15 Science-Backed Ways To Fall Asleep Faster

SPECIAL FROM Can’t sleep? Join the club. Insomnia affects almost half of U.S. adults 60 and older, says theNational Institutes of Health. Unless certain medical conditions or medications are the cause of your sleeplessness, the most common culprit is anxiety, says Lisa Meltzer, an education scholar for the National Sleep Foundation and associate professor of pediatrics at National Jewish Health in Denver. "If you're anxious and worried, it's very difficult to relax and fall asleep," says Meltzer. "When you're not sleeping well, you'll be more anxious and you'll have a harder time regulating emotion. It feeds on itself." Want to coax yourself into dreamland as soon as you hit the sack? Try the following scientifically-supported methods, that include relaxation techniques, distraction exercises, and more ways to prepare your body for slumber. Try to force yourself to stay awake Is there anything reverse psychology isn’t good for? In this case, it may alleviate excessive sleep anxiety. A small study conducted at the University of Glasgow found that sleep-onset insomniacs who were instructed to lay in bed and try to stay awake with their eyes open fell asleep quicker than participants told to fall asleep without this “paradoxical intention” (PI). Participants in the PI group fell asleep easier and showed less sleep performance anxiety.   "I always tell people, sleep is the one thing in life where the harder you try and the harder you work at it...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news