The first thing you need to do when you can’t fall asleep is to stop trying too hard. The more you stress over your lack of sleep, the tenser you become, and the harder it becomes for you to fall asleep.
What can help you fall asleep? Some simple practices can very quickly arrest your restlessness for sleep.
Note: You don’t necessarily have to do everything mentioned below. If you feel sleepy even after one practice, allow yourself to go to bed.
Do your chores
Keep yourself busy with your daily chores. Avoid chores that require you to use your digital devices. That certainly means no online grocery shopping. When you move around, the restlessness in you is arrested. Your mind stops overthinking and calms down.
Tend to your feet
Your feet consist of energy channels connected to the rest of your body. So, relaxing your feet muscles is an ideal first step to help you fall asleep. There are two simple practices to calm your feet muscles. One, immerse your feet in warm water for ten minutes. Second, massage your feet with coconut oil. Both activities increase blood circulation in the feet, which increases the amount of oxygen in the blood, and relaxes the feet effectively. An oil massage also arrests an imbalanced Vata in the body.
A few drops of desi cow’s ghee in your nose
The nose is the gateway to your brain. Putting 1-2 drops of desi cow’s ghee in your nostrils rejuvenates your nervous system and helps you get better sleep, relieves headaches, and improves your memory and mental health.
Restorative Yoga Poses
Restorative yoga focuses on body relaxation through long-held postures. These poses activate the parasympathetic nervous system (the rest and digest system). Make sure you practice them while taking long, slow and gentle breaths. Hold each pose for 2-3 minutes. Feel free to put on some relaxing music as you do so.
- Shishuasana: Avoid the pose in the case of severe back or knee injury, pregnancy, and diarrhea.
- Viparita Karani Asana (Legs Up the Wall pose): Avoid this in the event of pregnancy, menstruation, and high blood pressure.
- Supta Baddha Konasana: Avoid this posture in the case of a knee injury, sciatica, and lower back disorders.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a 20-minute guided meditation that guides your attention to different parts of the body. Just your attention can relax a body part. Play the below version guided by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to relax your whole body.
3 routine practices to make sure you sleep fast
Do you lie in bed for hours, unable to sleep? If you want to spontaneously fall asleep every day, without losing your mind over it, a few other daily practices can also help.
- Practice Sudarshan Kriya:
A study published in the peer-reviewed journal, Sleep and Biological Rhythms, shows that Sudarshan Kriya increases one’s time spent in deep, restful stages of sleep by three times. Apeckshya Parajulee, a Yoga instructor, shares the impact of Sudarshan Kriya on her sleep, “For years, I had issues with my sleep. I would toss and turn and observe the time passing by. Only after practicing Sudarshan Kriya, did my sleep quality improve greatly .”
- Watch over your dinner, caffeine, and alcohol intake
Eat your dinner by 7 PM or at least three hours before your bedtime. Make sure you have a light and filling dinner while avoiding fried and heavy items for your night meal. Too much coffee or tea as well as alcohol in the late evening can also disrupt your sleeping pattern.
- Make it comfortable for you to sleep
Prepare your bedroom for a good night’s sleep by having fresh bed sheets, no light or noise, your mobile in airplane mode, and a comfortable temperature. These are a few things you can look at before you sleep. Also, try to be consistent with your sleep timings to ensure sound sleep. Do not expose yourself to blue light from digital devices for at least one hour before sleeping.
Based on inputs from Dr. Himanshi, Naturopath, and Apeckshya Parajulee, Sri Sri Yoga instructor
Related reads
7 reasons why you don’t wake up feeling recharged
5 tips to sleep if you feel tired all the time
7 ways to a good night’s sleep
4 natural ways to deal with insomnia
FAQ's on how to fall asleep
The reasons you can’t sleep can vary from genetics to a particular health condition to poor lifestyle choices to lack of a sleep routine.
Build a sleep routine with practices like restorative yoga and foot massage.
Consult a doctor. Learn research-backed breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya and meditation that have been proven to improve sleep quality.
