It’s a fact that getting good, consistent sleep has myriad health benefits, including lowering our risk for diabetes, obesity, depression and heart disease, increasing lifespan, and even boosting our immune system. And yet, it seems that almost everyone struggles to get a good night’s sleep at some point in their lives. And, with the added stress of everything going on in the world right now, a full 8 hours of sleep may seem more elusive than ever. Luckily, health and well-being freelance journalist Kim Jones has compiled 222 (!) tips for better slumber in her new book, Trick Yourself to Sleep!
With sections on food and drink, mind, body, before-bed, breathing, and even pro-sleep tricks to practice in the daytime, Jones covers all of basics—and then some. Her scientifically-backed tips are all explained clearly and concisely—so all we have to do is close our eyes and drift off.
Read on for 5 ways to Trick Yourself to Sleep below!
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1. Try to stay awake
Sounds crazy, but it might just work. Researchers asked one group of insomniacs to attempt to fall asleep as they normally would, and another group to lie in bed, keep their eyes open, and try to stay awake for as long as possible. Result? The second group fell asleep faster — and reported less anxiety about drifting off.
It is because sleep is an automatic process, the researchers surmised, that trying to fall asleep can actually inhibit the process. Plus, going to bed without the pressure of having to fall asleep also seems to help.
2. Cool your brow
To get to sleep, our brains need to settle down and be calm.
Brain-imaging scans have shown that insomniacs often have a lot going on in the frontal cortex region of the brain — responsible for a racing mind, worry, and mental chatter, which makes it difficult to drop off and enjoy deep sleep. Remarkably, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that cooling this part of the brain can reduce metabolic activity there. They gave insomniacs a cooling cap to wear that made them fall asleep sooner than those in the study who had no sleep problems. They also slept for 89 percent of the time they were in bed — the same amount as the normal sleepers.
If you find it hard to shut off your mind, try using a cold flannel compress on your forehead to see if you can put your thoughts on ice — and sleep better as a result.
3. Pillow-perfect
Our heads are pretty heavy. They weigh between ten and fourteen pounds, and place quite a burden on our neck muscles. It’s important, therefore, to find pillows that properly support our heads while we sleep so that we don’t wake with a real pain in the neck! A supportive pillow should keep your head and neck in line with your spine, just as they would be when you are standing. To check that your pillow is accurately doing its job, try these tricks:
- If you’re a side sleeper, bring the hand closest to the bed under your neck, feeling for any upward or downward tilt. An upward tilt and the pillow is too high, a downward tilt and it’s too low for you. The pillow should be just the right size to fill the gap between the top of your shoulder and your head.
- If you’re a back sleeper, place your hand on the back of your neck to feel for any forward or backward tilt. Your forehead and chin should be level.
- Sleeping on your front is the worst position for neck pain, and most experts agree if you really have to sleep like this then try sleeping without a pillow.
4. Warm your tootsies
Having warm feet could help you kick back, relax, and fall asleep faster. A study by Swiss academics published in Nature found that warming your feet, and thereby widening your blood vessels, helps release heat from the body’s core.
As we know, our core body temperature needs to fall at bedtime so as to alert our brains that it’s time to sleep. So warming your toes could help nudge this natural process along and switch on the body’s sleep mechanisms. One South Korean study found that people who wore socks in bed fell asleep sooner and enjoyed thirty-two minutes’ more sleep with fewer awakenings than those who slept sockless. Try wearing bedsocks or toasting your tootsies on a hot-water bottle if your feet tend to feel the cold.
5. Give your brain power breaks throughout the day
Thanks to the Internet always available at our fingertips, cell phones, and twenty- four-hour TV, we’re bombarded with more information than ever. The trouble is, our brains aren’t designed to pay attention for hours at a time. They can only retain full focus for about ninety minutes and then, ideally, they need to go offline for a short while to rest, renew, and recover. So give your brain little power breaks throughout the day.
Every ninety minutes or so, stop what you’re concentrating on and make a cup of tea, roll your shoulders, take a short walk, or sit and simply daydream for a few minutes, or longer if you can.
By giving your brain breaks like these, you’re allowing it time to process recent events and all the information it’s received. Without giving it this sort of downtime, by the time you get to bed your mind will be thoroughly wired, overloaded with far too much to process to allow you to slip peacefully into slumber.
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And there you have it! For more tips like this, check out Trick Yourself to Sleep: 222 Ways to Fall and Stay Asleep from the Science of Slumber. Let us know in the comments or on Twitter what your methods are for getting a good night’s sleep!
