Everyone needs sleep. If you go to bed tense, you will find it difficult or even impossible to fall asleep. After work, the mind is still busy with the events of the day, even though you are still tired and would like to go to sleep. Even if you have just come home from a party, it is difficult to fall asleep immediately after the hustle and bustle. Those who go straight to bed are often still awake at four o’clock in the morning and are too tired to work properly the next day. The only way to go to sleep is to relax all the muscles and, above all, to put aside the problems of the day. There are certainly a number of options for that. There are eight tips to help you fall asleep faster.

A warm bath is one of the eight ways to fall asleep faster

You can only fall asleep if you are relaxed. A warm bath relaxes the muscles and provides a pleasant feeling of relaxation. Especially if you add some bath salts with lavender or rosemary. The bath relaxes while the moist/warm air just above the water does your lungs good.

No bath? A warm shower also helps you fall asleep faster

If you don’t have a bath, take a warm shower, but stand under it long enough to get warm. After the bath or shower, take a fairly rough bath towel and rub your skin vigorously. This may look a bit red after drying. Take a warm dressing gown and sit in an easy chair for another ten minutes. Then go to bed. You fall asleep faster.

Pleasant warmth also promotes faster sleep

If sleep just won’t come and it is not due to worries or a tense feeling, but you have simply had too much work today, take an electric heating pad and lie on your back on it. Turn it on to the second or third setting (depending on your skin’s liking and tolerance) but make sure you don’t fall asleep on it, because that is of course not the intention. After a while you will feel the heat moving through. The muscles relax automatically due to that heat. Turn off the heating pad when you think it is enough and also unplug it from the socket. Your bed is still warm and so are you. You will also fall asleep faster with this method.

A glass of warm milk helps you relax

The old-fashioned glass of warm milk still works. That also provides warmth, although from the inside, but you can feel the heat passing through. Some swear by a glass of hot mulled wine. That indeed has the same effect, but not everyone likes it and not everyone likes wine. For busy children, a glass of warm milk before going to bed (and then brushing their teeth of course) is a great way to fall asleep peacefully.

Sleep faster after a glass of red wine

For people who like an occasional glass of wine, a glass of red wine before going to sleep is a good sedative. However, do not use it every day, because then you get used to it and it no longer has the same effect. The danger is that over time you will need two glasses and perhaps even three. That is not the intention and is even counterproductive.

Relax all muscles one by one

A very harmless way to fall asleep is to relax all the muscles one by one. Start with the muscles of your forehead, your cheeks, nose, mouth, ears, neck, left shoulder, right shoulder and so on down. In the beginning it takes some effort to keep your mind on it and you notice that you are already tensing the muscles of the neck, while you are relaxing those of the arms. However, after a few days it will become smoother and easier. Once you have practiced it, you will fall asleep halfway through and you will not even have to complete the entire program.

Counting sheep often helps too

The old-fashioned way of counting sheep often still works. Close your eyes and imagine a sheep jumping over a fence. Count the sheep one by one. You probably won’t reach 100 anymore, because counting sheep is soporific.

One or two tablets of melatonin

If you have concerns or problems, the above methods do not always help. In that case, it is better not to have a glass of red wine, because the temptation to drown your worries in alcohol becomes great. It is better to take one or two tablets of melatonin an hour before going to sleep. However, do not do this until you go to bed, because the melatonin then needs another hour to take effect.

The body also produces melatonin itself

The body produces melatonin by the time we need to go to sleep. If you do not produce enough melatonin yourself, you will not be able to fall asleep easily. Older people in particular often produce less and less melatonin themselves. Melatonin is therefore a body’s own substance that has long been used in homeopathy. You won’t become addicted to it.

Bundle up any worries and throw them away in an imaginary way

If you often have worries, then they probably keep you awake at night. Try to reflect on the day every evening. In your mind, form all your worries, problems and niggles into a ball and throw it over your shoulder. After all, tomorrow is a new day and you can get back to it again. After all, now, late at night, there is nothing you can do about it. So just throw it away for a night.

Do something about those concerns later

However, it is wise to think of ways to address those concerns the next day. For example, for financial concerns, create a good program to set up administration and compare income and expenditure. Then you can do something about it by cutting back and/or looking for extra income.

Problems with work, family or friends prevent you from falling asleep quickly

If there are problems at work or social problems with family members, friends or acquaintances, think of an opening for a conversation with that person. Think about how the problem can possibly be resolved. This way you already know what you are going to say and you can go to sleep.

Social problems that cannot be solved

Social problems with children, family members and others that you have already done everything you can to solve and that the other person does not want to cooperate in order to resolve in peace, should really be put aside. There is nothing you can do about it and if you cannot do anything about it, you should not put any more energy into it. That seems harsh to say, but it is wise to put such problems aside and try not to think about them anymore.

After a cheerful and busy night out, it is sometimes difficult to fall asleep

The only remedy for this is to talk about it at home with your partner or other housemates. Half an hour is long enough for that. During that time you will have slowly calmed down and you will naturally feel the tiredness coming on. If you go straight to bed after such an evening, your system will still be charged and it will be more difficult to fall asleep.

What you definitely shouldn’t do

Never go to bed with cold feet and hands, because then you are guaranteed to lie awake until you feel slightly warm. Also don’t take sleeping tablets, because once you start taking them it will be difficult to get rid of them. You become addicted to it. Sometimes sleeping tablets are necessary, for example in case of major emotional problems such as an incurable illness or the death of a family member, but if it is not necessary, it is better not to use them.

Sleep is important

A person sleeps a third of his life in order to live well the rest of the time. So your sleep is very important. After all, during sleep you gain new energy to be able to continue the next day. Those who sleep too little build up an energy deficit, which in turn results in insufficient resistance to diseases and disabilities. Your sleep deserves to be paid attention to.