Not getting a good night’s rest can really put a damper on your day. You feel moody, tired, and lack no energy to do your everyday activities. Insomnia is a real problem, and if you have trouble sleeping a lot, make sure you talk to your doctor. Before you reach for those sleeping pills, which can be quite addictive, check out these great techniques that can help you catch some zzz’s without medication.
Exercise
Many times stress keeps you up at night. Doing exercise during the day improves your health and reduces stress. Make sure to exercise at least 3 hours before going to bed, otherwise, you’ll be full of energy and the adrenaline will keep you up.
4-7-8 Breathing Technique
Place the tip of your tongue against the tissue ridge right above your upper front teeth. Keep it there for the remainder of the exercise. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound as you do so. Close your mouth and inhale slowly through your nose while mentally counting to 4. Hold your breath for a mental count of 7. Exhale completely through your mouth for a mental count of 8. Make the same whoosh sound from Step Two. Repeat the same process three more times for a total of four renditions.
Listen to Music
Music can cause you to feel a variety of things, it can get you pumped enough to do cardio, and it can even help you get relaxed, and yes—sleep. Studies show that classical music or any music with a slow rhythm of 60 to 80 beats per minute can help you relax and go to sleep.
Nuts
There are certain foods that help you produce melatonin, which is the hormone that controls sleep. Walnuts help create serotonin and melatonin, which can help you fall asleep faster. Almonds are rich in magnesium, which is the mineral needed for quality sleep.
Tea
Chamomile tea is associated with an increase of glycine, which is a chemical the help relax your nerves and muscles. Passion fruit tea includes Harman alkaloids, which are chemicals that help ease your nervous system and help you fall asleep.
Acupressure
Lay in bed and apply gentle pressure between your eyebrows, right above the nose. Apply gentle pressure for about a minute and take deep breaths. Applying pressure here will help you relax your nervous system, including relaxing anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia.
Curl you toes
Cold feet can keep you from falling asleep, so get up and put on some socks. Curling your toes for a few seconds and then uncurling them can help relax your mind and body, causing you to fall asleep faster.
Other things that can help you fall asleep is getting rid of any light, this includes shutting off your cell phone or placing it away from you where you can’t hear any sounds or see any lights that can wake you up in the middle of the night. Room temperature also matters, so make sure your room is at a cool temperature, anywhere between 60 and 67 degrees is perfect.