Sleeping is part of our everyday routines, and it is important to get enough sleep to function at our best. Everyone is different, so while a lot of people can fall asleep right when they hit the bed and the lights go off, for others it takes awhile to fall asleep. Everyone has a certain amount of sleep that they need. It can get challenging to meet those hours when a lot of time is spent tossing and turning to try and fall asleep.

Before getting into the tips for falling asleep quicker, it is important to understand outside and internal factors that make sleeping more difficult. Stress and anxiety can play a big factor in not being able to fall asleep quickly. When your mind is constantly thinking and worrying, sleep may not be something that your mind is ready for. A common thing that can keep someone from falling asleep is silence. This can also keep your mind running. Any type of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol make sleeping more difficult as well. They make it harder to relax. These are all common factors that can play a role in anyone’s life, but if you notice signs of sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea Dr. Nayana Ambardekar recommends to see or  be looked at by a professional.

Now that you know some of the causes behind having trouble falling asleep, here are some tips to add into your days and nights to give you a better quality sleep. The first one being, have a routine. When you go to bed around the same time every night and wake up at the same time in the mornings, your internal clock will get used to those times and recognize that it is now time to sleep. According to Dr. Anis Rehman of The Sleep Foundation, this is because of something in our body called our circadian rhythm. He states that at night, “melatonin levels rise and body temperature lowers promoting sleep.” Also, he mentioned that most people’s internal body clock follows the sun, so when environmental cues like the sunlight going away, our bodies recognize it’s almost time to sleep.

Harvard Med wrote that the first step is to “identify the factors that are most disruptive to your sleep and then focus on altering behaviors to overcome those factors”. Before going to bed, do something that calms you. This could be taking a warm shower or bath, reading, journaling, and other things that put you at ease. On the other hand, avoid watching TV and using electronics right before bed. The blue lights coming from the screens interferes with your sleep and keeps you awake. 

Doctor of Medicine Eric J. Olson has given a tip saying to make your bedroom the room for sleep, “Don’t engage in activities other than sleeping in your bedroom. This will help your body know this room is specifically for sleeping when you go in it”. Next, time your last caffeine intake. The National Sleep Foundation has said, “the last sip boosts your adrenaline production and blocks sleep-inducing chemicals in the brain.” The caffeine keeps you up and makes sleeping much more difficult if you have it too close to when you are trying to sleep. Having a fan or sound machine may help as well. A source from Reddit said “The white noise of the fan knocks me out. I’ve been using one for 15 years and can’t sleep without it”. Lastly, if nothing is working and you find yourself awake after about 20 minutes, get up and move to a new room that you can sit and relax in until you feel yourself becoming tired.

Not being able to fall asleep when you want or need to can be frustrating. Tossing and turning trying to get relaxed can make it feel worse. But, researching and avoiding certain things can trigger restlessness can help sleep come easier to you. Everyone’s body is different, so trying these tips may take time to break the sleeping habits you’ve picked up along the way. Once you find something that works for you, stick to it, and falling asleep may not be as difficult.