15 Simple Tips to Fall Asleep Fast and Sleep Better

Yeah , you're up , it's 2 a.m. and you can't sleep .

Here we go again off , you go to the sofa in an attempt to get drowsy enough to go back to bed , the clock's ticking and it's already 5 a.m. Your eyes are tired and yet you still can't sleep .

Finally , an hour later , you head back to bed and finally drift off .

Ok , let's fix that and make sure you get a good night's sleep first .

Let's prepare your bedroom .

So it becomes the perfect sleep inducing place .

Your bed needs to be of a good quality .

Good enough that when you lay on it , you feel a sense of relaxation flow through your body .

A good pillow is important too to properly support your spine .

There are different pillows , thick , thin , firm , soft , try out a few and find out what's best for you .

Lighting is important .

So if your room still has a bit of light in it , even at midnight , it might be one of the reasons you can't sleep .

Well , go ahead and close those drapes shut .

Oh , look , you did that and they're still letting light in .

Don't worry , pick out some thick black curtains and put those up .

Instead that'll do the trick .

Ok ?

Even if that doesn't do it , buy a sleep mask to place over your eyes .

When you hit the sack , now you need to find the right temperature .

It's likely you won't have a thermostat on hand .

But the trick is to make sure your room is neither the Sahara desert nor the North Pole right in the middle is where you want it .

Let's talk lights .

After waking up , get some bright light on your face as soon as you can , you'll become more alert , but also sleep better at night .

That's because our body has a pretty awesome internal clock .

This internal clock is called the circadian rhythm and simply put our body tells us when we should wake up and when we should go to bed , being in the sun or exposed to bright lights , keeps this internal clock healthy when it's working , right ?

And you're in bed about to sleep , you'll fall asleep much faster than before .

If you can't always be in the sun , that's ok .

Grab a few bright light bulbs and spread them around your house .

There's also another trick to expose yourself to bright lights .

If you want to try it , buy yourself a light therapy box .

These little things simulate sunshine and are especially useful on those ridiculously short cloudy cold winter days .

So you me everyone , we all have the habit of staying on our phone until the last minute if that's not you .

How about the TV ?

Or your computer ?

Everyone's plugged into something these days .

Sorry .

But this is not contributing to a good night's sleep for you .

The best thing you can do is choose a bedtime , then set an alarm for around 1 to 2 hours before that .

When it goes off , it's your sign to turn off all those electric devices .

Well , you don't have to turn them off , but at least stop using them .

That blue light coming out of those screens can be pretty disruptive .

Instead , pick up a book .

Remember those , there will be a chance you'll fall asleep with it on your face .

You might even dream about it .

Exercise also helps you sleep better at night .

Now is the time to dust off those dumbbells you got laying around .

Now , I'm not talking about any roommates , but probably the best type of exercise to improve the quality of your sleep is cardio .

Go out to the park and run around for a while .

No more .

Feeling like you want to take a nap in the middle of the day .

Exercise helps you stay awake throughout the day and sleep better through the night .

As for naps , be careful with those that pillow you left on your sofa for that perfect 4 p.m. nap , get rid of it and in general avoid naps after 3 p.m. If you really want to take a nap , do it earlier in the afternoon .

Use an alarm and only sleep for 15 or 20 minutes .

You don't want to overdo it and be drowsy for the rest of the day .

You're looking at the ceiling trying to fall asleep .

Something's not right .

Is it supposed to be spinning ?

You're feeling dizzy all of a sudden , there's an easy solution to this scooch over to the side of your bed and place one of your feet on the ground .

You'll feel better after a few deep breaths late in the day .

Caffeine is a , no , no , it stays in your bloodstream for about 6 to 8 hours .

If you're one of those people that drinks a cup of coffee and gets really energetic , try not to do it after three or 4 p.m. We've all done a late night fridge , run milk and cookies are a classic , but I prefer , well , I'll take anything as it turns out that's not really helping your mission to sleep better .

But there was a study that discovered that if you eat a meal rich in carbs , four hours before bed , it helps you sleep .

Except another study said that a low carb diet might help sleep too .

The best thing to do is see what works for you .

Once you find that perfect sweet spot , you can go ahead and sit at the dinner table without feeling guilty .

This next tip involves water , bath , water to be specific a shower or bath .

As long as it's hot , can definitely help you fall asleep faster .

Not only that , but it might help you reach a deeper state of sleep .

Not so deep that nothing will wake you but deep enough for you to wake up .

Good as New Nocturia .

It almost sounds like a magical spell , but it's just what specialists call it when you have to use the bathroom a lot at night .

Now , that's not magical .

We've all had those moments .

It feels like the biggest decision of your life .

Get out of bed or tough it out .

So the best way to prevent this is not to drink liquids before bed all together .

It's super easy .

Just link it to your no electronics rule .

When you wake up , have a tall glass of room temperature water .

It'll kick start your day and help your body feel fresh and rejuvenated .

Plus you just need to rehydrate , you're in bed , but all you're able to do is look at the ceiling waiting to fall asleep .

When that happens , it's better to accept that you just can't sleep right now .

Try not to stay in bed for too long , frustrated and angry .

You might start mentally linking your frustration to your bed or bedroom .

You don't want to have any negative feelings .

Whenever you look at what should be the most relaxing spot in the house .

The best thing to do when this happens is to get up , do something relaxing , go to your living room and look out the window for a couple of minutes .

Avoid looking at the clock .

You really don't want to think about sleeping while you're trying to distract yourself from it .

When you least expect it , you'll be sleepy again , ready to cover yourself in your bed sheets to get those perfect eight hours if you like to write .

And it's just one of those nights where nothing's working and your head feels like it's about to burst .

Go sit at your desk , open a notepad and write your worries away .

It might even help to keep a sleep diary .

Ok .

Here's an exercise that can help you sleep while you're in bed .

It's a type of body scan exercise .

First lie flat on your back with your legs uncrossed , place your arms by your sides and try to relax them as much as you can .

Now close your eyes and focus on your breathing .

Focus on it for about two minutes .

That should be enough for you to start feeling relaxed .

The next step is to focus on your toes , check them all and see if you feel any tension down there .

Now picture a river flowing down from your mouth and nose flowing gently through your entire body , going all the way down to and out of your toes , breathe deeply and then start letting your breath become softer and softer .

Do this with the soles of your feet , then your ankles , calves , knees , thighs keep going until you reach your hips .

Remember to keep imagining a river flowing through your body .

Warning if you've consumed too much liquid before bedtime , then that river imagery is going to trigger some urgencies other than going to sleep .

Lastly , you can do some soft yoga or meditate .

The goal here is to help you control your breathing , to release stress .

Picture this , you're now a master of breathing exercises and when you close your eyes , you just exhale and all of your worries disappear .

Um .