|  | Conditions Treatments | Sleep Disorders

Ways to Help Go to Sleep

The quality of your sleep affects every aspect of your life, including your energy level, mood, and even your appetite. Unfortunately, natural sleep patterns can be disturbed by hectic schedules, daily worries and unhealthy habits. These issues may cause you to have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep throughout the night. While everyone's sleep needs are different, there are some simple steps you can take to create healthy sleep habits.

  1. Set the Scene

    • Your sleeping environment plays a major role in falling asleep and staying asleep. Make sure that your mattress is comfortable and large enough for you to stretch out and move around on. Also, keep the room dark, quiet and cool to make it easier to fall asleep naturally. Play soft music, or use a fan or white-noise machine to block out any bothersome outside noises.

    Unwind

    • A soothing before-bed routine may help you fall asleep more quickly. Spend a few minutes to an hour before bed on relaxing activities, such as reading, prayer or meditation, light stretching, or a warm bath or shower. Lower the lights during this time to signal to your body that it is time for sleep, and avoid using items with lighted screens, such as cell phones, computers or televisions, which stimulate the brain.

    Focus on Relaxation

    • If you have trouble sleeping, relaxation techniques may help you relieve stress or tension so that you can fall asleep. Relaxation techniques include deep breathing exercises, visualizing yourself in a peaceful location, or focusing on relaxing each of your muscles, starting with your toes and working all the way up your body. If thoughts are keeping you awake, HelpGuide.org suggests that you keep a pen and a pad of paper next to the bed and jot down your thoughts or worries to deal with the next day when your focus is better.

    Watch What and When You Eat

    • The time when you eat or drink and what you ingest can affect your sleep. Going to bed hungry or eating a large or spicy meal before bed can make it difficult to fall asleep. Avoid big or spice-rich meals close to bedtime, but have a light snack if you need one. Also, avoid substances such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine close to bedtime because these substances interfere with the body's natural sleep patterns, leading to wakefulness or non-restful sleep.

    Sleep Aids and Supplements

    • Talk to your doctor if lifestyle changes have not improved your sleep issues. Your doctor can diagnose possible causes of sleep problems, such as depression or sleep apnea, and can recommend treatment options. Your doctor may also recommend a sleep aid, a type of prescription medication that may help you fall asleep and wake up less frequently throughout the night. Sleep aids may have side effects, such as daytime drowsiness, and may interact with other medications, so doctors typically prescribe them when other methods of improving sleep have been unsuccessful. Over-the-counter sleep aids and natural supplements, such as melatonin, should only be taken under your doctor's supervision.

Sleep Disorders - Related Articles