Sleep is an integral part of our lives because it makes us relax. Anyone suffering from any sleep disorder should visit a sleep specialist chevy chase, so that they can evaluate them because insomnia is a very dangerous illness. Here are a few ways that you can try to make you fall asleep in 5 minutes or less.
Get Comfortable
First and foremost, you need to be comfortable in order to sleep. An uncomfortable bed or mattress will result in a poor quality of sleep. It may be possible that your mattress’s comfortability is why you are having trouble falling asleep. People tend to sleep in different styles and patterns and for each pattern, there is an optimal mattress firmness level. You must identify what level of firmness suits you well according to your sleeping style and body type. This will allow your body to feel comfortable and rested and you will fall asleep very quickly.
As people who sleep on their back are the ones who mostly suffer from sleep apnea, you should change your sleep posture or position to sleep better.
4-7-8 Breathing Technique
This is a technique taught in sleep clinics that allow people with sleep disorders to fall asleep within two minutes. It is a very easy technique and it will relax your brain and make you fall asleep in no time. It can also be called as sleep meditation.
- Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth just behind the front teeth.
- Exhale all of the air through your mouth.
- Close your lips and inhale through your nose silently, and count to 4 while doing that.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds and keep your mind relaxed while doing so
- Part your lips and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds and make a whooshing sound when you exhale
- Keep doing that until you feel drowsy
One thing to note is that this technique requires full relaxation, which means you cannot stress yourself and put pressure on your mind in doing this. Try to do it as naturally as possible.
Turn Off the Lights
Lights have a huge effect on your sleep. It changes the quality of your sleep and makes you fall even quicker. It can make you fall asleep quickly because there is no change in melatonin levels in your brain which is a chemical that controls the sleep cycle and disruption in it causes insomnia. Melatonin levels can be disrupted by the lights of the room and the light of your smartphone screen. The night is supposed to be dark and chilly so you can sleep calmly and quickly.
Try making your room dark and turn off or start dimming all the artificial lights like television, laptop, smartphone or room light at least 30 minutes before sleeping. If there is no way to have a complete blackout, then you can resort to eye patches and shades to achieve the perfect level of dark. You will fall asleep within 30 seconds to a minute.
Paradoxical Intention
Reverse psychology works for your own good sometimes. Sleep specialists recommend this to people who are extremely insomniac or have any other sleep disorder and have trouble falling asleep. Basically, this technique is all about telling your brain to stay awake. You can do this by closing your eyes and continuously thinking about something. This works best with people who are in some kind of stress, and thinking about something else makes them relax, and they sleep within seconds. Paradoxical intention is also a method to reduce anxiety and depression.
Keeping It Cool
It is proven that cooler temperatures are the best environment to sleep in because our body has the tendency to lower its temperature when sleeping. Maintaining a cool environment also increases the melatonin level in your body which induces sleep within no time. Try keeping your body cool by drinking a cup of cold water before sleeping and keeping your room cooler than usual. If you have an air conditioner then lower the temperature slightly. This is the reason why in winter, we tend to enjoy sleeping a lot. Nothing feels nicer than curling up in a cozy blanket.
Sleep clinics silver spring actually practice different exercises and sleep meditation techniques like muscle relaxation and visualization to help people who are suffering from insomnia. If you are having trouble falling asleep, then that’s where you should head to.
