Tricks, advice and good habits to fall asleep in a matter of minutes

The Friday before the spring equinox is celebrated on world sleep day to sensitize the population about the importance of sleeping well. Lack of sleep is a health problem that must be treated in time because it can cause serious health problems, so it is very important Detect symptoms and possible causes.

For this 2023 the motto has been chosen “Sleep is essential for health” as all the experts agree that good sleep is just as important for physical, mental and social well-being as good feeding and the sport.

According to numerous sleep studies, our quality of life would significantly improve if we spend enough time getting quality sleep. Sleeping is a vital need for human beings, however, sometimes it is difficult to fall asleep due to different factors such as stress, anxiety, insomnia and other sleep disorders. Fortunately, there are techniques that can help us sleep better and achieve a restful rest.

However, in today’s hectic world, most people don’t get the number of hours it takes to get a good night’s sleep. It is estimated that an adult person requires between 7 and 8 hours of sleep to restore the functions of the organism.

Lack of sleep results in irreparable damage to people’s health and quality of life, affecting a high percentage of the population worldwide.

These are the main types of sleep disorders:

• Sleep apnea: abnormal breathing patterns during the sleep stage, interrupting deep sleep.
• Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Narcolepsy: extreme sleepiness or chronic daytime sleep disorder.
• Willis-Ekbom disease. Known as restless legs syndrome, it is the need to move your legs to avoid feeling uncomfortable. Doing so stops that unpleasant feeling (tingling, burning and itching) for a short time but then it comes back.

Consequences of not having a restful sleep

Sleep disorders can cause, in the long run, degenerative diseases. If we cannot enjoy quality sleep, it is most likely that our body will begin to experience a series of changes and alterations in the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems, which can lead to other more serious complications associated with degenerative diseases.

Besides, affects physical and mental health of people and causes humor changesincrease in blood sugar levels, blood pressure and inflammation, which can end up affecting the heart. It also causes obesity, weakness of the immune systemanxiety and even depression.

As a general rule, you can follow some routines that can help you fall asleep:

• 1.-Establish a sleep routine: It is important that you establish a fixed time to go to sleep and wake up every day, even on weekends. This helps your body get used to a certain time to sleep, which can improve sleep quality.
• 2.- Avoid stimulants: Caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, and other stimulants can interfere with sleep. It is advisable to avoid its consumption several hours before going to bed.
• 3.- Play sports: Regular exercise helps improve sleep quality, especially if done several hours before bed. However, it’s important not to exercise too close to bedtime, as it can increase energy and make it more difficult to fall asleep.
• 4.- Create a suitable environment: It is important that the room in which you are going to sleep is comfortable, quiet and dark. In addition, it is recommended to keep the temperature cool and suitable for sleep.
• 5.- Limit the use of electronic devices: Electronic devices emit blue light that can interfere with sleep. It is advisable to limit their use before going to bed and turn them off at least one hour before bed. So taking your mobile to bed does not help you fall asleep.
• 6.- Take a hot bath: Taking a warm bath before bed can help relax muscles and reduce stress. This can make it easier to fall asleep. Since you can’t always, perhaps changing your routine and showering at night instead of in the morning can help.
• 7.- Meditate: Meditation is an effective technique for reducing stress and anxiety. Taking a few minutes to meditate before bed can help you relax and prepare your body for sleep.
• 8.- Listen to relaxing music: Listening to relaxing music before bed can help reduce stress and anxiety. In addition, it can help improve the quality of sleep.
• 9.- Aromatherapy: Essential oils such as lavender and chamomile have relaxing properties and can help improve sleep quality. It is advisable to use a diffuser to spread the aroma in the room.

• 10.- Use progressive muscle relaxation techniques: This technique consists of tensing and relaxing the muscles gradually. It can help reduce stress and anxiety, which can improve sleep quality.

• 11.- Practice deep breathing: Deep breathing is a technique that helps reduce anxiety and stress. It is recommended to practice it before going to bed to relax and prepare the body for sleep.

Regarding the last point, there is a technique used by US Marines and endorsed by him Dr. Andrew Weil, Harvard University which, with the repetition of three simple steps, promises to make a person fall asleep in less than two minutes. The technique is called 4-7-8 and it is more effective the more it is practiced. It produces such a deep relaxation that it works even after drinking coffee. To begin with, you have to find a comfortable position in bed, the one in which you usually sleep. Then, you have to support the tongue on the palate and keep it there while you do the breathing exercise. To begin with, you have to exhale slowly, expelling the air through your mouth. Next, you have to close your lips and inhale mentally counting to four. Then, you have to hold your breath counting to seven. Finally, you have to exhale slowly through your mouth counting to eight. Although it may take effect sooner, it is necessary to repeat the exercise four times. It is important to breathe without thinking, automatically, something that is achieved with practice.

As Professor Weil indicates on his website, with practice, breathing is perfected in such a way that the process can be slowed down more to achieve relaxation and deeper breathing that will help to enter the sleep phase. Of course, he recommends that it be done face up to favor breathing. In addition, he indicates, it can be practiced a couple of times a day, which will help improve blood pressure and promote digestive processes.

Lettuce as a relaxing food

If none of the above has helped you sleep well, you can always try some of the techniques that social media users share. For example, that of a woman who claims that romaine lettuce helps her fall asleep in just five minutes. She explains that at the age of 30 she has just discovered that romaine lettuce is capable of inducing sleep. Every night she follows the ritual of cutting the lettuce leaves, puts the water to boil and puts the lettuce in the container. After a few minutes, she removes it and prepares a cup with the lettuce tea. But it’s not for her, but for her husband. “I’m too scared to try it because I still have to get up if[her daughter]Maisy wakes up at night,” she says on TikTok.

Her husband Mike is the one who takes it. Despite the fact that the first time she took it she thought it was “hot water with a little grass”, after five minutes she began to notice the effects of the infusion and fell asleep. Shortly after, Mike had fallen into a deep sleep in the living room, and the next morning he woke up refreshed: “I slept through it.”

According to the Internet user, the use of lettuce is not accidental because “there is science behind it: there are properties in lettuce, especially romaine lettuce, that help activate the part of your brain that helps you sleep. I think it would also work just as well if you had a big bowl of salad before bed.”

Scientifically based or not, if you have insomnia problems, it doesn’t hurt to try it.

What is truly important is that if this situation lasts over time, it is essential that you go to the doctor’s office so that he can study your case to determine the best treatment or, if necessary, even send you to a sleep unit.