World Sleep Day 2018: Here Are 6 Weird Ways to Help You Fall Asleep

We spend so much of our waking hours, struggling to keep our eyes open and our nights wondering where all the sleep went, that we wonder if we are living a modern-day horror story. The health benefits of a good night's sleep are many! Although experts have still not arrived at a consensus, it is widely believed that for good health, a person should get anywhere between 7 to 9 hours of sound sleep. But we have made it a habit to sacrifice sleep to prioritise other things. Screen-time addictions also don’t help!

If you have tried everything, from warm milk to lullabies, and still haven’t had much luck finding sleep. Here is a list of weird things that are guaranteed to help you fall asleep. Try a few tonight!

1 Eat a banana or have banana tea before bedtime

Bananas contain a secret ingredient known as tryptophan, an amino acid know for causing drowsiness, especially when combined with the high carb content of the fruit.  And if you are really serious about getting quality sleep tonight, make sure you put the peel to good use too. The peel contains a good amount of the mineral magnesium that aids sleep. All you have to do is boil a banana with the peel in water for 10 minutes. Season it with nutmeg or cinnamon and drink before bedtime.

2 Make your bed before bedtime

How your bed treats you depends a lot on how you treat it. If you eat, read and pretty much lounge on your bed all day long, it’s probably in a wrecked state by night. And there’s nothing more stressful than sleeping on a dirty bed among books, food crumbs, etc. Either give your bed sheet the customary 3 shake offs before you sleep on it or change your sheets before bed. A clean bed will ensure good sleep.

3 Sleep on light-coloured, cotton sheets

Bed sheets in light soothing colours of white, baby pink, powder blue and lavender work better than sheets with loud neon colours say insomniacs. These colours are soothing to look at and can impart a sense of calm before bed time. Bed sheets made of synthetic fabric can trap heat, causing discomfort during sleep. So opt for cotton sheets that are cooler and more soothing to the touch.

4 Count backwards

If you feel you are too “grown-up” for counting sheep, try counting backwards from 300. Inhale and exhale with every number you count. This will help regulate your breathing. By the time you get to a 200, you’ll have already started feeling drowsy. Works all the time!

5 Have a foot bath

Immerse your foot in a tub of hot water. This trick seems to work for most people struggling with sleeplessness. Studies say that a lower core temperature combined by a higher temperature of hands and feet can shorten the time required for you to fall asleep.

6 Try hard to stay awake!

If nothing works, try reverse psychology. If your body is rebelling by doing exactly the opposite of what you want, here’s how you can trick it. Try your very best to stay awake. And before you know it, your body is already working its best to put you to sleep. While you are at it, don’t drink coffee or do anything that stimulates your mind. Instead, focus on your thoughts or indulge in some light reading.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 16, 2018 10:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).