Have you been tossing and turning in bed again? Sleepless nights are your constant companion? And you ask yourself: What helps you fall asleep? You are not alone. We tell you how to slumber peacefully!
You yawn, your eyes are heavy and still there is no thought of sleep.
Once you're in bed, you just toss and turn restlessly. Looking at the clock doesn't make it any better.
You're stressing out and wondering: What helps you fall asleep? And that's exactly how you make it worse!
Table of contents
The minutes and hours fly by. Now, when you think about the next workday, you feel dread. Another sleepless night spent.
Do you recognize yourself? Then you should try our sleep aids.
This is the only way you can break out of the vicious circle of insomnia. We'll soon send you back to the realm of dreams with our tips, we promise.
These plants for the bedroom will help you fall asleep!
What helps you fall asleep? The right drinks!
You probably know that coffee and energy drinks are not a good idea when you want to sleep. But there are actually drinks that can promote your sleep.
Try out which ones help you best.
Tea is a good tip for falling asleep
Attention all tea lovers! For sleep you can reach for a tea with hop cones, passion flower, lemon balm leaves and valerian root. These medicinal plants have a very calming effect on your nervous system.
You can get a herbal mixture prepared at the pharmacy or just get a tea with one of these medicinal plants.
Put about two teaspoons of the dried herbs into a tea strainer or tea filter. Pour 200 ml of hot water over the whole.
Infuse for ten minutes and enjoy before bedtime. You have to try out which herbs work for you. Not everyone reacts the same way to every herb.
Passionflower tea helps best for me. It relaxes the nerves and helps to turn off the head.
These teas help against nervous restlessness!
However, coated tablets are much more practical than teas. They contain a high concentration of the active ingredients. On days when I feel anxious, I take one lozenge an hour before I go to bed. Within an hour, passionflower has a relaxing effect.
It also helps me to turn off the head cinema and in doing so to see things that are really unimportant, but grow into a huge thing in my head, in a more relaxed way.
I have tried a few preparations, but I am stuck with Dr. Boehm Passionflower Coated Tablets* got stuck. Thanks to the coating, they are very easy to swallow and work best for me. Just give them a try. They are currently on offer at Shop Apotheke.
Cherry juice
You can't sleep again? Then you should get yourself some cherry juice.
The most effective tips for falling asleep mostly come from research. American scientists have found that sour cherry juice promotes sleep.
The sleep hormone melatonin is contained in cherries.
Test subjects who drank cherry juice in the evening slept on average 25 minutes longer than those who consumed other liquids.
Milk with honey
If you ask your grandma, "What helps you fall asleep?" Then they will surely recommend you the home remedy milk with honey.
Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan and melatonin. Both lead to better sleep.
However, the amount contained is too small. The researchers suspect that warm milk has more of a psychological effect. Milk satiates and relaxes. This makes you feel calm and tired more quickly.
Warm milk with honey before sleep: it's really true!
Better sleep with cocoa
What helps you fall asleep better than a warm drink? In Cocoa powder* also contains the amino acid tryptophan.
Thus, cocoa can also help you sleep better. What could be more delicious than a warm cocoa? In addition to tryptophan, the brown powder also contains phenylethylamine. Sounds complicated, doesn't it?
This is a certain alkaloid, which is also contained in chocolate. It increases the body's production of happiness hormones and after some time it also makes you tired.
So a warm cocoa is an ideal nightcap for a restful sleep.
If it still doesn't work, the snuutje sleep aid can be the solution. Light and sounds help you to fall asleep deeply. The gadget is particularly good for me in stressful times or when I'm very agitated inside and can't switch off the head carousel. In other words, when I'm constantly thinking about something and my head just can't rest. You can choose from 6 sounds and 3 timers. If you want, you can listen to the sound of the sea, rain or wind for 30 minutes. It's a wonderful way to get rid of the constant thoughts of random things.
You concentrate fully on the sound of the sea and then fall asleep. I love the sound of rain :)
Or you can choose the light metronome function and breathe to the rhythm of the light that appears on the ceiling. Because the device works on battery power, you can also take it with you on vacation or use it where there is no electricity.
Try it, if you are not satisfied you can return it for free. All I can say is it helped me get through stressful times. :)
What helps you fall asleep? A good evening meal!
There are studies that show that dinner has a great impact on healthy sleep.
You eat a high-fiber diet? That's good.
The researchers concluded that the subjects fell asleep earlier and had longer periods of deep sleep as a result.
So how about a slice of whole wheat bread with avocado on it?
However, in order for the dietary fibers to work properly in the body, you also need to drink enough water.
Not a good idea before sleep: fatty heavy foods, too much meat and too much raw food.
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Eat bananas to help you sleep
Bananas are rich in magnesium and potassium. Do you also often suffer from calf cramps at night? Then you should definitely eat bananas.
The best way to combine the yellow fruit is with a glass of milk. Of course, you can also make a smoothie out of it.
The casein in milk provides your muscles with protein all night long. This combination is ideal to fight night cramps and curb a typical cause of sleep disorders.
Salmon and tuna
If you like fish, you'll love this sleep aid: Eat salmon and tuna!
In many cases, stress is to blame for insomnia. Salmon contains unsaturated fatty acids that help you fall asleep more easily.
The omega-3 fatty acids contained make you tired and relaxed. In addition, they also strengthen the body's own production of the sleep hormone melatonin.
Tuna contains the amino acid tryptophan. It ensures that you can fall asleep faster.
So go ahead and treat yourself to a grilled piece of salmon or a tuna spread before bed.
Attention: That's why too much sleep is unhealthy!
Healthy sleep with eggs
Eating eggs should not be missing from the tips for falling asleep. The chicken product, just like tuna, contains the amino acid tryptophan.
