6 Natural Strategies For Falling Asleep Faster

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When it comes to your mental and physical health, getting a good night’s sleep is essential. When you fall into a deep REM-filled slumber, your body can recover from the day before, allowing you to wake revitalized and ready to take on the day.

Between improved cognitive functions, increased energy levels, and a boosted immune system, your overall wellbeing thrives best under well-rested conditions. However, many people find themselves locked within a pattern of late insomnia-ridden nights and midday wake-up calls, resulting in never-ending fatigue and burn-out.

Fortunately, there are natural sleep aids and methods without complications to induce deeper sleep and sidestep adverse reactions to traditional sleeping pills. Because these remedies are completely safe with no side effects, you can safely try out several until you’ve landed on the perfect cocktail of sleep-inducing strategies for you.

Practice Meditation

One way to induce sleep without relying on addictive sleeping pills is by practicing relaxing meditation techniques. Often, people have difficulty falling or staying asleep because of pent-up stress and anxiety eating at them during the night when there are no distractions to keep destructive thoughts at bay. To remedy tense feelings and alleviate internal panic, many rely on meditative practices like mindfulness and yoga to reel in unhelpful, antsy emotions. Grounding exercises focus on deep breathing, thought clearing, and intentional movements to relax the mind and body, preparing you for a REM-filled slumber. You’ll feel the grounding, calming effects almost instantly.

Revamp Your Sleeping Schedule

People often overlook how critical a consistent schedule is when it comes to sleep, falling into inconsistent wake-up and bedtimes, ultimately throwing their body out of its groove. Though it’s tempting to stay up all hours of the night to binge-watch your favorite show or sleep in until noon to catch up on missed shut-eye, breaking your set schedule can wreak havoc long-term. Your body has an internal clock that helps you stay on course, and consistently ignoring signals that it’s time for bed can result in chronic insomnia without careful remedying.

If your sleep schedule is all over the place, consider re-evaluating your morning and night routines to adopt a more consistent approach. That way, you can swap out groggy, fatigue-filled mornings with a well-rested daybreak routine.

Natural Sleeping Aids

Many over-the-counter and prescription medications to induce sleep come hand in hand with undesirable and addictive side effects. Between dry mouth, nausea, and potential dependence, prolonged use of highly potent sleep aids can ultimately cause more harm than good. Consider switching to a natural sleep aid to promote healthy, deeper sleep instead of relying on chemical-filled solutions with potentially dangerous side effects.

Natural remedies have a low risk of side effects and withdrawal, which means you can rely on them long-term to help with bouts of insomnia. You can ingest products like chamomile, valerian, and melatonin in several ways, such as tea, capsules, or oils, allowing you to try out different methods without complications. Though it may take some trial and error before you land on the technique that works best, taking the natural route will result in a deeper, healthier slumber.

Avoid Daytime Naps

Though many are proponents of a daytime nap, sleeping during the day can inhibit your ability to fall asleep at night. While it can be challenging, especially for those struggling with chronic insomnia, fighting through fatigue and saving your sleep for the night can help you reach healthy, REM levels of slumber.

However, that’s not to say short cat-naps aren’t beneficial. In fact, many sleep specialists suggest that 20-minute bursts of sleep can improve productivity. That said, there is a fine line between over-napping and a mid-day revamp, which is why you should keep daytime snoozes to a minimum.

Physical Exercise

Many people overlook the benefits exercise has on one’s ability to fall asleep. People who participate in consistent physical activity often experience fewer sleep complications than those who forgo their daily walk around the block.

Unfortunately, many are under the impression that the only form of physical movement that counts is high-intensity activities. While cardio-focused exercises are one route to take, something as simple as a gentle stroll, light weightlifting, or yoga will most likely do the trick. Ultimately, any form of movement can improve your sleep routine, so play around with what works best for you.

Phone-Free Wind-Down Routine

Studies show that spending your final moments scrolling through your phone before you doze off can significantly impact your ability to fall asleep quickly. Smartphones emit a blue light that suppresses melatonin, a hormone that helps control your sleep-wake functions.

While you may not think your hour-long gaze into the artificial light of your phone will have any effect on your slumber, your brain will thank you for setting your device aside for at least one hour in preparation for a full night’s sleep.

Amanda Greenberg is a mother to three amazing kids. When she isn’t developing her writing portfolio or mastering her craft, Amanda dabbles in house flipping and spends every trace of free time soaking in quality time with her family.