Say Bye to Sleepless Nights: 5 Tips on How to Sleep Fast in 5 Minutes
“Less is More” Someone has said it right. Same goes when it comes to sleep. Whenever we think of sleep, we judge it by the quantity rather than quality, however research states getting a good quality of sleep is more beneficial than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per day.
Are you someone who has trouble falling asleep at night, tossing and turning for hours on end? Do you continuously check the time and calculate how many hours of rest you'll get if you fall asleep right now? If this is the case, you are not alone. Many people have difficulty falling asleep fast, resulting in tiredness and irritation the next day.
As a health counselor, I've had multiple clients complain about their inability to sleep. One instance that comes to mind is when I worked with a middle-aged woman who was having difficulty sleeping.
She had tried everything, from adjusting her sleeping environment to utilizing medications for sleep, but nothing appeared to be working. She was at a loss for words and became more upset and concerned about her lack of sleep.
I asked her to describe her bedtime ritual to me during our session. She told me that she usually watched TV or played on her phone until she was sleepy enough to sleep. I gently remarked that her screen time might be interfering with her sleep.
I'll be providing some excellent tips and tactics in this blog to help you fall asleep quickly and wake up feeling refreshed. I'll cover everything you need to know to improve your sleep quality, from developing a soothing nighttime ritual to creating a sleep-friendly environment.
By the end of this blog, you'll have the knowledge and skills you need to know how to sleep fast and wake up feeling refreshed.
So take a seat, relax, and prepare to learn how to increase your sleep quality!
Understanding the Science of Sleep
To enhance our sleeping patterns, we need to first understand the science of sleep. We'll look at the different stages of sleep, the circadian rhythm, and how these components affect our sleep quality in this part.
The Sleep Cycle:
There are two types of sleep: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep is further subdivided into three stages, each one deeper than the one before it.
- NREM Stage 1: We are in a light sleep and may be aware of our surroundings.
- NREM Stage 2: Our body temperature drops and our heart rate slows during preparing us for deep sleep.
- NREM Stage 3: Our brain waves slow down dramatically in, also known as Slow Wave Sleep, and we're in a deep sleep where it's difficult to be awakened.
REM sleep begins about 90 minutes after we fall asleep and lasts about 10-20 minutes at first, increasing over time as the night goes on. Our brain is extremely active and our eyes move quickly during REM sleep. When we dream, our bodies temporarily have paralysis to prevent us from acting out our fantasies.
The Circadian Rhythm: The circadian rhythm is the internal clock of the body that controls the sleep-wake cycle. Our bodies have a 24-hour biological clock that is greatly influenced by external variables such as light and darkness.
When the circadian rhythm is interrupted, it can lead to a variety of sleep issues, such as trouble falling asleep, remaining asleep, or getting up too early. For example, exposing ourselves to bright lights in the evening may cause our bodies to misinterpret it as daytime, making it difficult to fall asleep.
Overall, knowing the science of sleep will assist us to make better sleep decisions. We may help our body's natural sleep-wake cycle and improve our general health and well-being by prioritizing quality sleep and creating consistent sleep patterns.
Do you know what causes Sleeplessness?
While many factors might contribute to sleeplessness, the most prevalent ones are anxiety and stress, coffee usage, blue light exposure, and poor sleep hygiene. In this part, we'll go through each of these problems in further depth.
- Anxiety and Stress: When we overthink, we tend to focus on the problems and difficulties in our lives which can lead to anxiety, worry, and stress. This can lead to a cycle of negativity where our negative thoughts and emotions feed off each other, leading to a spiral of stress and anxiety.
Anxiety and stress can have a substantial impact on sleep quality, which makes it harder to fall or stay asleep. Anxiety disorders can include racing thoughts or physical symptoms such as an elevated heart rate, which can interfere with sleep.
- Caffeine Intake: Caffeine is a stimulant, which means that may disturb sleep by raising alertness and delaying sleep. Caffeine use in the afternoon or evening can make it harder to fall and stay asleep all night. It is best to avoid having tea, coffee, or beverages at night time.
- Blue Light: Blue light emitted by electronic gadgets such as cellphones, computers, and televisions has been shown to decrease melatonin production, a hormone that controls sleep-wake cycles. This can make it difficult to fall asleep and affect sleep quality.
- Poor Sleep Hygiene: It is important to maintain a good sleeping regime such as sticking to a consistent sleeping schedule. Having a poor sleep regimen can have a detrimental effect with visible symptoms such as dark circles under the eyes, tiredness, and more.
Poor sleep hygiene refers to sleep-interfering habits and behaviors such as inconsistent sleep schedules, use of electronic devices in bed, and heavy meals before bed.
We can enhance our sleep quality and promote our general health and well-being by addressing these frequent causes of sleeplessness.
How to Sleep Fast in 5 Minutes?
If you're having trouble falling asleep, there are numerous relaxation techniques you can try to help you sleep faster. In this section, we'll go through four ways for falling asleep in as short as 5 minutes.
