Five Weird Tricks To Help You Fall Asleep Faster

Trying to fall asleep can sometimes be a difficult task. Even people who have relatively regular sleep schedules might have a rough time falling asleep. Maybe it’s the cup of coffee you drank in that last hour of work, or maybe it’s the knowledge that tomorrow is going to be a very big day. Whatever the reason is, here are some tips to help you fall asleep faster.

#1. Turn off your electronics an hour before bed.

This one isn’t surprising if you think about it, but it can be difficult to enforce. Staring at a bright light right before bed can really affect how well you get to sleep. In addition to this, the alert sounds that your phone or computer make are distracting and can remind you of the stressors that you have to face when you wake up again. Keep the hour before bed a calm, electronic free time, so that you can give your brain (and your eyes) ample time to wind down.

#2 Start a sleep or idea journal.

Having a journal near your bed has many benefits. The best one being that you can track nights that you had a harder time getting to sleep, and mornings that you woke up feeling refreshed. You can also keep track of caffeine intake, exercise, and general stressors in order to become more aware of what might be getting in your way specifically.

There are apps for this, but a journal is better if you want to keep away from artificial light for an hour before bed. Also, if you have a journal nearby then when you think of a great idea, or something important that you need to remember to do the next day, you can write it down and get it out of your brain. Getting that idea on paper means that it won’t be keeping you awake!

#3 Remember that noise matters.

Invest in a noise maker, or an air purifier, or a dehumidifier, or even a pair of headphones (although this violated the electronic rule). Spend some money on anything that will create a soothing and droning sound, and hopefully block out other noises like snoring or street sounds. While some of these things may not block out a lot of noise, they will create a singular sound that you can focus on, and over time, a sound that you associate with bedtime.

#4 Try to stay awake.

Referred to as the sleep paradox, telling your brain to sleep may make it want to do the opposite. Verbalize it mentally: “don’t go to sleep.” Your brain will focus on sleep. The only reason to do this in the negative, as opposed to say “sleep” is that putting focus only on the word sleep creates undue pressure that will get in your way.

#5 Remember your day – backwards.

Try to focus your mind on recounting “what happened before what” as accurately as possible. Even though stressful things may have happened throughout your day, if you keep the task singular, trying to recall all the way back to the first moments of your morning, your focused brain will begin to clear away anything else besides the task at hand. This amount of focus will physically relax you.

Did these tips help? Perhaps the next time you have trouble falling asleep, try some of these tricks to help you get to sleep faster?