7 Hacks To Help You Fall Asleep Faster

Did you know that around 50 million Americans have trouble falling asleep at night? 

It’s a fact.

After a long day of multitasking and taking care of zillions of things, one may assume falling asleep would be the easiest thing to do.

However, our modern way of living keeps our body, eyes, and brain exposed to various types of mental stimulation.

Many of them make us more alert, even when we are physically tired, which leads to difficulties when going to bed.

This also leads to further physical exhaustion, makes people frustrated, more tense, and in the long run, more prone to diseases.

In this article, we’re bringing you some easy-to-apply hacks that will help you catch more quality zzz’s starting tonight!

1. Decrease exposure to the blue light

Let’s keep it simple – blue light is the visible ray of light coming from the sun that keeps us awake, active, and alert during the day.

Without blue light, people would be less energized when doing their daily tasks, from the most simple, to the most complicated ones.

However, blue light does not only appear in sunlight. 

The digital screens we heavily use nowadays emit blue light rays, too.

So, in the evening, that blue light from our phones, laptops, T.V.s, and tablets cheats our brains.

It confuses us into thinking it’s still daytime, which suppresses our body’s natural melatonin production and keeps us awake.

The hack: Put your technology away for at least one hour before going to sleep. 

2. Take a hot bath or shower

This simple hack is often overlooked, but can have a pretty big impact on your level of sleepiness.

When you take a hot shower or bath, your body temperature rises.

The cool-down that takes place after you’ve dried off naturally relaxes you and makes you feel sleepy.

The hack: Try taking a hot bath or shower to kick-off your nighttime routine.

3. Get into a nighttime routine

Staying up super late to binge-watch your new favorite show might seem harmless at first, but even an occasional late-night Netflix sesh could throw off your circadian rhythm.

Our bodies are programmed to regulate feelings of tiredness over the course of 24 hours.

When you continuously throw off your body clock, you actually run the risk of becoming sleep deprived. This is because our body’s internal clock begins waking you up before you’ve had an adequate amount of sleep.

The problem with this is that chronic sleep deprivation can lead to all sorts of unwanted health issues.

You could have difficulty concentrating, you might feel unmotivated, and you might even experience decreased performance at work or school.

Setting a formal bedtime can help you get into the habit of winding down at night. Choose a time that works best for you and your schedule, and make sure to actually be in bed at the same time every night. This helps your body adjust its levels of melatonin and balances out your circadian rhythm.

The hack: Set a formal bedtime and stick to it.

4. Try the 4-7-8 breathing method

Yes, there is a breathing technique that could help you fall asleep.

It’s called the 4-7-8 breathing method.

To practice this technique, all you have to do is touch the tip of your tongue right behind your top front teeth and:

• Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds
• Hold your breath for 7 seconds
• Exhale for 8 seconds by opening your lips and making a “whoosh” sound

Repeat these steps three times.

This technique helps to empty your mind of thoughts that could be preventing you from falling asleep.

The hack: Just breathe.

5. Lower the temperature of your bedroom

Try to keep your bedroom as cool as possible.

Not so chilly that you’re freezing at night, but knocking the thermostat down a few degrees can help you nod off faster.

Research has shown that the temperature of your body is essential to falling asleep.

Other than lowering your thermostat, another way to implement this trick is to keep a window open or a fan on low. This helps to keep the air circulating and makes snuggling down that much easier.

The hack: Keep your bedroom cool at night.

6. Avoid eating huge meals right before bed

You know that feeling you get after you gobble down a delicious Thanksgiving meal?

You probably feel a bit drowsy.

Knowing this, one might think that heavier meals are directly correlated with sleepiness, but this couldn’t be more wrong.

Eating a large dinner before bedtime could actually work against you. This is due to the fact that a full stomach might keep you awake at night instead of making you sleepy.

Additionally, heartburn and acid reflux are two side effects of overeating that could contribute to the problem.

The hack: Eat your last meal at least a few hours before bedtime.

7. Read a book

We saved the best, and most classic, hack for last.

The good, old, “read until you’re tired” trick actually works. 

All you have to do is hop into bed, dim the lights, and grab a book.

Not your Kindle or your iPad, but an actual, physical book.

It doesn’t have to be anything scholarly or overly complicated. Any easy-read novel, magazine, or even boring book will do.

It’s a proven fact that reading helps to facilitate sleep. Not only that, but it literally forces you to remove yourself from your electronic devices.

The hack: Read until you’re sleepy.

That wraps up our 7 Hacks to Help You Fall Asleep Faster! We hope you found these tips helpful. Give them a try and leave us a comment, letting us know which hack worked for you!

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