How to sleep better and feel 100% every day

By Vladimir Marchenko

1. How to get to sleep
2. What causes bad sleep
3. What is good for sleep
4. How to fall asleep again
5. What to do for sleeplessness
6. How to go asleep with no internal effort

Almost all of us sometimes suffer from the fact that we can`t sleep at night. This can be caused by various reasons, including serious ones, but, more often, a healthy night's rest can be ensured by the normalization of sleep hygiene. Here, we will tell you about the most effective things that can help you sleep.

How to get to sleep

Normally, a healthy person wouldn’t have a question like “how to get sleep at night”.  Because this state is necessary for the body, and we naturally plunge into it at about the same time every night. However, from time to time this mechanism fails and we think about how to get a good night sleep.

The process of going to bed requires a certain ritual (each person has its own). Not being able to fall asleep quickly can be caused by the environment, psychological disturbances, or physical overload. Accordingly, to get the best night sleep, one must first of all avoid such negative circumstances.

We discussed the methods of falling asleep in more detail  in this article: How to go to sleep quickly?

What causes bad sleep

Let's dwell in more detail on what to do if you can`t sleep. First, you need to determine the reasons for what causes a person not to sleep. They can be divided into several subgroups.

1. The environment doesn’t help to fall asleep:

• it is too light, noisy, hot or cold indoors or outdoors;
• uncomfortable bed, mattress, pillow;
• restless sleep of another person;
• pets do not allow to sleep peacefully;
• household appliances make loud noises - clock, refrigerator, TV, etc.

2. Psychological reasons:

• sleeping in a new place or a different environment;
• stress experienced the day before or an argument with other people;
• depression;
• an action movie or program watched at night;
• an important event scheduled for the next day, etc.

3. Physical overload:

• intense training shortly before bedtime;
• binge eating;
• household overload (cleaning, caring for children or sick relatives, etc.);
• carrying heavy loads;
• chronic pain.

That’s why first of all make sure that the reasons for what causes sleep loss are eliminated.

What is good for sleep

The key to good rest is maintaining sleep schedule and hygiene. There is also a whole range of techniques on how to make yourself fall asleep. Let's start with the easy-to-do ones.

 What can help you sleep

• Warm shower an hour or two before bedtime normalizes body temperature and heart rate. It soothes and prepares for early falling asleep. Besides, water has the ability to "wash away" the negative emotions you might have accumulated during the day.
• Light dinner. Another secret of how to sleep well is having a mandatory meal before bedtime. The menu should not contain hot seasonings and spices, and it is advised to have food about 3-4 hours before falling asleep. Low-fat products are suitable, such as boiled white meat, baked fish, fresh or stewed vegetables, yoghurt, and fruit (bananas, apples, pears).
• The smell of lavender. The essential oil of this plant contains substances that have a sedative effect on the body. Use either dried twigs hidden in canvas bags or 5 drops of oil into the aroma lamp for 10 minutes.
• Soothing drinks. For example, warm milk contains tryptophan, one of the substances that will help you sleep. You can also try cherry juice, banana, milk and almond butter smoothies or coconut water.
• Taking supplements based on valerian, chamomile, mint, motherwort, hops, passiflora, etc.

What to do when you can`t sleep

• Remember or imagine something pleasant. In any case, you will need to distract yourself with something lulling and boring. Visualization helps (imagine, for example, the sea and waves, evenly rolling onto the shore), or telling yourself a fairy tale or a short story with a plot that you have created.
• Read a boring book or a scientific paper. This should not be an exciting reading, but the most boring story to which the brain will react with an immediate desire to sleep.
• Ventilate the room. During sleep, the body temperature decreases and it would be optimal if at this time it is not too hot in the room. The air temperature within 19-21 degrees Celsius is what helps you go to sleep.
• "Paradoxical method". If after all you still can't sleep - don't sleep then. Lie with your eyes open and observe the details of the ceiling. In this case, the body, on the contrary, shall plunge “into the arms of Morpheus”.
• Keep in mind that the best time to sleep at night may differ for everyone, but it is important to know yours and also fall asleep at about the same time on weekdays and weekends.

How to fall asleep again

It often happens that we wake up at night and think: why can I not sleep? This may be due to intermittent sleep, a form of insomnia. In this case, an episode of wakefulness lasts from several minutes to several hours.

How to help sleep

• Don’t force yourself. Somnologists recommend going to the toilet after it is better to go to bed and calmly wait for the next sleepy period. It usually comes in 20-30 minutes.
• Do something for a while. If you cannot fall asleep for 15-30 minutes or more, then it would be better to get up and find yourself an easy but routine task to do, like cleaning or resorting things. The brain must react to the routine and choose bed instead of chores.
• Try to meditate. Usually, nothing distracts you at night, it is quiet around and you can try new meditative techniques. This is one of the most effective approaches for how to get to sleep when you can`t.
• Avoid using phones. One of the biggest mistakes, when you try to go to sleep, can be the immediate desire to keep yourself busy by scrolling Instagram. The light from the screen and the flow of unnecessary information from your phone will definitely drive the sleepiness away.
• Place your right hand under your left armpit and place your left hand on your right shoulder. Try to breathe slowly and deeply, concentrating on inhaling and exhaling. This can be one of the options for how to make yourself go to sleep.

What to do for sleeplessness

• Avoid TV and gadgets 2-3 hours before bed. If it is difficult for you to stop yourself from consuming the next portion of information, set the alarm clock and at the right time turn off the TV without delay. The time before bed is advised to spend on something more productive - reading professional literature or drawing up a plan for the next day.
• Take in organic magnesium. If you regularly take this effective supplement you won’t have a question “what can help me sleep at night”. Magnesium participates in hundreds of biochemical processes and promotes relaxation. It is believed that it also relieves night cramps that cause awakenings.
• Use physical activity as prevention of insomnia. If the body has used up a large amount of energy during the day, it will require rest. If you have a sedentary lifestyle you can go jogging, swimming, walking, or dancing. However, you need to stop any activity a few hours before bedtime.
• A bath with pine essential oils has a positive effect on the human psyche.
• Leave all problems outside the bed. This applies to both issues at work and everyday troubles. When falling asleep, not only comfortable surroundings you need to think of but also your psychological attitude. This is exactly what can help sleep.

In more detail, we talked about insomnia and how to deal with it in this article:
How to beat insomnia. New and proven methods for restoring normal sleep

How to go asleep with no internal effort

Recently, mobile applications are often playing the role of assistants that help improve the quality of sleep. An example of the most comprehensive solution - a free mobile app for iOS Hypnopedia. It includes a set of functions for the most smooth falling asleep. They include a customizable player with surround sound technique, where you select relaxing natural sounds, combine them, and adjust the volume of each of the sound separately. They will be played until you fall asleep or turn off automatically after half an hour.

The application is based on a unique algorithm that also plays affirmations during the user's sleep. Apple Watch sensors transmit the information about the state of the user and, at the most appropriate for perception moment of sleep, thematic (user-selectable) short motivating statements are whispered to you. They play up to several times per night, while the effect stays with you after waking up. A high-precision smart alarm clock with the haptic alarm function serves as a bonus to make your awakening as smooth as possible as well.

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Now you know a little more about how to get more sleep. If you couldn’t normalize your sleep even after our advice, this may be a reason to see a doctor. In this case, the medical specialist will be able to inspect the issue in more details and prescribe the appropriate methods of therapy.