When it becomes that part of the day (or technically night) people will need the proper rest to function much smoother and more efficient for the day afterward. However, this is a task that has often been seen to be much trickier and more challenging than one might expect.
The results of a lack of sleep can affect our performance, and not having enough sleep doesn’t help the cause anymore. That is why we will look into 8 different tricks that can help a person overcome the problematic part of sleep and be rewarded with its benefits.
One last note, understand that many people have different ways of falling asleep. In other words, results may vary.
1. Limit Your Caffeine Intake
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Throughout the day, the consumption of caffeine daily could be quite high. When this happens, we become too jittery and unfocused to fall asleep, which of course is not what we’re aiming for. Particular products to avoid can include Sodas, Coffee, Energy Drinks, and Heavy Chocolates. It would also be best to avoid these drinks/foods for a solid 6 hours before you go to bed.
2. Prior Reading
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A pastime for many people is to read. Whether it’s a novel, a short story, a comic, or whatever: reading helps soothe the mind more. Which will build up to a better place in sleep. It should also be noted that when reading, you should read a physical copy of whatever you chose instead of something electronic like an eBook. This is because light can cause your mind to keep you awake.
3. Journal Your Thoughts
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Sometimes the reason we tend to linger awake is that we have thoughts, worries, and other ideas on our mind. This can go on for a while and keep us further away from the thoughts of sleeping. Therefore, the best way to prevent these thoughts is to write about them before bed. This also acts as a form of therapy that can help get out any frustrations.
4. Listen To Relaxing Music
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Music is no stranger to the connections within our mind. When we hear very energetic music, we tend to feel the same way. Naturally, it would only make sense of how the same effect can occur when we listen to relaxing music. Some of the best examples can include soft piano, smooth jazz, or anything low energy that doesn’t contain lyrics.
5. Lower the Temperature
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It can be challenging to sleep when our bodies our coated in heat. This is because when we sleep, our core body temperature lowers, but everything else increases. This is why it’s essential to keep your room nice and chill before sleeping. This can be accomplished by either reducing the thermostat or raising the fan.
6. Focus On Staying Awake
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This may seem to counteractive to the goal, but believe it or not it may actually be useful. It works on the idea of reverse psychology. If you keep telling yourself to stay awake long enough, then it might start to work against you. Afterall no one like to be forced to do something, so what better way to push your sleep by forcing you up?
7. Keep From Looking At The Clock
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A trick used by most students in school is to avoid looking at their watch or at any clock around them to keep time from feeling so slow. The same principle can be applied to sleeping. When you keep looking at the clock, your mind will become too concerned on time over the need for sleep.
8. Do Not Take Naps
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Out of everything on this list, this may be the hardest to avoid. Although there might not be anything wrong with a quick 15-minute power nap. However, a rest that goes on longer than 30 minutes might be a bit too much, thus loses the energy to sleep that could have come that night. Therefore, it’s best to try and stay active until then.