Today’s article will be dedicated to explaining some techniques to sleep quickly. And why? Let’s see.
After a long day of work and other chores, the most awaited moment finally arrives: it is time to go to sleep. However, while you struggle to turn off your mind and go to sleep peacefully, it decides that it is the best time to go over the to-do list, take a look at what you are so worried about and unearth all the fears and worries that the daily maelstrom keeps off. Doesn’t this situation feel most familiar to you?
And yes, it is very, very common that bedtime becomes for many people a time of reflection, which makes sleep much slower and more complicated and even affecting the quality of rest afterward. Therefore, from Mattress Express we believe it can be very useful to investigate and try some techniques and tips to sleep quickly.
The military technique of the 120 seconds
This method was developed by the U.S. military during World War II, who tested it for six weeks under different conditions and claimed that it worked for 96% of the soldiers. They say it only takes two minutes to fall into a restful sleep. To do so, these are the steps we must take:
Relax the muscles of the face: we must close our eyes, breathe and notice how each part of the face relaxes: the jaw, the chin, the cheekbones, the forehead?
Relaxing the shoulders: you should try to get the feeling that your shoulders and arms are completely relaxed. To do this, we can start with a position of tension, then drop the shoulders and then the arm, hand, fingers … We will always start with the dominant arm.
Relaxing the legs: focusing first on one leg and then on the other, we will notice how we are relaxing thighs, calves, ankles, feet, fingers… We have to feel the sensation that the legs are sinking.
Relaxing the mind: we must try not to think about anything for 10 seconds, and to do this they propose three options.
- Imagine you are lying in a canoe, on a calm lake, looking at the blue sky.
- Imagine that you are in a black velvet hammock, in a dark room.
- Repeat over and over again ‘don’t think, don’t think.
According to this method, with the body completely relaxed, and after spending 10 seconds with a blank mind, we will be asleep.
The 4-7-8 technique
This method seeks to achieve the dream in 60 seconds and was developed by Professor Andrew Weil of Harvard University. It is inspired by the breathing practiced in Buddhist meditation.
- Close your mouth and inhale air through your nose, counting up to 4.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Exhale for 8 seconds, making a loud sound.
- Repeat this technique 3 times, to achieve a state of relaxation and fall asleep.
Other tips to help you sleep
- If you’re trying to fall asleep and you find yourself getting overwhelmed and spinning around, it may be helpful to get up for 10 minutes and focus on an activity such as reading, painting… (avoid using electronic devices).
- Maintaining a routine and schedule will also make it easier to fall asleep.
- If you have trouble sleeping at night, avoid taking a nap. Also, practice some physical exercise, since you will feel more relaxed afterward. However, this exercise should not be done at the end of the day.
- You can also practice relaxation techniques such as meditation, listening to music…
- Of course, it is important to have good habits: eat lightly, avoid stimulating drinks…
Look for quality in the mattress and pillow
It is useless to apply the techniques and advice mentioned above if we do not have adequate and quality equipment for our rest. We are talking, on the one hand, about a mattress that adapts to our needs in terms of breathability (depending on whether we are more or less warm), firmness (soft, hard, or intermediate, the intermediate being the most common), measurements, sleepers’ complexion… On the other hand, equally important is to choose the right pillow, which will depend above all on whether we sleep on our stomach, side, upside down, in the fetal position…
Translated and adapted by Limepedia staff.
Sources: Facilisimo
