If you have trouble falling asleep, these insider tips will definitely help you. Everything about the causes & effective measures.

You have probably already experienced this:

You keep turning from side to side, just can’t fall asleep.

Problems falling asleep are common & steal our energy the next day.

This article will tell you what helps. First, I’ll go into the consequences, signs & reasons for having trouble falling asleep.

Then I will introduce various sleep aids and habits that you can use to improve your sleep.

In the following section I will first go into some general information about sleeping before I get to the causes and possible solutions for falling asleep problems.

Is Sleep Really That Important?

If we don’t get enough sleep or don’t sleep for a long time, we are not doing well:

  1. We feel permanently tired during the day , have difficulty concentrating and are more easily irritable.
  2. In addition, there are memory problems, decreased creativity and the risk of accidents increases.

At the same time, there is a strong long-term impact on health.

  • Your sleep habits affect the immune system, the heart and many other parts of the body.
  • It can increase the risk of developing diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s. There is also increased depression and obesity.

Most people do not even realize how much lack of sleep affects their everyday life and health in the long term.

Lack of sleep makes you sick

Even if illnesses already occur, many people often see no connection to their (poor) sleeping habits.

Even a sleepless night can have such an impact on the insulin level that it is similar to that of a type 2 diabetic.

What does that mean: You will age faster and store more body fat than you might like – especially if you regularly get too little sleep.

Almost all of us have some catching up to do

Behaviors and habits that are completely normal for us today have a negative impact on our sleep.

This includes many things, such as

  • If we get too little light and exercise during the day,
  • drink too much coffee or alcohol late at night or
  • Staring at a screen much of the day.

Do not take sleep disorders & falling asleep problems lightly! You can start improving your sleep today.

Here you can find out what you have to pay attention to and where to start.

Problems falling asleep – what are the causes?

There are many reasons for problems falling asleep – and luckily they can often be treated with simple means.

By finding out where the basis for restless sleep lies, you can narrow down possible causes – and thus address your sleep problems properly.

Common causes of problems falling asleep are:

  • Mental or physical stress : Do you often feel physically or mentally exhausted? Do you take work home or do you think about it at night?
  • Depression & Anxiety: Do you often feel hopeless and emotionally drained? Do you suffer from fears or worries?
  • Other Health Issues: Do you have any other illnesses that can affect sleep?

So before you rush to sleep aids & secret tricks, you should observe yourself very carefully – and get to know the reasons for your sleep problems better.

Bad habits also lead to insomnia and sleep disorders

On the other hand, many difficulties in sleeping are related to bad habits, such as an unbalanced sleep-wake cycle or poor diet (caffeine in the evening, alcohol before bed ).

The most common causes include, for example:

  • Bad sleeping habits : irregular rhythm, late sleeping on the weekend, long party nights
  • The environment in the bedroom : temperature & humidity , noise at night, wrong pillow or mattress
  • Activity and sport: Too little exercise, resulting back or shoulder problems, lack of balance.

In summary: watch your habits closely & try to find a few triggers for your sleep problems.

Only if you know the causes can you effectively solve the problem.

Often times, the problems falling asleep are not just caused by one, but several:

If you don’t do sports after a stressful day at work, then you don’t have the balance, for example. You cannot switch off properly & tension or twitching when falling asleep also reduces the quality of sleep.

What Really Helps You Fall Asleep?

Everyone has trouble falling asleep from time to time – be it before an important appointment the next day or a family problem.

  • It is best not to worry too much and to take it easy.
  • Too much frustration and desperation can often only worsen problems and prevent us from falling asleep.

Before I write more about the right sleeping habits, home remedies & other measures, here is an important tip:

The most important insider tip for those having trouble falling asleep

Don’t force anything! If you are rolling around restlessly in bed and your thoughts just cannot calm down, then …

Get up and do something else!

This has several advantages: instead of brooding, your brain can concentrate on something else – and it often gets tired more quickly.

In addition, you subconsciously learn to use the bed only to (fall) sleep – which will make you dream faster in the future.

Note: Falling asleep shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes – rather shorter.

Fortunately, there are a few other sleep aids that you can easily implement.

