There are lucky people who put their heads on the pillow and Morpheus immediately welcomes them in his arms. The rest of us have to wait a little longer before falling asleep. In fact, insomnia is a fairly common problem.
It is likely that this has happened to you too, at that moment the minutes begin to move slowly, you feel uncomfortable in bed, your frustration slowly increases and you start thinking about all the problems you have had during the day and the forgotten worries.
What's the worst thing you can do when you can't sleep?
There are some folk remedies for sleep, medical advice or bad habits, which actually have the opposite effect and often only exacerbate insomnia. These are some of the most common:
1. Use sleeping pills
The consumption of tranquilizers and sleeping pills is increasing alarmingly. However, sleeping pills are not a good long-term option, because in addition to being addictive, they have also been associated with an increased risk of dying prematurely, suffering from a heart attack or stroke, which is why many scientists say their risks outweigh. by far the benefits. Also, sleeping pills only help us fall asleep a few minutes earlier, so most people don't report a significant benefit. And if that's not enough, they often generate morning weakness and a feeling of lightheadedness.
2. Go to bed only when tired
Most people think that if they go to bed when they are very tired they will fall asleep sooner. But by going to bed one day at one hour and the next day at another, they only get to alter their biological clock. Lack of a good sleep routine ends up showing us the bill, because not following a stable sleep routine will make it harder and harder to fall asleep. In fact, sleep routines have been shown to reduce the amount of adrenaline and cortisol and increase the production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
3. Get up when you can't sleep
Many think that if you can't sleep, it's best to get up and do something else, like reading or watching television. But the time spent resting is good for our body, even if we don't sleep. As long as we are not overwhelmed by frustration, we can take advantage of the hours of rest spent in bed. If we get up, our body will start producing adrenaline and cortisol again, making it harder for us to go back to sleep. Also, if you expose yourself to the blue light of the screens it will inhibit the production of melatonin, so it will be even more difficult to go back to sleep.
4. Look at the clock
When you wake up in the middle of the night your first impulse is to look at what time it is. You roll over in bed, can't sleep, and look at the clock again. This is normal, but it is not helpful and will not help you relax. Constantly looking at the clock will only increase your stress and frustration level, compounded by the worry of falling asleep as quickly as possible. And if you want to sleep, the last thing your brain needs is to have these moments of active attention that prevent it from resting.
5. Counting sheep
It's a classic tip for getting to sleep, but counting sheep doesn't work for everyone. For many people it causes anxiety and stress, especially when they see that the number grows and sleep does not come.
What to do when you can't sleep? 5 techniques to fall asleep quickly
The solution is simple: Anything that helps you relax is good as it helps your brain to gradually inhibit unused areas. If you can't sleep and suffer from insomnia, you need to understand a fundamental principle: everything that activates your brain and puts it to work takes away sleep, while everything that helps you disconnect and relax reconciles it.
1. View your favorite place
If you have a good imagination, visualization is a very effective technique to use when you can't sleep. The key is to imagine a scene that makes you feel relaxed, where you feel so good that your worries vanish. In fact, Oxford University researchers found that people who learn visualization and imagine relaxing scenes like a beach or waterfall can fall asleep on average 20 minutes earlier than those who just count sheep.
The secret is to imagine as much detail as possible so that you can really feel there. In fact, visualization is such a powerful sleeping technique that it engages all the senses. You can imagine swaying calmly on the sea, being refreshed by a light breeze ... Over time your brain will be more and more efficient in recognizing those images and will associate them with pre-sleep visualizations, thus preparing your body and mind for the rest.
2. Use the 4-7-8 method
This is a sleep technique created by Andrew Weil, a professor at the University of Arizona, who claims that with it you can fall asleep in minutes.
First you need to place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth and hold it there throughout the exercise. Then close your mouth and breathe in gently through your nose for a mentally counting to four.
So you have to hold your breath as you count to seven, controlling the diaphragm, as in diaphragmatic breathing. Finally, release the air through your mouth as you count to eight. Usually the cycle is repeated four times. Most people don't need to do more than 10 repetitions to fall asleep.
The interesting thing about this method is that it oxygenates the body better, relaxing the parasympathetic nervous system and slowing the heart rate, leading to a state of calm. Thus it is possible to rebalance the nervous system which is probably overstimulated by stress and worries. In addition, breathing deeply and maintaining breathing increases intra-abdominal pressure which stimulates the vagus nerve, which sends signals to the brain to reduce attention.
3. Practice progressive relaxation
This is a very effective sleeping technique that will help relax the muscles in the body as well. Furthermore, it is a very simple process that usually takes no more than 20 minutes.
Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation consists of contracting and then relaxing the main muscle groups of the body, starting with the feet and ending with the eyebrows. Over time you will notice that you will always fall asleep sooner and you will not need to go through the whole procedure.
The interesting thing is that by focusing on the contraction and relaxation of the muscles, you will not give the mind a chance to worry.
4. Listen to relaxing music
Any kind of music does not work, the ideal themes are those with a slow rhythm, between 60 and 80 beats per minute, because in this way the heart rhythm and breathing are better accompanied.
In fact, psychologists at Semmelweis University found that people who listened to soothing music before bed showed a significant improvement in sleep quality.
The key is that relaxing music reduces the level of norepinephrine, a stress-related hormone, as well as decreases alertness and arousal, which will allow you to fall asleep faster.
5. Let the thoughts flow
There are days when you will simply be too tired to practice sleeping techniques or it will be extremely difficult for you to concentrate because worries don't stop torturing your mind. In this case, the most effective sleep technique is to let your mind wander, without trying to control it.
At first, when you let your guard down, all those ideas that worry you will assail you and you will think that this is the worst thing that can happen to you when you can't sleep. But you need to know that when you let your guard down, the brain begins to relax, but if you continually try to block these worries, you will keep it active and alert.
If you add lavender to the room in addition to these sleeping techniques, you will fall asleep earlier. Psychologists at Wesleyan University found that people exposed to lavender scent between two and ten minutes before going to bed not only fell asleep faster, but also slept more soundly and felt more energetic the next day.
It has also been seen that unpleasant odors, even if not very intense, can awaken us or affect the quality of sleep. So, if you are a perfume sensitive person, using lavender scent will help you relax, lower your blood pressure and fall asleep earlier.