1. Progressive Muscle RelaxationA progressive muscle relaxation is an approach in which different muscle groups in the body are contracted and subsequently released. This approach can help in the reduction of tension and the promotion of relaxation throughout the body.
Here is a step-by-step instruction guide for practicing progressive muscle relaxation:
- Locate a peaceful and comfortable spot to lie down.
- Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
- Tense the muscles in your feet for 5-10 seconds, beginning with your toes.
- For 10-20 seconds, relax the muscles and release the tension.
- Repeat the tension and relaxation technique with your calves.
- Continue this procedure up through your legs, hips, belly, chest, arms, and face, focusing on releasing any tension and relaxing each muscle group as you progress through your body.
Mindfulness meditation involves concentrating on the present while paying attention to thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judgment. This technique may assist in stress reduction and relaxation.
Here’s how one can practice mindful meditation:
- Locate a quiet, comfortable location to sit or lie down.
- Take a few long breaths and close your eyes.
- Concentrate your attention on your breath, noting how it enters and exits your body.
- When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breath.
- Any ideas, emotions, or bodily sensations that come should be noted, but they shouldn't be permitted to influence you.
- Continue to concentrate on your breathing for 5-10 minutes, or as long as necessary to feel comfortable.
Visualization includes thinking about a peaceful and soothing situation. This technique can be beneficial in stress reduction and relaxation.
- Locate a quiet, comfortable location to sit or lie down.
- Take a few long breaths and close your eyes.
- Consider imagining a peaceful and soothing location, such as a beach, a forest, or a waterfall.
- Consider yourself in this scene, comfortable and at ease.
- Concentrate on the scene's details, such as the sound of the waves, the movement of leaves, or the sound of the water.
- Continue to imagine this scenario for 5-10 minutes, or until you feel comfortable.
4. Doing Deep Breathing
Deep breathing involves breathing deep, slow breaths from the diaphragm. This technique can aid in relaxation of mind and stress reduction. You should always practice deep breathing if you’re looking for how to sleep fast in 5 minutes.
- Locate a quiet, comfortable location to sit or lie down.
- Take a couple of deep breaths and close your eyes.
- Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
- Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, feeling your abdomen expand.
- Hold your breath for a few seconds before exhaling gently through your mouth, feeling your tummy compress.
- Repeat for many minutes, concentrating on the sensation of your breath traveling in and out of your body.
5. Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone that the body produces naturally and is involved in the control of the sleep-wake cycle. It is also an effective antioxidant that helps to protect the body from free radical damage (damaging cells in the body).
Melatonin assists in the maintenance of the sleep-wake cycle by increasing feelings of sleepiness and boosting the beginning of sleep. It works by communicating with brain receptors involved in managing the sleep-wake cycle.
According to the research published in the National Library of Medicine, Melatonin has anti-inflammatory characteristics and can play a role in the body's natural detoxifying processes.
After the coronavirus, I started to take melatonin and have also suggested the same to my family. This is because, as the body battles the virus, it may experience inflammation. This inflammation has the potential to harm the body's tissues and organs. The anti-inflammatory properties of melatonin can help you prevent damage.
So, if you find yourself tossing and turning during the night, wondering when you’ll fall asleep or want to sleep fast; a supplement of melatonin like Sleep Well can help you. Sleep Well contains a specially formulated blend of Melatonin along with GABA, L-theanine, and L-ornithine.
GABA is necessary for producing relaxation and lowering anxiety, which can assist to improve sleep quality.
L-theanine stimulates alpha brain waves, which are connected with a calm and concentrated mental state. This is useful in promoting feelings of calm and improving sleep quality.
L-ornithine is known to help minimize weariness and increase energy levels during the day, allowing you to wake up refreshed and recharged the next day.
Additional Tips To Sleep Faster
- Magnesium is a mineral that is necessary for various body functions including sleep. One of the ways Magnesium can help is by controlling the production of melatonin. Magnesium also helps in the relaxation of muscles and the brain assisting you in sleeping faster.
The calming impact of magnesium can make you fall asleep quickly and peacefully throughout the night. Consuming magnesium-rich foods can aid in the induction of sleep. Magnesium can be found in a variety of foods, such as leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes.
However, getting enough magnesium might not be possible just by consuming food. Therefore, you can opt for a magnesium supplement to fill in the deficiency and see better results.
Read this in-depth blog on 5 Incredible Benefits of Magnesium Supplements to know more.
- Avoid stimulating activities such as watching television or using electronic devices before going to bed. These activities can disrupt sleep. Avoid these activities if you want to sleep fast.
- Caffeine has the ability to persist in your system for up to 12 hours. Caffeine should be avoided after midday to avoid interfering with sleep.
- Noise and light can also interfere with sleep. Try to avoid noisy things as much as you can. To block out light, use curtains or shades as it helps in sleeping faster.
- If you need to nap during the day, keep it to 30 minutes or less.
