When it comes to falling asleep, the most effective thing you can do is calm your mind.
Of course, that may be easier said than done – especially when it is in the middle of the night and you desperately wait to fall asleep. But there are different non-obvious ways to calm your thoughts and prepare the brain and the body for sleep.
Instead of taking a warm bath, pouring yourself a night cover or squeezing a workout before bedtime, a few are here a few supported ways to dupe your mind:
Don't sleep
One of the most effective ways to mislead yourself to fall asleep is to try not To sleep. Trying too hard to sleep never works, and all those worries and fear of falling asleep stops at night, said Deirdre Conroy, a sleeping psychologist and the clinical director of the Sleep Medicine Clinic at the University of Michigan Health Sleep Disorders CENTERS.
By doing the opposite and forcing yourself to lie in bed and stay awake all night – a phenomenon that is called paradoxical intention – you will unintentionally destroy it at some point. “In your mind you actually try to stay up, but sleep will eventually come into effect,” said Conroy.
Focus on your mornings
Person in a cozy kitchen, wearing comfortable, informal clothing, narrowly a drink and looks at a phone. Plants and kitchen utensils adorn the space
The key to getting good sleep is not just about what you do, and you don't do that at night. Your morning routine can even have an even greater impact on your sleep. According to Cathy Goldstein, a sleep neurologist at the University of Michigan Health Sleep Disorders, a good sleep starts in the morning.
“Set your alarm and get it light first – this not only looks at your body when the wake -up time is, but also when the start of sleep should occur,” Goldstein said. Waking up when your alarm goes off at the same time every day, and exposes yourself to daylight, set your internal clock, making it easier to fall asleep before going to sleep.
Be worried
Conroy said that the hardening of time to worry earlier in the day, you can help you fall asleep before going to sleep. Instead of completely rejecting your worries, if you take time to make time for sleeping if you are worried about things – not good for bedtime – you can sleep better at night.
A quick tip: take 15 minutes to note those worries in a diary so that you can get them on paper and leave them there. “That can actually reduce the amount of worries that happens before bed,” said Conroy.
Think of nature
Person walking on a forest path with binoculars, with a sweater and backpack, surrounded by lush greenery
Jeffrey Durmer, a doctor for sleeping medicine and sleep coach for the American Olympic weightlifting team, said that the sounds and darkness of nature are natural ingredients for inducing sleep. After all, it is known that nature reduces stress, lower blood pressure, lower the difficult speed and lower muscle tension.
To sleep, Durmer advised to think about nature – like the last time you slept in a remote hut or was laid out under the stars. This can even be as simple as starting a fire, lighting a candle or spending time on a veranda, terrace or deck to return darkness and silence in your mind, instead of light and noise, “Durmer said.
Focus on the sound of your breathing
Slow, deep belly breathing-such as the 4-7-8 method in which you inhale four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds and eight seconds, it is known that relaxation increases and sleeps.
Moreover, it can simply focus on your breath from other worries and worries and bringing you to the present moment. “Removing your focus from the environment and placing something in your control (the breath) on something in your control helps the mind to settle and become calm,” Durmer said.
Put your mind, not your body
There is a common misconception that sports can help you sleep more easily at night. But while working out your body from the elaboration, it did not necessarily exhaust your mind.
“After a marathon your body may be tired, but that doesn't mean your mind will be ready to sleep,” said Conroy. Note: Regular exercise improves sleep in general, but exercising in order If you fall asleep, you won't do much good.
Instead of working to facilitate sleep, Conroy advised to enter into activities that can tire mentally. “We are social people, our brains like to learn, and therefore if you don't deal with the world during the day, this can affect your sleep,” said Conroy.
Read a book, do puzzles – have something that you are really mentally busy. “Otherwise there is no difference between the day and the night for some people,” said Conroy.
This message originally appeared on Huffpost.