This will boost melatonin production and you will get tired much faster. Eating eggs before bedtime is highly recommended.
You can also prepare a delicious tuna salad with eggs. On the one hand, this will prevent cramps in your calves at night, and on the other hand, you will feel tired more quickly.
What helps to fall asleep better than relaxation
Stress is a real sleep killer. So make sure you get enough relaxation. This is the only way to reduce stress. How you relax, however, is up to you.
Everyone has their own idea of relaxation. We show you what possibilities there are good. Just choose the right one for you from these different offers.
Lavender for sleep problems
What is guaranteed to help you fall asleep? Lavender! The medicinal plant not only smells great, but also ensures a restful night.
There are numerous studies that show that lavender improves sleep quality. You can Lavender oil* Use as a bath additive.
Thus, the soothing effect of the medicinal plant unfolds. However, those who do not like to bathe can also add three to five drops of Lavender oil* onto a cloth. Then simply tuck it under your pillowcase.
If you place a lavender plant in front of your bedroom window, it will also protect you from mosquitoes!
This DIY lavender cream soothes and relieves headaches!
Sleep better with breathing exercises
We went on the trail of the question: "What helps you fall asleep? In the process, we also came across special breathing exercises. In one study, many testers fell asleep after just 60 seconds.
All they had to do was perform the "4-7-8 breathing exercise" in bed. How to do it? Simple.
Count by the second: First inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, then hold your breath for 7 seconds, and then exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat the whole process a few times.
These 4 breathing exercises help you fall asleep!
A warm bath to fall asleep
Another sleepless night? Then you can try the following before going to bed: A warm bath.
This is especially effective if you also use essential oils such as lavender or ylang-ylang. Simply add a few drops to the water and relax in the bathtub for about 30 minutes.
The optimal bedroom for a restful night
What helps to fall asleep? Of course, an optimally designed bedroom. First, you should banish from the room everything that is dispensable.
So get out the sports equipment or the ironing board. You'll see, you'll get much better rest in plain bedrooms than in cluttered rooms.
Another aspect is safety. Only when you feel safe, you can fall asleep calmly. Therefore, it is better if the headboard of the bed is against the wall.
The color scheme also influences the quality of sleep. With soft hues like rosé or blue, your blood pressure is lowered and you relax. The temperature in the room also plays a role. In the best case, it should be around 18 degrees.
Your optimal sleep duration - That's how much sleep you really need!
What is the right duration of sleep
There is no general way to say how many hours of sleep you need. Every person is different.
One person is already rested after 6 hours, the other needs at least 8 hours of sleep. For a normal adult, the optimal sleep duration is somewhere between six and eight hours.
The older you get, the less sleep you need. Older people sometimes also sleep during the day, which is why their night's rest is also shortened.
If you sleep longer than your body needs, it will do you more harm than good. You'll feel tired and your circulation won't get going all day.
With rituals to improved sleep quality
What works for babies can't be wrong for us, right? For example, you can read a book or go for an evening walk.
You should also make sure that you always go to bed at the same time. This way, your body can get used to a certain sleeping rhythm.
How about a prayer as a ritual before going to bed? You can then simply recite it several times in a row. After just a few days, you will see how good it is for you.
Sleep rituals that will put you right to sleep!
Write down thoughts
Do you also have a thousand thoughts running through your head in bed? Then it's almost impossible to get some rest.
What helps you fall asleep and how can you free yourself from thoughts? A diary! Yes, you read that right. This can also become a ritual that calms you down.
You should regularly write down your topics and thoughts that occupy you during the day in a diary. It doesn't matter if they are positive or negative.
Once you have everything written down, you can let go mentally and relax and drift off into the realm of dreams.
Counting sheep for a quiet night
Yes, this is probably the most popular sleep aid. But can it really help? Yes, due to the monotonous process it can distract from thoughts and problems.
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Of course, the lambs are not the deciding factor here. Whether you're counting elephants or unicorns, any calming and low-stimulus process is helpful.
It can also help if you imagine a beautiful landscape. The important thing is that you relax.
What does not help to fall asleep
There are many reasons for sleep problems. Fortunately, many of them can be treated with simple means.
The most common reasons include deadline pressure and stress. Both cause long periods of falling asleep. We tell you what you shouldn't do before going to bed.
Avoid strenuous mental activities
Before sleeping, you should never perform mentally demanding activities. If you work late at night or deal with problems, don't be surprised if your sleep suffers.
Exercise right before bedtime is counterproductive
You do sports? That's great in itself. You just have to pay attention to the time! Sure, after sports you are tired and think you can sleep better. That is correct as far as it goes.
However, your body and mind need time to switch off after a workout. That's why you should stop exercising at least two to three hours before sleeping.
To get some rest, it's ideal if you move the training session to the afternoon.
What definitely does not help to fall asleep? Television and cell phone
You love to watch TV before you go to bed? Or you check your cell phone one last time or work on your laptop?
Such activities are not exactly conducive to sleep. The blue light emitted by such devices inhibits melatonin production. Thus, you fall asleep much slower, despite the pre-TV sleep effect.
Attention: This is what happens to your body when you sleep too little!
No cold shower before going to bed
Taking cold showers may be good for your skin and your circulation, but definitely not for restful nights. Due to the circulatory stimulating effect it rather drives away your tiredness.
The situation is different with a bath or a warm shower. Cold feet can also interfere with falling asleep. Therefore, it can also help to wear warm socks.
Our conclusion
And if you haven't fallen asleep yet, you're now an expert on sleeping. Now you know all the tips and tricks about what helps you fall asleep and what doesn't. If you follow them, we are 100 % sure that you will sleep better from now on.
Often it is only small things that disturb your sleep. If you eliminate these sources of disturbance, there is nothing standing in the way of a restful sleep.
Good luck and sleep well! :)
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