15 ways to a fall asleep faster

11:14 pm

Ughhh. Why can’t I fall asleep?

12:34 am

Seriously?  What is my problem? Oh…I love when the clock does that all the numbers in order thing.

2:55 am

I can still get 4 hours of sleep.

Sound familiar?

There is nothing more frustrating then wanting to go to sleep and have it escape like a fugitive from justice.  Just at the edge of your sight, and when you think your close…bam gone again.

Insomnia hits us all, especially when we need it most: in times of stress when our body, mind and spirit desperately need a break, a chance to reset so we can function and not be like the walking dead.  Sleep is when we rejuvenate and heal our bodies from disease. It helps reduce heart disease, inflammation, depression, memory loss and increases weight loss.  Sleep is vital, but she can be a real a witch.

Here’s some irony.

This morning, after a night of tossing and turning, getting tangles in my sheets and upsetting poor Perri, I woke up thinking about ways to get a better night sleep.  Little too late, but there’s always tonight, right?

Here’s my mega list of ideas to help you (and me) sleep better and night.  Just a brain dump of information that was obviously what was keeping me awake.  Insomnia about sleep aids, a bit messed up, but hey, when inspiration hits you run with it.

1.       Go to bed at the same time every night and wake at the same time every morning.  Time for toddler tactics- consistency builds familiarity, so your mind and body know what’s expected every night at say 10:00 pm.

2.       Create a nightly ritual.  Same reason as above- it gives notice that it’s time for rest.  You can check out my blog on creating a nightly ritual that transforms.

3.       Don’t watch TV or use electronics an hour before bed.  First they stimulate the brain with the blue light from the LED’s and secondly, the last thing you see usually play on as a loop in your mind.  If you must watch the news, watch it earlier, so you’re not carrying all that negativity with you to bed.

4.       Don’t exercise right before bed- yep- you’ve just revved up your energy, so good luck with getting it to settle down again fast.

5.       No brainer, but still, if you’re susceptible, don’t drink caffeine in the evening.  Water or herbal tea are you best bet, especially chamomile tea which has a natural calming effect.

6.       Right before bedtime take a warm bath with lavender and Epsom salts.  The warm water will relax your muscles and the lavender will bring peace to your mind.

7.       Keep the temperature in your room cooler, between 60 and 67 degrees.  Your body temperature decreases to initiate sleep, so give it a bit of a head start.

8.       Keep the lights low in your room as you get ready for bed. Bright light stimulates, low light soothes.

9.       If your brain is wired try reading a book, something easy, nothing intense that will give you nightmares.  A cozy mystery, light romance, self help, or a book of poetry.  I personally love Rumi.

10.   To do list playing on a loop?  Keep a journal on your nightstand and right the sucker down, that way you won’t forget, and your mind won’t keep trying to remember it for morning.

11.   Try a natural remedy. A couple drops of lavender on your pulse points, melatonin, or CBD oil are all natural ways to help induce sleep because the support your body’s own sleep process.

12.   If possible, keep your phone in another room.  Unless you’re on-call or have a teenager out late- remove the phone from your room.  The blue light from the screen suppresses naturally occurring melatonin which helps you sleep, plus it keeps your mind engaged, because you’re unconsciously listening for notifications and even checking it one last time can delay REM sleep.

13.   Drink milk not wine before bed.  Alcohol has been proven to mess with your REM sleep cycle and although you may fall asleep quickly, you’ll experience more interrupted sleep reducing the quality of your sleep.  Milk contains tryptophan a precursor to the sleep-inducing compounds serotonin and melatonin.  If it makes you feel better pour the milk into your wine glass!

14.   Focus on the positive.  When your brain is caught in a spiral, interrupt the flow by choosing to think about what’s going right in your life.  Think of it as a gratitude intervention.  We’re never stressed about the good things in life, so our body and minds relax more quickly, and as a bonus you’ll wake up in a better state of mind.

15.   Pray.  Turning over whatever is keeping you up to your higher power, brings a sense of relief.  You’re no longer responsible for the outcome, you place the situation in the hands of a power greater than your own.  Now release it and let it go.  Trust and have faith that it will all work out for the highest good.

By no means is this the end all be all list of sleep remedies, but it’s a start.

Next time your watching the clock tick off precious minutes of sleep, pick one, two or any combination and give them a try.  As a bonus, right before you turn off the light say this affirmation “I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night.”

Me?  I’m off to the store.  My milk supply is low and to take a line from the Boy Scouts, I want to “Be Prepared.” 

P.S.  I just thought of another one.  Don’t eat in bed.  The crumbs can get stuck in the most uncomfortable places.  Enough said.