First, things that help me get to sleep:
- Listening to classical music - Beethoven mostly, since it's all piano and soothing. Nothing loud, fast, or lyrical that will increase your heart rate.
- Listening to sounds - Water sounds (ie: streams, ocean waves, rain) also help me sleep since they're continuous and soft.
- Reading - Reading a few chapters from a book helps me, although I have to be careful not to get too into the book or else I stay awake to read 'just one more chapter'.
- TV - Even though experts say leaving the television on to get to sleep is not a good idea, the light makes my eyes tired enough to fall asleep faster.
That being said, I googled some tips on healthy ways to fall asleep.
- Don't watch tv, use the computer, or read an exciting book - If you like to read before bed, pick a boring book.
- Exercise during the day - Exercising keeps you fit and healthy, as well as tires your body enough to need sleep to recover for tomorrow. But don't exercise before going to bed, this will increase your heart rate and adrenaline causing the opposite of tiredness.
- Nap? - Naps seem to be the swaying opinion online. Some say napping a short amount of time is good for you. I disagree, because to me napping sounds like you're resting during the day so you'll have more energy later on. (Personally I hate napping, it makes me feel groggy and disoriented.)
- Set a regular bed time and waking time - This makes a ton of sense, since you're putting your body on a schedule so it can expect to rest and start at the same time every day.
- Avoid caffeine - Caffeine is a stimulant, which is not helpful if you're trying to calm down to get to sleep. Coffee addicts, you don't have to avoid it all-together (thank god!) but it's best to not have any after 5pm. Switch to decaf, friends.
- Find calming and relaxing activities to do before going to bed - An hour to a half hour before you settle in, find something that calms your body. Light stretching to loosen your muscles (but not too much to get your heart pumping), again, a boring book, or soothing music, or a hot bath.
I hope this helped! I'm going to try to actually follow my own advice now. Sweet dreams!
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