Whenever I speak with people who have suffered from sleeping issues as I have, the common factor amongst us all is that falling asleep is the most difficult part. There are many people with whom I speak to that tell me that they struggle to stay asleep but these are usually in the minority. Falling asleep can be difficult if your brain is whirring and overthinking things or if there are outside influences which are having an affect on your ability to nod off.
I have been problem free for around 2 years now and here is how I managed to go from insomniac to 8 hours of solid sleep per night.
Upgrade Your Bed
I was reading through the Nectar bed reviews recently and I was surprised to see how rarely people replace their mattress and bedding. Considering the fact that you are likely to spend a third of your life in bed, it makes sense to ensure that you are laying on a comfortable and supportive foundation. Mattresses should be replaced after 3-5 years and bedding should be replaced on an annual basis to be sure that you get maximum comfort when the time comes to sleep.
Be Regular
If you regularly change the hours that you go to bed, you are highly likely to have problems nodding off as your brain doesn’t know when it should shut itself down. In order to counteract this, you should aim to sleep at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. The first week of this may be tricky but soon your body will learn when it needs to be alert and when it can rest and you’ll find that you will fall asleep with ease after just a week or so of this new routine.
Avoid Stimulation
The more that you stimulate your brain or body before sleep, the harder it will be to drift off. Avoid playing games, browsing the web or reading anything that is fact based in the hour before you go to bed. The idea is to slowly relax your body and mind and in order to do this you could read some fiction, listen to soothing music, take a bath, do some slow stretching or even breathing exercises can help. Your bedtime starts an hour before you actually go to bed, so make sure that you use it to wind things down and relax.
Avoid Food and Drinks
Make sure that in the three hours before you sleep, the only thing that passes through your lips is water. Anything with energy or that is difficult to breakdown will keep your body occupied with digestion rather than relaxation and this will inhibit your ability to fall asleep. After your final meal of the day, drink a little water each hour and avoiding any snacks or any drinks which may provide you with energy.
This is how I beat my problems with falling asleep and I am sure that you can too.