How to Fall Asleep Fast

Every one of us goes through a period of having difficulty sleeping at some point in our lives. The cause of our sleep troubles usually has to do with stress or anxiety of some sort, whether the source of the stress is work or family related – or both. When we go to bed we may be physically tired, but our mind is still filled with the concerns of the day so much that we cannot relax enough to fall asleep.

Okay, having ‘been there and done that’ with a schedule consisting of a 60-80 hour work weeks, as a single parent with school-aged children, I have managed to come up with a few tricks that have helped me to fall asleep faster. Some of these things are unconventional and against the recommendation of so-called ‘sleep experts’ (TV in the bedroom) but they work for me.

Set a regular time for bed – establishing a routine and sticking with the same time every night will help your body to develop a pattern.

No exercise three hours before bedtime – if you take an evening walk or work-out at the gym, do it before dinner.

Wind down after dinner – This means no arguing with the kids/spouse – have your important discussions before dinner and try to start the relaxation process at dinnertime. Make it your goal to have any homework, bill paying or any other stress inducing activity done before dinner, so that you can have some relaxing family time after. Granted, sometimes this will be impossible, but if you try, it can happen more often than not.

Shut down your computer and start your evening routine an hour before you go to bed. If you have kids, start their routine too – bathing, brushing teeth, etc.

A warm bath or warmer shower works wonders for relaxing at night. It helps to relax tense muscles and gives you some ‘alone time’ to unwind.

Eating or Drinking – A cup of chamomile tea, or a glass of milk (warm if you like it that way) is okay, as well as a small snack consisting of protein and complex carbohydrates. Just keep it light and stay away from caffeine or sugar, and of course no alcohol.

The general rule about TV in the bedroom is not to turn it on, or remove it from the bedroom if you have trouble sleeping. Personally, I have found that turning on a boring station (nature channel, weather channel, or classical music) and setting the sleep timer for 30 min sometimes helps.

If complete silence bothers you, or if you need to block out some outside noise, try an oscillating fan, or something that plays soothing nature sounds. A little white noise can lull you to sleep.

Tip for Clearing your mind – Sometimes it just cannot be helped; a thought will enter your mind after you have gotten into bed, and nag at you relentlessly. It could be something so minor, like you forgot to add milk to the grocery list, or you can’t remember if you paid the phone bill. Whatever it is, it will bother you all night unless you get rid of it. An easy solution is to keep a notepad and pencil on the nightstand so that you can easily jot down the concern, and free your mind from worry.

Bedroom temperature – Try to keep you bedroom between 65-70 degrees, cool is best for sleeping. If your cold feet bother you, then wear a pair of socks!

One more thing about your bedroom – it needs to set the scene for sleeping, which means that it should look relaxing and comforting. If necessary, give your room a makeover – get rid of clutter, books, computer, junk and any other distractions. Make sure your bed is comfortable – if you know your mattress is in need of replacement, consider making that a priority. Aromatherapy, fresh linens, a comfortable quilt, comforter and enough good pillows make your bed something to look forward to at the end of a long day.