When you were a child, a regular sleep schedule probably helped you get a good night's sleep. As an adult, your habits may have changed, but your needs are the same. In fact, the more consistent you are with your bedtime routine, the more likely you are to figure out how to fall asleep quickly and soundly without any medication.
ContentSet an alarm to start getting ready for bed How to fall asleep quickly and soundly: take a warm bath before bed Prepare the room to bedHow to fall asleep quickly and soundly: put away your gadgetsStretch your legs along the wall
The trick is to develop a set of healthy sleep hygiene habits that you can repeat every night. But what exactly should you do before bed? WomanEL offers the following useful rituals.
Set an alarm to start getting ready for bed
We already know that waking up at the same time every day is beneficial. This can be an effective way to adjust your circadian rhythm. You can also set an alarm before bed so you know when it's time to start your nightly routine. According to Nathan Baumann, a clinical psychologist who specializes in sleep, this way you can “firmly establish a consistent sleep cycle.”
Ideally, you should choose a bedtime that corresponds to when you naturally begin to feel tired. , aiming for a total of seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
How to fall asleep quickly and soundly: take a warm bath before bed
Taking a warm bath or shower an hour or two before bed can help you sleep better, according to a 2019 meta-analysis published in the journal Sleep Medicine Reviews. Why? This helps lower your body temperature. And this, in turn, sends a signal that you need to get ready for bed.
Prepare the room for bed
Another way to lower your body temperature is to lower the temperature in your home before bed. But what exactly is the ideal temperature for falling asleep? The US National Sleep Foundation recommends keeping your temperature between 15 and 19 degrees.
The temperature in your room is not the only environmental factor that can seriously affect your sleep. Clean out your room and make your bed, ideally as soon as you wake up in the morning. Clutter can cause you stress.
You should also consider investing in high-quality sleep products, according to Julia Forbes, a certified sleep science coach at Sleep Advisor. Focus on products like a supportive mattress, comfortable pillows, and breathable bedding because they can greatly improve the quality of your sleep and make it easier to fall asleep.
How to fall asleep quickly and soundly: put away your gadgets< /h2>
Try not to use gadgets at least 2 hours before bedtime, Source: freepik.com
When getting ready for bed, be sure to limit unnatural light. “Phones, tablets and TVs emit blue light, which can disrupt your circadian rhythm and tell your body that it's daytime to be awake,” explains psychiatrist Candice Sethi. To prevent this from interfering with your sleep, Sethi recommends setting a strict curfew for any screen time. It's best to avoid all of this by starting at least two hours before bed.
Stretch your legs along the wall
It is useful to stretch before going to bed. Are you running out of time? Lauren Hayes, a nurse practitioner, suggests resting your feet against a wall for 8 to 12 minutes each night to improve your sleep quality.
But how does it affect your sleep? Well, first of all, this stretch takes you out of fight or flight mode (sympathetic nervous system) and puts your nervous system into parasympathetic mode, or rest and digest mode. It also slows the heart rate and signals the body that it is safe and time to rest.
Tips didn't help? We also talked about the tricks of the Scandinavians on how to get rid of insomnia.
