How Can I Fall Asleep Faster?
Simply put, a state of calmness (parasympathetic state), not counting sheep whilst staring at the ceiling. We are all different but how our days play can impact a calm state of mind from an argument with a loved one or a day at work where nothing goes your way. So we need to optimise how we down regulate these stresses.
This is why it’s so important to have hobbies, social connections and fun outside of the mundane. Personally speaking, going to the gym is a perfect way to reflect and acknowledge the day and clear the mind a few hours before heading to bed. Even with a simple 20 minutes walks outside can have such improvement make such a difference a few hours down the line
Easy ways to down regulate.
- Journal - low effort but so impactful. Write it all out into the universe and release that pent up stress.
- Walking - This really can just help create a new enviroment for yourself to think things through whether that is in the past or planning for the future, it is such an underated super power in todays sanitary world
- Meditating - Simple just being present with your thoughts, letting them appear before exhaling it all away.
- Chatting to mates - In a world full of online living, it pays to share laughter and a meal in person. Don’t ever underrate the value of a laugh
- Cooking - A fun way to relive memory lane by cooking up your nan’s speciality or dabbling into the realm of new cuisine, you’ll love it and if you don’t, you can always laugh about it and get a delivery
There are techniques which have been highlighted by Andrew Huberman that can have an instant impact in helping someone down regulate these stresses. I personally use it as the Founder of Turbo Flow. It’s pretty simple, it’s a double intake breath followed with an exhale. You take in a long deep breath through the nose, at the point you feel you’re ready to exhale, take a sharp quick second inhale through the nose and instantly exhale for 3-4 seconds. Repeat it a few times and you’ll already start to notice the difference.
The Keeping You Up Culprits!
Poor airflow Sometimes you’re not able to sleep is poor airflow. We notice it when we are full of cold accompanied with a blocked nose and we just lay there at night wishing it was unblocked. We tend to notice the struggle to fall asleep then but we never to notice the struggle to fall asleep and it’s only 15% of that a blocked nose. This can be caused by a deviated septum from a nose injury as a child to playing sports as a teenager. It can also be caused by our pillow selection or some more serious like tonsillitis.
Eating food late especially to close to bed time. Now we all love a little sweet treat after the sun has gone to sleep, but this can affect us falling asleep. When we consume foods such as lollies or a piece of chocolate it causes our glucose to spike and this spike can be higher than usual due to our sedentary evening routines like watching MAFs on the couch. Ideally we should avoid eating 3-4 hours before heading to bed to allow our body to process our meals and regulate the blood sugar.
Bedroom temperature has such a crucial impact on allowing us to nod off. The ideal temperature is between a cool 16-19 degrees, which is why on stuffy nights you can feel like you’re tossing and turning. Way to improve the temperature you sleep at is having correct covers for your bed, nice and thick in the winter and light and breezy during the summer. On the those nights where its unbearably hot, sleep with the AC on to ensure you can sleep efficiently, it’s worth it!
Light - Light can be the biggest culprit of affecting us and if you don’t thing it affects you, you’re way past normal level of exhaustion and don’t even realise it. Once the sun has set and it is becoming darker outside, this naturally releases melatonin, the hormone that’ll make you feel sleepy. However when we have bright artificial light shining in our eyes, this can completely disrupt this natural process occurring, making you feel ‘wired and tired’. Simple swaps from using large bright down lighting in the living room to a lamp with a warm tint to it can help you drastically with regulating the hormone, melatonin. Additionally having a bedroom that is dark as possible with black out blinds and all standby lights on devices covered, this will help reduce the quantity of ‘micro-wakening’ ensuring you keep in the Deep & REM sleep cycles for longer leading to feeling more refreshed. A little bonus tip, read a book or journal 30 minutes before bed, without a phone doom scrolling in your hand, this will have significant effect on your health and most importantly you life.