The best sleep aids

In the following sections I have summarized the most important tips and divided them into 5 categories:

  1. Improve sleeping habits
  2. The right equipment in the bedroom
  3. Conduct during the day
  4. Reduce stress
  5. Home remedies for falling asleep

It starts with a few general tips that not only help you fall asleep, but also help in general.

1. Improve sleeping habits

Often times, you can get better by making simple changes. Everyone is different, so sometimes you need to experiment a bit to find the best method for you.

Bedtime routine

First and foremost, you should try to go to sleep at the same time each day and always get up the same time in the morning.

Incidentally, this also means the weekend!

Note: Avoid delaying getting up in the morning. In this way you put your natural inner rhythm to the test and in the end do not make getting up any easier!

Tip: Monitor your sleep to get to know your habits (and then change them).

Relaxing sleeping ritual

Take a bath, listen to your favorite music or read a book. Find an activity that is not supposed to be exciting, but has a calming effect on you. By the way, watching TV is not at all suitable!

No smartphone and no screens in the bedroom

Studies show that the blue light that all screens and smartphones emit is poison for our sleep.

Even too bright light bulbs can be a problem and disrupt our sleep phases .

In summary: bright light influences the internal clock by having a special effect on the production of melatonin. The hormone makes us feel tired and sleep well.

2. The right equipment in the bedroom

Most of the time, people are not even aware of the simple things that have a major impact on their sleep.

  • For example, what temperature prevails in the bedroom or which pillow you use.
  • If you have trouble sleeping, these are the first points to start.

The furnishings and the mood in the bedroom are easy to change – and often have a major impact on the quality of our sleep.

The pillow

The perfect pillow can improve your sleep significantly for little money. To do this, it should meet some requirements.

The problem with this is that the majority of people do not commit to one position when sleeping, but are mixed sleepers. Therefore, the pillow should be recommended for several positions.

A good choice is, for example, the height-adjustable neck support pillow from Luxamel. It can be easily changed for different sleeping positions. The soft, elastic foam adapts to the head and ensures a great sleeping experience!

Tip: Read more about neck pillows here .

Darkness and temperature while sleeping

Most importantly, you should be comfortable with the temperature in the bedroom. Make sure, however, that the room is cooler. The temperature should be around 17 degrees.

  • Scientists were able to show how important a dark room is for the quality of sleep.
  • Even very small light sources, such as the glow of a clock or LEDs from an electronic device, can have negative effects.

Tip: Use opaque curtains. Noise protection curtains not only ensure darkness, but also silence.

Feng-Shui

This Far Eastern philosophy is about more than just decorating a room appropriately. Feng Shui shows how rooms, furniture or objects are to be arranged in order to guarantee a good flow of energy.

Sounds like hocus-pocus? It is often the small things that have the greatest impact. Here are a few easy-to-use tips:

  • The bed should be easily accessible from all sides.
  • Ventilate daily to keep the air clean. Several windows in the room look best, but this is difficult to change afterwards.
  • The bed should be in the room so that the door is in view. This prevents anxiety and makes you feel safe.
  • Keep the room clean and tidy. Disorder stresses you out and unconsciously robs you of relaxation.

This also works if you have nothing to do with esotericism.

3. Behavior during the day

In addition to the right furnishings in the bedroom and furnishings, what we do every day has an impact on falling asleep.

For example, if we sleep until noon, we need not be surprised if we cannot fall asleep at a normal time.

However, other influences are nowhere near as clear.

Be active outdoors

One of the most important things that can help you sleep well at night is your body’s natural release of the hormone melatonin.

Melatonin is produced in the brain and sends signals to regulate the sleep-wake cycle in the body.

  • The production of this hormone is strongly related to the influence of light.
  • Sunlight provides the right spectrum of light to support the melatonin production cycle.

Tip: If you ensure that you get enough light during the day and avoid it in the evening, this also improves sleep.

Avoid caffeine

If you have great difficulty falling asleep, it can be worthwhile to go without coffee completely.

  • Caffeine is actually a stimulant and also keeps people awake.
  • Note that other luxury foods also contain caffeine.

For example chocolate, some teas, some non-alcoholic drinks, but also various pain relievers.

4. Reduce stress

Stress and anxiety that builds up during the day can easily compete with sleep. Do you sometimes have problems letting go of your worries?

