According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 30 to 35 percent of U.S. adults have experienced brief insomnia while 10 percent suffer chronically.
However, the underlying reason for every individual could be different. For some, it could be a stressful day or an anticipated project, while for others it could be a big interview or just plain fatigue.
No matter what’s keeping you up at night, here are five ways to help you fall back to sleep in no time.
1. Dim the lights
If you happen to wake up in the middle of the night and need to head to the washroom or to the kitchen to grab a snack, make sure the lights are as dim as possible.
The effect of lights in the middle of the night is similar to blue light exposure from cell phones and other electronic devices.
Light exposure at night can suppress melatonin, the body’s sleep hormone, which can not only interfere with circadian rhythms and disrupt sleep but is also linked with other physical illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Bottom Line:
Instead of turning on the lights, try using a dimmer or a softer light source if you happen to get out of bed in the wee hours of the night.
2. Keep the cell phone away
If your eyes open after you’ve fallen asleep for some time, at no cost should you be tempted to use your mobile phone or tablet. These gadgets, especially the ones that are kept close to your face, emit blue light that suppresses sleep and can turn a 10-minute sleep interruption into a night of sleep deprivation.
A study conducted on close to 10,000 adolescents demonstrated “a negative relation between use of technology and sleep ” and recommended that restrictions on electronic devices at bedtime must be incorporated to maintain healthy media use.
Bottom Line:
Keep all phones, tablets, e-readers off once you have reached your target sleep time.
3. Get up and move around
If you think that staying in bed with your eyes tightly shut will finally help you doze off again, you might want to reconsider. Sleep experts suggest that if you can’t fall back asleep in 20 minutes, then get up, move around or do something else.
If you’re still unable to fall asleep try some light reading, stretching, solving a puzzle or doing any other boring activity.
The idea is to get your mind away from the fact that you are not able to fall asleep. This itself will help you get back to sleep.
Bottom Line:
Wait for 20 minutes in bed to fall asleep. Then get out of bed and try a mind diversion activity that will help you doze off again.
4. Practice relaxation
If you’ve woken up in the middle of the night, using relaxation techniques is the best and most efficient way to induce sleep again. Here are some of the ways in which you can relax:
Find what relaxes you
It is important to first understand what works for you and what is it that relaxes you the most.
According to The National Sleep Foundation, it could be something as simple as focusing on amental image that calms and relaxes you. For example, it could be imagining yourself at the beach, a favorite family vacation spot or walking through the woods.
Meditation
Meditation generally requires repeating a phrase while you do some rhythmic breathing. A study shows that mindful meditation helps fight insomnia and improves sleep. This process basically involves focusing on your breathing and then drawing the attention of your mind into the present and the now, without allowing your mind to drift into concerns of the past or the future. This helps in invoking relaxation by breaking the chain of everyday mundane thoughts.
Ignore the clock
Watching the clock only adds to your stress when you’re trying to resume your sleep. Doing this will make you more anxious, activate your nervous system and make you feel more alert rather than sleepy. Turn the clock away from you or remove it from the bedroom entirely.
Visualize
Visualization is a powerful technique to help you relieve stress, unwind and fall asleep. Additionally, visualization also aids in helping you fall back to sleep. The idea is to vividly imagine in your mind’s eye a favorite place that you have visited or experienced.
Try to relive the experience by walking through it, with all the sensory details of the smells, colors, warmth or coldness, sounds, texture and nature present around you. This technique is very effective and promptly aids in inducing sleep.
Progressive muscle relaxation exercises
Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique known to aid insomnia and help in inducing sleep. It is an exercise in which all the muscle groups of the body are first tensed and then relaxed, starting from the feet and reaching the face. This technique can be practiced either seated or lying down, and preferably wearing loose clothing.
Breathing exercises
You can also practice some breathing exercises in bed. Diaphragmatic breathing can be practiced lying down in bed to avoid racing thoughts. It involves breathing in and out while maintaining an equal count for inhaling and exhaling. Also, there is a breathing exercise suggested by the National Sleep Foundation that has a script and can be followed to help you relax by focusing on your breath.
Bottom Line:
The main idea is to divert your thoughts from the fact that you are not able to fall asleep and in turn use relaxation techniques to relax the body and mind.
5. Maintain a good night routine
Maintaining proper sleep hygiene by making some simple lifestyle changes can really help to improve your sleep. Follow the tips below to help you fall back to sleep if you find yourself tossing and turning every night:
- Keep your room dark and cool: Keep your room comfortable, eliminate lights and keep temperatures between 60 to 75 degrees.
- Avoid disruptive noise: If you are a light sleeper the slightest sound can wake you up, so ensure that electronics are turned off. You could also try using earplugs to block out external noise.
- Adjust your sleep pattern: Your sleeping pattern may need to be adjusted based on age, life circumstances or illness. Be flexible but ensure that you are getting adequate rest.
- Avoid naps: Naps can energize your day. However, if they are taken later in the day, they can interfere with your night sleep and even cause you to get up at night. Keep your naps short and take them no later than 4 p.m.
- Keep a set bedtime: Maintain a standard time to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
- Exercise: Exercising early in the day is beneficial as it can tire your muscles and lead to sound sleep throughout the night.
- Stimulants: Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol a few hours before bedtime.
- Heavy meals: Eat light meals within a few hours of hitting the sack so that you can stay asleep throughout the night.
Bottom Line:
Create a bedtime ritual that you can follow by making simple lifestyle changes that prepare your body and mind for a goodnight’s rest.
Get Back to Sleep!
We all have nights when our sleep is sporadic. We tend to wake up in the middle of the night or in the early hours of the morning, and then have a hard time falling back asleep.
You may think you have insomnia or a sleep-related problem, but before consulting a physician try some of the practical suggestions above to improve your sleep habits and stay asleep through the night.