Nothing feels more annoying than constantly changing your sleeping position. Checking your clock. Realizing you haven’t had a wink and there are only a few hours left to fall asleep before your alarm goes off.
In the morning, you hit the snooze button until you are forced to get out of bed and end up rushing around madly trying to make it out of the door or to a meeting which has been scheduled for too early. End up scattered. Unfocused. Feeling rushed all day. Does it sound like a good start to the day? Not at all.
As we all know, getting a good night’s sleep is incredibly important for your health as well as a good start for your day. In fact, it’s just as important as eating a balanced, nutritious diet and exercising. If you are tired of counting sheep, then here are 7 effective ways to fall asleep quicker.
1. Kick the afternoon caffeine
Drinking coffee or beverages that consist of caffeine in the first part of the day can help you to fight fatigue and stimulate alertness. Do not drink caffeine 6 hours prior to bedtime (1). Instead try to replace it with chamomile tea or any other herbal tea. Studies have shown lavender (2), chamomile (3), valerian root (4) tea sleep-promoting effects.
2. Put the phone away
Blue light from the phone screen is the devil here. It suppresses melatonin, which is a hormone responsible for controlling your sleep-wake cycle (5). The blue light is an artificial color that mimics daylight. During the day it can make you feel more alert. Before bedtime it is completely opposite of what you need. So, in conclusion, your phone’s artificial blue light right before bedtime disrupts your body’s internal clock and rhythm (6). Try not to scroll your phone before going to sleep!
3. Lower the room temperature
Studies claim that thermal environment is one of the most important factors that can affect our sleep (7). But what happens with your body temperature when falling asleep? Our body begins to drop in temperature right before you fall asleep. During sleep, your core temperature is reduced by 1 to 2°C. Our body does it to conserve energy and direct it to other parts of the body. Sleeping in a colder room will help you drop to that level faster, which helps you to fall asleep faster (8). The perfect room temperature is exactly 18.3°C!
4. CBD and natural sleep-promoting essential oils
Since the majority of the Organia family have been using CBD oil for sleeping disorders and general anxiety we have formulated a blend to improve overall sleep quality in a natural way. We have mixed pure CBD isolate with various herb extracts that are known for their calming and sleep-inducing qualities such as lavender, chamomile and valerian root essential oils.
Taking Organia More Sleep CBD oil before bedtime or adding a few drops of oil in your night tea will help you to fall asleep quicker and calm your mind. Studies show that CBD may affect sleep directly. By interacting with receptors in the brain that govern the body’s daily sleep and wake cycles (9).
Organia More Sleep is not like a sleeping pill that will knock your socks off for a day and a half. It is designed to improve your overall sleep quality in a natural way. Try it out yourself!
5. Focus on your breathing
If you’re having trouble falling asleep at night, you might want to try out focused breathing. One way to do this is with controlled breathing methods. Series of slow, deep breaths can help you feel calmer and relaxed. Dr. Andrew Weil, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona, suggests using the 4-7-8 method. It uses your breath to help distract you from sleep anxiety.
Here’s how to practice the 4-7-8 method:
- Slowly exhale all of your breath until your lungs are completely empty.
- Breath in through your nose for 4 seconds.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale for 8 seconds.
- Repeat this method at least 4 times in a row.
6. Wake up and fall asleep at the same time every day
It’s important to wake up and fall asleep at the same time every day (even on weekends and days off). At first you might struggle a bit. Being consistent with your sleep and waking times can help to improve long-term sleep quality. Our body has its own regulatory system called the circadian rhythm, which acts like an internal clock. It helps us to feel alert during the day and sleepy at night. Keeping a regular sleep schedule will help reset your circadian rhythm (10). By going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day helps your body to adjust to the new rhythm. After several weeks you may not even need an alarm for waking up.
7. Meditate
Meditation may help you to drift off faster and achieve restful sleep. Research has shown that meditation is a powerful way to overcome insomnia (11). If you are a beginner and never practiced meditation, then start with a five minute session and work your way up. There are also a bunch of applications which help you to start off such as Calm or Headspace.
References:
- https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.3170
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jan.12836
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7585905/
- https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01413.2009
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07420528.2018.1527773
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3427038/
- http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/science/what/characteristics
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28349316/
- https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx#:~:text=Circadian%20rhythms%20are%20physical,%20mental,a%20light-related%20circadian%20rhythm
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6557693/