Sleep deprivation can cause us not only to need an attitude adjustment, because we are cranky and short with others; we also have mental lapses and lack concentration as we fight sleep to get through our day.
With occasional sleeplessness, we can overcome our restlessness as we try to catch up on our zzz's on the weekend or an afternoon nap.
A chronic sleep disorder can cause additional health problems such as; obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.
One way to learn how to fall asleep quickly is through lucid dream recall.
Lucid dreams are a helpful practice for those with sleep problems.
When you are having a hard time getting to sleep, remind yourself that sleep means lucid dreaming and your subconscious mind will make sure you fall asleep quickly.
To improve dream recall keep a dream journal and write down any dreams that you remember once you wake up.
If you don't have a journal, a pad of paper or audio recorder can also be used.
It is important to record the dream(s) as soon as possible for maximum recall.
As precious seconds pass, so will our ability to remember our dream.
If you want to remember your dream, some people repeat "I will remember my dream" before falling asleep.
Some dream experts claim that everyone remembers at least one dream per night.
When you lay down imagine that you are back in your dream, remember it step by step...
follow this visualization as you fall asleep.
If you can't remember a dream you can try creative visualization, which is daydreaming.
Close your eyes a visualize a happy place, maybe something you'd like to do in the future, like take a vacation or a memory from the past.
See yourself on a beach or at a school dance.
Soon the daydream will take on a life of its own and eventually you will not even be conscious of day dreaming any longer and fall sleep.
Some people choose the subject they are going to visualize prior to going to bed, which is a practice known as 'thought pushing'.
So many of us lay down at night and toss and turn because our mind is racing from all the stress in our daily lives.
It's hard not to think of it.
'Thought pushing' is the act of pushing out unwanted thoughts with chosen thought.
If you are lying in bed with unwanted thoughts for more than 20 minutes.
Get up.
Write down what is bothering you.
Maybe just getting ideas and issues on paper will clear your mind enough to get to sleep.
Do something that will help you to relax; read a book, write in your journal or do some yoga stretches.
There are yoga stretches just for relaxation.
Don't overdo any exercise routine, because this will only over heat your body and increase your heart rate.
You will have to stay up longer just to cool down.
Whatever you do, do it outside the bedroom.
Your bedroom is a haven for sleep and intimacy only.
Other activities like television, video games or surfing the web will only make you stay awake longer.
Who wants to turn off the TV in the middle of a show or quit a game until you have kill the bad guy? Breathing exercises and self-hypnotic/meditation have also worked wonders for those that suffer from insomnia.
Try Dr.
Andrew Weil's relaxing breath exercise: Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise.
You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of seven.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
- This is one breath.
Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth.
The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time.
Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation.
The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important.
If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases.
With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.
This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system.
Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice.
You can also use it whenever anything upsetting happens - before you react.
Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension.
But especially use it to help you fall asleep.
This exercise cannot be recommended too highly.
You can acquire mediation tapes or CD's from a bookstore, library or online.
I have made use of a self-hypnotic/meditation tape on and off for almost 20 years.
It uses a visual exercise and breathing exercise along with a physical exercise.
The physical exercise consists of tightening and releasing areas of the body starting with the extremities and ends with the head and torso.
Using all the exercises puts me to sleep at least 85% of the time and even before the tape ends.
If you condition yourself to go to bed at the same time each night along with a nightly routine you will eventually fall asleep and stay asleep for the required number of hours.
Most adults need at least seven hours to feel fully energized the next day.
If you do nap, try to limit the time to 20-30 minutes and before 4pm.
Any time you nap later or longer may interfere with you ability to fall asleep at your bedtime.
Remember; don't go to bed angry, it only increases your heart rate so you can't get to sleep.
Resolve your issues before you go to bed and have make-up sex.
Couples who kiss regularly and have intimacy spontaneously not only feel better about themselves, but also have decreased levels of stress and depression.
Sexual satisfaction in a relationship encourages people to take better care of themselves and enhancing your quality of life will contribute to better sleep.
So instead of paying for prescription sleep medication or buying a new $1000 mattress, take a vacation together or go on a date all the while kissing and cuddling more.
A well-balanced personal life with a loving partner is what lucid dreams are made of.
If you try these suggestions and you still can't learn how to fall asleep fast, you may have a sleep disorder that may cause additional health issues.
Contact your physician before trying any over-the-counter (OTC) sleep medications.
OTC's have side effects, drug and health interactions and may become addictive, if overused.
You may just be covering up a much larger problem.
With occasional sleeplessness, we can overcome our restlessness as we try to catch up on our zzz's on the weekend or an afternoon nap.
