Waking up in the middle of the night can be frustrating, especially if you’re facing a busy day ahead or have been dealing with ongoing sleep issues. While it might be tempting to reach for your phone to pass the time, this habit can actually make it harder to drift back to sleep. Instead, consider trying some effective strategies to help you relax and return to restful slumber. This guide provides helpful tips to improve your chances of falling back asleep smoothly.
ASMR Content
Some people find ASMR triggers help them relax and fall asleep. ASMR stands for “autonomous sensory meridian response.” It typically refers to the “tingly feeling” that travels from the head downward that some experience in response to certain sounds, feelings, or descriptions. These can include soft whispering, crinkling paper, or a gentle touch. Try these out—and turn up the volume.
Avoid Clock Watching
Research has found that the link between anxiety and sleep may work both ways. People who deal with anxiety often worry about falling asleep, and people who have trouble falling asleep often feel anxious. Looking at the clock can increase stress and make it harder to fall back to sleep.
Get Out of Bed
If you can’t sleep after 20 minutes, go to another room and do something calming. Moving into a different room and doing something relaxing to distract your mind for a few minutes may make it easier to fall back asleep when you return, according to Hopkins Medicine.
Listen to Soothing Sounds
White noise or calming music can help you relax. It can also block sounds that may be disrupting your sleep. Research has found that personal preference plays a large role in determining what type of music is best for stimulating sleep for each individual. You may want to experiment with several different types until you find one that works for you.
Avoid Bright Lights
Keep the lights off to maintain melatonin production. If you’re having trouble falling back asleep, look for any lights in your bedroom that may be disturbing you. LED lights from electronics and light coming through your window may make it more difficult to fall back to sleep.
Limit Screen Time
Screens from smartphones and other electronics emit blue light that may suppress your body’s melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone made by the pineal gland in your brain that helps regulate your circadian rhythm and sleep cycles. It’s best to avoid checking your phone at night because of the potential for mental stimulation as well.
Keep the Room Cool
A cooler temperature can help facilitate sleep. The Sleep Foundation tells us, “Most doctors recommend keeping the thermostat set between 15.6 to 20 degrees Celsius for the most comfortable sleep.”
Use Sleep Apps
Many sleep apps on the market offer relaxing stories, music, or sounds. Some of these apps offer free trials to give you time to find one that works for you.
Focus on Something Boring
A part of your brain called the nucleus accumbens plays a role in motivation and pleasure. Research suggests that this part of your brain might be the reason why you often feel sleepy when bored. Counting sheep or reading a dull book can occupy your mind without excitement.
Journal
Journaling what is on your mind can help quiet your thoughts to help you get back to sleep. Keeping a journal by your bed with a dim light available to write down your worries and thoughts for the day is a constructive way to get a grasp on your worries.
Sleepcasts
We all loved bedtime stories as children, and this doesn’t change as adults; we just stopped having our mothers and fathers around to read them. Now we have audiobooks, podcasts, and sleepcasts that offer narrated stories designed to help us sleep.
Avoid Activities and Chores
It may be tempting to get up and do something productive, but that may not be the best strategy. Engaging in activities like showering or doing dishes might wake you up more.
Stay Calm
If you start worrying about not falling back to sleep, what time you have to wake up, or how little sleep you are going to get, your mind will not be able to settle back to sleep. Try not to get anxious about sleeping and focus on something that keeps you in a peaceful state.
Adjust Sleep Environment
Make sure your sleep space is conducive to rest, with comfortable bedding and minimal noise. For some, this may also include going to a new location to rest. Some people experiencing anxiety or loneliness have found that moving from the bed to the couch can help them fall back to sleep.
Deep Breathing
“Taking slow, deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth using our main respiratory muscle, the diaphragm, can help relax the body and mind,” said sleep specialist Dr. Raj Dasgupta. Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique to calm your nervous system. With this technique, inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds.
Guided Meditation
Listening to a guided meditation designed for sleep can be useful to get back into a deep sleep while also helping guide your mind toward what you want to manifest in your life. Guided meditations help walk you through calming visuals that will let you rest and relax while your subconscious is still at work.
Visualization
Visualization is similar to what a guided meditation will do, but you guide your own mind to the place you find relaxing. You can picture a beach with the waves crashing or a dark forest—whatever brings you calm and peace.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
One technique that many people find helps them relax and sleep is performing a full-body scan, according to Healthline. Tense and relax each muscle group, starting from your scalp down to your toes. Once the whole body has tensed and relaxed, it will be easier to drift off to sleep.