the computer at night before bedtime. This disturbs your ability to fall asleep. This is because watching television suppresses melatonin production (a hormone which induces sleep) and stimulates the mind instead of relaxing it.
• A few minutes of light reading with a soft reading lamp or listening to light soothing music is definitely a better alternative.
• Avoid heavy discussions or arguments before bedtime as this can be mentally stressful.
• Lying in the bath tub filled with luke-warm water will help soothen your nerves and will help you fall asleep easily. Do it about 60 minutes to 90 minutes before going to bed. This will raise your body temperature but it is the later drop in body temperature which induces sleep.
• A light massage before bedtime too will help in the same manner.
• Do not go to bed on an empty stomach. Have a light dinner or a bedtime snack containing more of carbohydrates, tryptophan and calcium and little to medium of proteins. Foods to help you sleep better explains these foods.
• Wear loose and comfortable clothing. Choose the type of clothing which is relevant to the climate – woolens in winter and cotton in summer.
• Choose the position you find most comfortable to sleep. This will help induce sleep quicker.
• If you cannot go to sleep in twenty minutes, do not stay in bed trying hard to sleep. Similarly, if you get up in the middle of the night for some reason and cannot get sleep, do not lie in bed. Get up and do some reading or have a light snack or a warm water bath.
• Then there is the age-old trick of inducing sleep by counting sleeping sheep. Imagine a peaceful green meadow with sheep sleeping in it. Start moving from one sheep to another and counting the sheep as you pass each of them. Two  Harvard researchers concluded that this practice prevented disturbing brain activity which disturbs the sleeping process.
• When you get up in the morning, expose your face to the sun for about ten minutes. This is to set and regulate your biological clock.

 Sleep Restriction.

Sleep restriction forms a part of stimulus control therapy and involves improving the bedroom environment for a better sleep. Restricting yourself to bed only for your sleeping hours is sleep restriction therapy. Fix the time to sleep when feeling sleepy only and rising time should also be programmed. And make it a rigid routine.

This will support your circadian rhythm (your biological clock)  and as your body gets adjusted to this routine, it will make it easier to fall asleep every night. Sleep restriction will help your mind to associate the bed to sleeping only. Do not watch TV or read while in the bed and as mentioned restrict your bed for sleep and sex only.

Read these tips to go to sleep, again and again, and follow them well. They will not only help you fall asleep fast and easily but give that deep sleep as well.  Certain additional measures are explained  in the subsequent posts and you would do well to read them too.

• Stress management to fall asleep.
• Food that will help you go to sleep.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy to help you get sleep.
• Sleeping aids to help you sleep.

Related posts:

1. Sleep Aids To Help You Sleep.
2. How Much Sleep Do You Need.
3. NREM Sleep – Non Rapid Eye Movement Sleep.
4. Sleeping Pills, Sleep Aids & Medications To Treat Insomnia.
5. Over The Counter and Natural Sleep Aids to Help You Sleep.
6. Sleep Importance, Function and Physiology.
7. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – An Effective Sleep Treatment.
8. Proper Bedroom and Bed to Sleep Better.