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If you often find yourself unable to fall asleep, a National Health Service (NHS) doctor has shared three tips she claims will help you doze off with ease.
There has been a lot of talk lately about whether the common rule that everyone really needs eight hours of sleep to feel fully rested.
That’s actually not true. The amount of sleep each person needs varies, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Some people need as few as six hours of sleep, while others may need as much as 10 hours. A lot of it has to do with at what stage you are in life.
Regardless of how much sleep you actually need, if you aren’t getting enough of it then that is a problem that shouldn’t be ignored.
“In terms of physically, sleep allows the body to repair,” Dr. Sara Kayat recently told the Mirror.
“We need sleep in order to consider memories and process information,” she continued.
“If you’ve not had time to do these things a lot of our memories and information we learned the previous day does not get processed.”
So what do you do if you go to bed and just lie there, unable to fall asleep?
A NHS doctor explained to the Mirror that there are three tips you can try.
Her first trick is all to do with keeping your eyes open, which may seem rather counterintuitive, but that’s the whole point.
The expert claims you should force yourself to stay awake as it will trick your mind into doing the opposite.
“There is actually a phrase to describe this, which is called ‘paradoxical intention,’ where you challenge yourself to stay awake and it tricks the mind into falling asleep,” she said.
“All you need to do is lay in bed, keep your eyes open as much as you can and repeat the phrases ‘do not fall asleep’ or ‘I will not fall asleep. Your eye muscles should tire quickly, and hopefully you’ll be asleep in no time.”
Her second suggestion to help you fall asleep is called the 4-7-8 method.
“To do this, you need to put your tongue to the roof of your mouth for the whole exercise, just behind your teeth,” she said. “Then, exhale through your mouth – it probably will make a bit of a weird noise, but roll with it.
“Next, close your mouth and inhale through your nose for four seconds. Then, hold your breath for seven seconds.
“Now that the 4-7 are both done, we’re onto the 8. Exhale through your mouth, making another weird sound, for eight seconds. Repeat this until you’re fast asleep.”
Tip number three for hos to fall asleep is to go backwards in your mind through the events of your day.
“Run through what your day consisted of while you lay in bed, but do it starting from getting into bed in the evening, to waking up first thing that morning,” she advised.
“Do everything in reverse order. This will keep your mind clear of any worries, and it will be a bit more challenging and mundane than running through your day in the right order.”
Other things you do to help you sleep, according to LiveScience, who recently published “8 common sleep myths debunked” are: avoid alcohol before going to sleep, turn the temperature in your bedroom to between 65 and 70 degrees, and get some exercise in the evening. Just avoid doing vigorous exercise less than one hour before going to bed.