Tips to Fall Asleep Faster

Too many of us have trouble falling asleep at night. We collected some of your best tips to help you fall asleep – and stay asleep.

On a recent question and answer session on social media, one of our readers asked if we have any tips to help her fall asleep at night. This issue resonates with a few of us here on the team, so we decided to put it out to the audience and see what they came up with. The following suggestions are some of ours, and some of yours. 

Avoid Caffeine After 2pm

This might seem like a no brainer, but are you drinking something that’s not coffee, but still has caffeine. Cut that out!

Avoid Blue Light for 3 Hours Before Bedtime

Our screens emit a blue light that can keep your brain awake. Without going into the science of it, see if your phone or computer has a setting that can turn that off. You can also use blue light blocking glasses whenever you’re at your computer. (This article can give you instructions on how to turn it off on your device.)

Weighted Blanket

Don’t knock it till you try it. Even if you’re the type of person who sleeps with one leg out of the covers all night, you might be surprised to see that this works for you. (See if you can borrow one from a friend for a few nights before investing in a good one. The best ones have easy-to- remove covers with zipper connectors rather than a hundred buttons/loops.)

Room Temperature

Try keeping your room at a lower temperature. Your body sleeps better when the room is colder. Aim for something between 60 and 67 degrees (or whatever won’t break the bank in summer).

Sleep Apps

A reader suggested using a sleep app and we’re fascinated by the options out there. The Sleep Foundation recommends Calm as the best overall sleep app (available here on Google Play), and Headspace as the best to quiet a racing mind (here on Google Play). (Yeah, that’s us.) For kids, they recommend the Stella Sleep app (apple only).

Magnesium

There is some research that shows a connection between insomnia and magnesium deficiency. You might want to consider a supplement. 

4-7-8 Breathing Technique

This has worked for some of us:

Close your mouth and quietly inhale through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale through your mouth, making a whoosh sound for a count of eight. Repeat the process three more times for a total of four breath cycles

We’d love to hear if you have any tips that work for you! And you might also want to read about how Leah solved her sleep issues in this post.