A chronic sleep disorder can cause additional health problems such as; obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.
One way to learn how to fall asleep quickly is through lucid dream recall.
Lucid dreams are a helpful practice for those with sleep problems.
When you are having a hard time getting to sleep, remind yourself that sleep means lucid dreaming and your subconscious mind will make sure you fall asleep quickly.
To improve dream recall keep a dream journal and write down any dreams that you remember once you wake up.
If you don't have a journal, a pad of paper or audio recorder can also be used.
It is important to record the dream(s) as soon as possible for maximum recall.
As precious seconds pass, so will our ability to remember our dream.
If you want to remember your dream, some people repeat "I will remember my dream" before falling asleep.
Some dream experts claim that everyone remembers at least one dream per night.
When you lay down imagine that you are back in your dream, remember it step by step...
follow this visualization as you fall asleep.
If you can't remember a dream you can try creative visualization, which is daydreaming.
Close your eyes a visualize a happy place, maybe something you'd like to do in the future, like take a vacation or a memory from the past.
See yourself on a beach or at a school dance.
Soon the daydream will take on a life of its own and eventually you will not even be conscious of day dreaming any longer and fall sleep.
Some people choose the subject they are going to visualize prior to going to bed, which is a practice known as 'thought pushing'.
So many of us lay down at night and toss and turn because our mind is racing from all the stress in our daily lives.
It's hard not to think of it.
'Thought pushing' is the act of pushing out unwanted thoughts with chosen thought.
If you are lying in bed with unwanted thoughts for more than 20 minutes.
Get up.
Write down what is bothering you.
Maybe just getting ideas and issues on paper will clear your mind enough to get to sleep.
Do something that will help you to relax; read a book, write in your journal or do some yoga stretches.
There are yoga stretches just for relaxation.
Don't overdo any exercise routine, because this will only over heat your body and increase your heart rate.
You will have to stay up longer just to cool down.
Whatever you do, do it outside the bedroom.
Your bedroom is a haven for sleep and intimacy only.
Other activities like television, video games or surfing the web will only make you stay awake longer.
Who wants to turn off the TV in the middle of a show or quit a game until you have kill the bad guy? Breathing exercises and self-hypnotic/meditation have also worked wonders for those that suffer from insomnia.
Try Dr.
Andrew Weil's relaxing breath exercise: Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there through the entire exercise.
You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
- Hold your breath for a count of seven.
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
- This is one breath.
Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.
Note that you always inhale quietly through your nose and exhale audibly through your mouth.
The tip of your tongue stays in position the whole time.
Exhalation takes twice as long as inhalation.
The absolute time you spend on each phase is not important; the ratio of 4:7:8 is important.
If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases.
With practice you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.
This exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system.
Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it but gains in power with repetition and practice.
You can also use it whenever anything upsetting happens - before you react.
Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension.
But especially use it to help you fall asleep.
This exercise cannot be recommended too highly.
You can acquire mediation tapes or CD's from a bookstore, library or online.
I have made use of a self-hypnotic/meditation tape on and off for almost 20 years.
It uses a visual exercise and breathing exercise along with a physical exercise.
The physical exercise consists of tightening and releasing areas of the body starting with the extremities and ends with the head and torso.
Using all the exercises puts me to sleep at least 85% of the time and even before the tape ends.
If you condition yourself to go to bed at the same time each night along with a nightly routine you will eventually fall asleep and stay asleep for the required number of hours.
Most adults need at least seven hours to feel fully energized the next day.
If you do nap, try to limit the time to 20-30 minutes and before 4pm.
Any time you nap later or longer may interfere with you ability to fall asleep at your bedtime.
Remember; don't go to bed angry, it only increases your heart rate so you can't get to sleep.
Resolve your issues before you go to bed and have make-up sex.
Couples who kiss regularly and have intimacy spontaneously not only feel better about themselves, but also have decreased levels of stress and depression.
Sexual satisfaction in a relationship encourages people to take better care of themselves and enhancing your quality of life will contribute to better sleep.
So instead of paying for prescription sleep medication or buying a new $1000 mattress, take a vacation together or go on a date all the while kissing and cuddling more.
A well-balanced personal life with a loving partner is what lucid dreams are made of.
If you try these suggestions and you still can't learn how to fall asleep fast, you may have a sleep disorder that may cause additional health issues.
Contact your physician before trying any over-the-counter (OTC) sleep medications.
OTC's have side effects, drug and health interactions and may become addictive, if overused.
You may just be covering up a much larger problem.