FORCE YOURSELF TO STAY AWAKE
Now, i know what you may be thinking "how the hell is that going to help me sleep?" but trust me. Its a sort of reverse psychology thing... i think.A small study conducted at the University of Glasgow found that sleep-onset insomniacs who were instructed to lay in bed and try to stay awake with their eyes open fell asleep quicker than participants told to fall asleep without this “paradoxical intention” (PI). Participants in the PI group fell asleep easier and showed less sleep performance anxiety.
HIDE YOUR CLOCK
Constantly checking the time only increases your stress, making it harder to turn down the dial on your nervous system and fall asleep. If you stare at the clock, it increases your stress and worry about not falling asleep. So hide your clocks, phones, watches blah blah... you get the ideaCOOL YOUR ROOM
Did you know your internal body temperature is integral to regulating your biological body clock? When you’re falling asleep, your body temperature drops slightly, which some experts believe actually helps the process along, according to the Harvard Medical School. The National Sleep Foundation recommends a bedroom temperature of 60 to 67 degrees F for the most sleep-friendly conditions.USE THE 4-7-8 METHOD
Championed by best-selling author Dr. Andrew Weil—and various wellness bloggers,
the “4-7-8” breathing technique is purported to help you fall asleep in
under a minute. The method is said to relax you by increasing the
amount of oxygen in your blood stream, slowing your heart rate, and
releasing more carbon dioxide from the lungs. According to DrWeil.com, here’s how you do it:
1. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind
your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise.
2. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
3. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
4. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
5 Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
6. Repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