If you are not unfamiliar with this, it can help to deal with precisely this topic. Because relaxation can also be trained.

It is important to learn how to let go of your thoughts and worries before you go to sleep.

Meditation

Meditation is a good resource for dealing with loud thoughts and worries that keep you awake at night.

In today’s very noisy and stressful world, the best medicine is to be quiet and face your troublesome thoughts.

Meditation works especially well when it is practiced regularly. Numerous studies show that it can release feel-good hormones and reduce stress levels.

This relaxing meditation CD by Susanne Hühn helps you to detach yourself from the day’s events and to relax. Customers especially praise the author’s calming voice.

Autogenes Training

Similar to meditation, autogenic training also helps calm the endless streams of thoughts and sleep better.

You can read more about how this relaxation exercise affects your night’s sleep here: Autogenic training .

Nap

A regular nap can also improve sleep problems. A short power nap provides new energy for the afternoon and increases creativity.

However, you should not sleep too late, otherwise your night’s sleep may suffer.

acupuncture

Acupuncture is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine and one of the oldest healing practices in the world.

The stimulation of certain points on the body is supposed to balance the energy and life force.

This happens via meridians that close when stress or inflammation occurs. Many people swear by the effects of acupuncture on various problems, including sleep disorders.

music

Contrary to the opinion that it should be quiet when sleeping, some people need sounds or music in the background to fall asleep.

For others, even normal noises such as the tap dripping, breathing noises or the rustling of the duvet are already a disturbance.

In any case, a little music or nature sounds can help calm down and get in the right mood. Insert a CD and relax. The most popular variants are:

  • Soft, relaxing music or
  • Sounds of nature, such as the sound of the sea or the babbling of a brook.

All of these things are even available today in the form of apps. Here you will find meditations, music to relax, nature sounds and much more.

Tip: Music pillows allow you to listen to music in bed without the hassle of headphones.

5. Home remedies for falling asleep

Usually when we have a problem we look for a solution and then we’d like to tick off the topic right away.

  • Then most people resort to sleeping pills or other medication.
  • What you do not consider are possible side effects that may occur.

Sometimes a good home remedy can help! It is best not to consider tablets as a sleep aid.

A natural, herbal sleep aid that you can find in every household is better. However: Serious sleep disorders cannot cure them either; only a visit to the doctor will help.

Various herbal home remedies

While there are many myths surrounding a healthy night’s sleep, nature offers some aids (such as sleep teas ) that actually promote sleep.

Today most of these herbs are available as drops, coated tablets or tea. Some people prefer to put them in bath water.

Little herbalism

The best known are the herbs chamomile, hops and valerian root.

  • Valerian has a calming effect and is also used for anxiety
  • Chamomile is one of the oldest remedies that is particularly good at helping you fall asleep.
  • Hops calms the nerves and promotes relaxation, which can also be due to the sedative effect.

It’s not for nothing that this tea is called SleepDeep ! It helps to fall asleep faster and deeper.

The tea contains 10 medicinal plants, including valerian root, lavender and hops (and is 100% caffeine-free!).

Lavender scent

Aromatherapy has numerous applications today. However, fragrances work best for relaxation or to induce a feeling of drowsiness. Many studies confirm this effect.

In short: people who smelled lavender not only felt better, but their brain activity also showed waves on the EEG that occur when they are sleepy.

So lavender can help you fall asleep. Stand a vial of lavender oil by the bed or have a cup of tea before bed.

Magnesium

Many people suffer from a magnesium deficiency – magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a central role in calming the nervous system.

Most of the time, this deficiency is related to poor nutrition.

  • Only when our body absorbs sufficient magnesium can we relax in the evening.
  • The best way to ensure this is of course to eat a balanced diet.

If in doubt, a dietary supplement can also help.

More tips for better sleep

I hope this article on sleep aids has been helpful to you.

You are also welcome to browse the other sections and find out which measures you can take to improve your sleep:

  1. The bedroom category provides helpful tips on how to best furnish your bedroom .
  2. In the next section you will find more information on common sleep problems and sleep disorders .
  3. We explain current studies (understandable for everyone) in the category of sleep research .
  4. General tips & strategies for a healthy night’s sleep can be found here: Sleep better .

Thanks for reading!

I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.

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