20 solutions lulling you to sleep

Finding it hard to fall asleep?  You’ve got company.  A 2016 Consumer Reports survey of 4,023 U.S. adults said they had trouble falling asleep or staying asleep most nights, and 68 percent – or an estimated 164 million Americans – struggled with sleep at least once a week.

The inability to fall or stay asleep after crawling into bed affects all aspects of our lives.  How we feel and function during our waking hours usually depends on how well we slept during the night.  The number of hours slept is important but even more vital is the quality of our sleep. 

Try the following sleep solutions to find the ones that work best for you not only improving your sleep but helping you feel more productive, mentally sharp, emotionally balanced, and full of energy for the day.

1.     Have a bedtime routine – Going to bed and getting up the next morning at the same time helps set your body’s internal clock.  One way to tell if you’re getting enough sleep is if you wake up naturally without an alarm. 

2.      Avoid sleeping in even on the weekend – It’s better to opt for a daytime nap to catch up missed sleep than to try to make up for it sleeping in till mid-morning.  When our weekday and weekend sleep schedules differ, the worse you will feel. 

3.     Only nap if absolutely necessary – Taking an afternoon nap can be pleasant but keep it short – limit them to no more than 15 to 20 minutes early in the afternoon.  Napping frequently or longer will make it more difficult to fall asleep at night.

4.     Fight after meal drowsiness – Whether you find yourself wanting to nod off after lunch or dinner, don’t.  Get up and find a stimulating activity such as going for a walk, calling a friend, cleaning up the house of picking out your clothes for the next day.  Taking a siesta after a meal can make it harder to get to sleep later.

5.     Keep your blinds and curtains open during the day.  Having natural lighting throughout the house helps wake you up during the day helping regulating your sleep-wake cycle.

6.     Get outdoors during the day – Taking time to be in the sunshine by taking a walk or during a break at work stimulates you to be and stay awake.

7.     Avoid screen 1 – 2 hours before bedtime – Our electronic devices emit a blue light disruptive to getting to sleep.  Turning the brightness down can help or just have a rule to put them away a few hours before turning in.   Screen time also includes no late-night TV or reading from an e-reader. 

8.     Keep your bedroom as dark as possible – Block light by using heavy curtains or shades or use a sleep mask. 

9.     Limit caffeine and chocolate – Stop drinking or eating anything with caffeine or chocolate after 4 pm. 

10.  Avoid eating a big meal at night – Having an early dinnertime (5-6 pm) can help with your body’s circadian rhythm.  Eating a heavy, rich meal within 2 hours of bedtime can result in heartburn and stomach problems.

11.  Avoid alcohol before bed – It may be tempting to want a nightcap right before bed for relaxation but that often results in interfering with your sleep cycle.

12.  Avoid drinking too many liquids before bed – Within 2 or more hours before bedtime, reduce the amount of fluids you consume to prevent making frequent bathroom trips during the night.

13.  Get up and do something for 10 minutes – If you wake up in the middle of the night and are unable to get back to sleep within 15 minutes, get out of bed and do an activity that requires your hands and your head, like a jigsaw puzzle or a coloring book.  Stay away from turning on your TV and other digital screens – the blue light emitted from them suppresses melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone.

14.  Hide your clock – Watching the minutes tick by toward morning increases stress making it harder to fall back to sleep.  Do yourself a favor and hide the clock.  Not knowing what time it is will reduce anxiety and worry about not falling asleep.

15.  Sleep in a cool room – The National Sleep Foundation recommends a bedroom temperature of 60 to 67 degrees F for the most sleep-friendly conditions.  The secret is a cool, comfortable and dark bedroom.  Darkness cues the brain to make melatonin, which tells your interior clock that it’s time to sleep.  Melatonin cools your body temperature, which reaches its lowest point between 2 and 4 a.m.

16.  Take a warm bath or shower before bed – Warming up your body with a relaxing, hot bath or shower an hour before bedtime and then slipping under the covers in a cool bedroom, causes your body temperature to drop more precipitously.  This rapid temperature decrease slows your metabolism faster, preparing your body for sleep.

17.  Wear socks to bed – Warm feet and hands are the best predictors for rapid sleep onset.  Shifting blood flow from your core to your extremities cools down your body, working in concert with melatonin

18.  Scent your bedroom with lavender – Besides its lovely smell, the aroma of lavender relaxes your nerves, lowers your blood pressure, and puts you in a relaxed state. 

19.  Practice progressive relaxation – This involves slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle in your body to help you relax.  Start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively work your way up to your neck and head. Or go vice versa.  Tense your muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds.

20.  Listen to music – Classical music or any music that has a slow rhythm of 60 to 80 beats per minute, can help lull you to sleep.