Are you the kind of person who struggles to sleep because their mind is always active? Anxiety, stress, and depression can lead to insomnia and sleep difficulties, and it can incredibly difficult to shut those negative feelings down in order to get to sleep. Thankfully, we’ve got some times on how to get to sleep easier at night that will help you the next time you’re struggling:
Get Up
This may sound counterintuitive, but it might be just the thing you need! When you force yourself to lie in bed and go to sleep, you can actually make it harder to sleep. Then your mind will begin to associate your bedroom with insomnia and sleep problems, making it even harder to sleep in the future. If you’ve been lying in bed for half an hour and you can’t sleep, get up and leave your room. Go to another room and do something relaxing until you’re ready to fall asleep. Stay awake until you’re really tired, then get to bed and let sleep find you.
Write it Down
More often than not, our minds end up racing because we’re thinking of all the things we have to do the following day, or things we’re worried we’re going to forget. The longer you lie there, the more stressful it will become because your to-do list will just keep getting longer. But you can solve this problem by getting up and writing it down. Write down whatever you’re worried about forgetting or whatever is on your mind. When you put it down on paper, you won’t fear you’ll forget it, so you can go peacefully to sleep with one fewer thing to worry about.
Listen to Something
Music can be an amazing tool to help you go to sleep, especially relaxing music composed with sleep in mind. However, if you find that music wakes you up, try listening to an audiobook or a podcast. Make it something interesting enough to keep your mind engaged and focused, but not too interesting that it will keep you awake.
Read a Book
Books are an amazing tool to help you fall asleep. Not only do they provide you with something to occupy your mind, but they’ll actually help to tire out your eyes and lull you into a sleepy mindset. Just make sure the book isn’t too interesting or exciting, as that will keep you turning pages rather than getting to sleep. Make sure the book is something that’s going to keep you engaged but not so interesting you’d rather stay awake than get to sleep. And always go for a physical book, as the light of digital screens will keep you awake.
Meditate
Meditation is an amazing way to clear your mind of stressful thoughts, and it can help you put aside worries or stressors at night. If you’re too energized or stressed to meditate on your own, try listening to a guided audio meditation. Some will involve imagery, others will focus on your breathing, and still others will use simple mantras to clear your mind. You’ll find that using meditation at night can be an amazing way to clear stress and worry from your mind and get your body in a very relaxed state!
Breathe
Sounds silly, right? After all, everyone breathes! Well, this goes beyond the simple act of inhaling and exhaling. Instead, you need to pay attention specifically to your breathing patterns, and control your inhalations and exhalations to regulate your breathing. You’ll find that taking long, deep, and slow breaths works almost like hypnosis, calming your mind and helping you slip into a sleepy state more easily.