A decent night’s rest is essential if you want to feel energised and alert throughout the day but getting high-quality sleep is easier said than done. If you’ve tried all the usual remedies and are still struggling to sleep, it might be time to think outside the box. For inspiration, take a look at these six unusual ways to get a good night’s sleep now:
Try to Stay Awake
Trying (and failing) to sleep can be frustrating, which only exacerbates the cycle and makes it harder to drop off. However, you can ease your anxiety by using a little reverse psychology to take the pressure off. Instead of trying to fall asleep at a reasonable hour, try to force yourself to stay awake instead.
As you try to keep your eyes open and remain alert, you’ll notice the tell-tale signs of tiredness creeping in, and you’ll begin to sleep more easily. However, don’t rely on screens to keep yourself awake, as this will have the reverse effect. Instead, lie in bed and challenge yourself to stay awake for as long as you can.
Switch Your Room Around
If you’ve got into the habit of struggling to sleep, then it’s time to unleash your inner interior designer and change your room around. When you experience sleep issues, you stop associating your bedroom with a good night’s sleep and associate it with stress and anxiety instead.
By changing the position of the furniture or even updating the colours of the walls, you can create a new environment that’s unencumbered by any previous negative experience. You’ll get a chance to develop new, positive associations and be able to implement a healthy sleep routine.
Check Sleep Devices
Whether you use headphones, a white noise player or a CPAP machine at night, make sure any sleep devices are fully functional and safe to use. This might be as simple as ensuring you have supplies, such as remembering to buy distilled water for the equipment. Sadly, malfunctioning sleep products can have a negative impact on your well-being in some instances.
If you’ve developed an illness or been hurt because of a faulty sleep device, learn more now and find out what your options are. In the meantime, have devices checked regularly so that you’re confident in their ability to help you get a good night’s rest.
Figure Out a Puzzle
Counting sheep used to be the go-to challenge when you were having trouble sleeping but, in reality, it rarely works. Why? Because counting sleep is too simple. You don’t have to concentrate on the activity, which means that your mind wanders back to whatever it is that’s keeping you awake all night.
By giving yourself a puzzle to figure out, however, you can keep your mind occupied while you begin to relax. This will prevent you from focusing on your worries and stop anxiety from keeping you aware. Try and do some mental maths, come up with anagrams for long words or take a look at a logic puzzle before you go to bed and see whether this cerebral activity helps you to sleep.
Tense Your Muscles
Making yourself tense might seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to relax but it’s actually a highly effective way of promoting sleep. Start from your toes and work your way up your body, tensing and relaxing the muscles in 10-second increments.
As you notice the tension in your muscles and then release it, you’ll feel the increased relaxation that follows. This, in turn, helps you to relax more effectively and makes it easier to fall asleep.
Experiment with ASMR
The autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, refers to a mix of positive feelings, including relaxation, comfort and light tingling. When you trigger the response, you’ll feel infinitely more relaxed and ready to sleep. So, how do you go about activating the autonomous sensory meridian response? Well, everyone’s different.
People have numerous different ‘triggers’ when it comes to ASMR, so it’s a good idea to experiment and see what works for you. Soothing, repetitive sounds are a popular way to activate the response and there are plenty of free videos online that will help you to find out whether ASMR is helpful to you.
Improving Your Sleep Quality
While lifestyle changes can have a dramatic impact on the quality of your sleep, it’s important to rule out underlying health issues too. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to make strategic changes to your surroundings or your routine. By doing so, you can boost your sleep quality and enjoy the benefits that arise from getting a good night’s sleep every night.