Sleeping is a culture one may perceive differently. Usually, it's tough love both ways - waking up and falling asleep. With school and the insane amount of workload, sleep is very limited, which is why it's wise to shut down your system immediately after finishing up essentials of the day. However, if you're anything like me, my train of thoughts grew longer and broader at night preventing me from sleeping. Hence, I did a little research of the things that really did help me sleep asap. 


Hide Your Clock 

“If you stare at the clock, it increases your stress and worry about not falling asleep,”
Meltzer

Listen to White Noises

listening to white noises to accommodate sleeping instead of listening to lyrical music. The psychology is listening to white noises - like rain, traffic, and wind - added element of a positive mental image, a relaxation that helps unwind. This will help a person to relax as negative aspects seem to diminish. Simply search on spotify a playlist that contains them and set them on repeat. 

4-7-8 Method 


The “4-7-8 Method” is essentially a breathing technique that would prompt you to fall asleep within a minute. This method would increase the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream, slowing down your heart rate, and releasing more carbon dioxide from the lungs in which will relax your system (Schwartz). According to DrWeil.com, here’s how you do it:
1. 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.
2. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
3. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
4. Hold your breath for a count of seven.
5. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
6. Repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

Call a Friend or Write a Journal Entry 

Calling a friend or simply write a journal entry to pour all your thoughts helps organize your sleeping pattern, especially for one who specifically thinks at night. In many scenarios our brain is more active at night as we’re about to sleep, this is because we are not assimilating any other movement or conducting specific activities that requires all the senses. By clearing your thoughts before going to bed will help sleep faster as your train of thoughts would lessen. 


Spray Lavender Oil on your Pillow

Lavender oil is composed by mainly linalool and linalyl acetate, chemicals that rapidly absorbs into the bloodstream. Studies on mice have shown that these compounds inhibit several neurotransmitters and have a sedative and pain-relieving effect. In humans, lavender also lowers the heart rate and reduces anxiety (Villazon). 

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