Are you having trouble falling asleep? It’s not a forever thing. There are many relaxation techniques you can try to fall asleep faster. Below are some easy relaxation techniques designed to help you fall asleep. 

10 Ways and Relaxation Techniques 

Humming Calms the Mind

Humming has a similar soothing effect as deep breathing. It also relaxes the muscles in your face, neck, as well as your shoulders. Think of it as a mini massage.

Progressive Relaxation Techniques

This relaxation technique is an easy yet fascinating way to familiarize yourself with your body and the areas where you carry the most tension. Progressive relaxation involves working with various muscle groups of the body by tensing then relaxing them. This technique promotes awareness of what both tension and relaxation feel like in the body. 

Progressive relaxation is a powerful nightly routine that can help you relieve physical as well as mental tension that may disrupt your sleep. A standard progressive relaxation exercise starts at the lowest areas of your body and gradually works up to the top of the head.

A Comfortable Bedroom 

Sleeping in a cold room can help you fall asleep faster—set room temperature between 60-67 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 and 19.4 degrees Celsius). If the room is too hot, you may wake up in the night. 

Keep noise interruptions at a minimum, put away your laptop, turn off your TV, put your phone on Do Not Disturb. Finally, invest in a higher quality mattress and pillows to support your preferred sleeping positions.

Keep a Worry Journal

Sleep doesn’t come easy to those who fret of the next day’s pressures and worry about forgetting something. Writing down your concerns and worries, the burden is transferred to the paper instead of your mind.

Guided Imagery

Guided imagery is a relaxation technique that can be used to overcome stress and improve sleep. Guided imagery practices involve all the senses in a deep period of imagination. This powerful mind-body technique helps the mind lead the body toward positive, pleasing responses. Spend a few minutes before bedtime engaged in a calming guided image journey. Try to imagine drifting peacefully in a tranquil ocean, being swayed by soft waves.

Put On Some Soothing Sounds

Some sounds like crashing ocean waves or rain are considered non-threatening sounds. That means you can fall asleep more easily if you set your phone or Alexa to play calming sounds. There are several apps that automatically switch off after a period of time.

Bed Is for Sleep and Only Sleep

If you find yourself incapable of dozing off, don’t lie in bed wide awake. Get up and another technique.   

The Right Drink or Snack Goes a Long Way

It’s important to stay hydrated before bedtime. A warm drink such as a milky herbal tea can help you sail off into a deep sleep slumber. If you’re new to herbal tea, try these party favorites (chamomile, peppermint, and lavender). The last thing you want is to be in the kitchen in the middle of the night, fixing yourself a snack. Foods containing calcium, tryptophan, magnesium are great for helping your body decompress at night. We recommend you try a snack such as low-fat yogurt, a few berries, or a banana.

4-7-8 breathing

In a relaxed position, with your eyes closed (or open):

• Deep inhale (4 seconds)
• Hold your breath (7 seconds)
• Exhale slowly (8 seconds)
• Repeat many times

By taking a deep breath and holding it, you’re boosting your body’s oxygen level, allowing your body to have to work slightly less hard to operate. A long, slow exhale has a meditative quality, very similar to the pace that your resting body adapts when you fall asleep. 

Cognitive Therapy 

Cognitive therapy helps people with insomnia recognize and change improper ideas and thoughts that may induce it. In addition, cognitive therapy can give you precise information about sleep patterns, age-related sleep adjustments, and help set the right sleep goals, among many other things.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a technique used to monitor and control some of your body’s functions, such as heart rate. During biofeedback, electrical sensors help you collect information about your body.

This important feedback helps you make definite changes in your body to obtain the results you want. To put it simply, biofeedback opens up new ways to control your body, usually to improve physical performance or a health condition.

Biofeedback operates through various sensors that track and map different physical functions, including:

• Sweating
• Body temperature
• Muscle contraction
• Sleep stages
• Breathing
• Heart rate

There is a booming industry behind delivering biofeedback through smart devices. In addition to tracking your health, movements, and sleep, many of these devices are also providing information regarding stress and emotions , as estimated through biofeedback. Of course, tracking these symptoms on its own is not the solution, but rather signs intended to alert you of the stress you’re undergoing so that you can take definitive steps toward relaxation techniques.

Takeaway

If, like most people, the trouble of falling asleep or staying asleep feels overwhelming, there are steps you can take to solve that. Don’t delay sleep any longer; try these ten sleep relaxation techniques tonight.