9 Tips To Fall Asleep Easier

Getting a good night’s sleep can really heal us and help us. Falling asleep, on the other hand, can be extremely difficult.

Here, I share some tips that I have learned along the way on how to fall asleep easier. Hopefully, you will find some of these ideas useful and will kick start your journey on having a healthier relationship with falling asleep easily. 

After reading about these tried and true tips, this may help you open up more ideas on how you can get a better night’s rest. 

This post offers what has worked for me in order to fall asleep easier. 

9 Tips to Fall Asleep Easier:

I’ve always had problems with falling asleep. However, as soon as I fall asleep, I have no issues while I’m asleep. There are the occasional bathroom runs in the middle of the night. However, when I do fall asleep, I usually sleep really well. It’s the falling asleep that’s hard. I used to average about 4 hours of sleep a night. I’d wake up in a fog and just not be at my best. This intensified throughout the pandemic.

I thought I tried everything (other than medications or melatonin) to help me fall asleep. However, the one thing I didn’t try was staying off my social media. Instead, I kept fighting with myself saying I have insomnia. I thought staying off social media isn’t going to do anything because I’ll literally lay in bed for 4-5 hours wide awake. Before you know it, it’s already between 3 and 4am, and that’s when I grab my phone to “help” me fall asleep.

I always heard the recommendation of sleeping without your phone and not having it in the room. But what I didn’t connect was that these recommendations also meant social media which was on your phone. I know, as I write it now, it sounds pretty obvious. At the time though, I didn’t feel like I had an addiction to my phone. In reality, I had an addiction to what was on my phone, social media. Which is essentially what they meant. I get it. But at the time it didn’t dawn on me. I had to uninstall social media from my phone. Now, it just lays next to me until the morning, and I no longer reach for it like I used to. I definitely fall asleep easier without my phone. 

Recently, I had to get real with myself because I was tired of feeling groggy and wasting the days away. I wasn’t living up to my potential. I had very low energy and complained about feeling tired all the time. When I reached out to my medical provider, she suggested I remove my television from my room. But my television was rarely turned on. One of the reasons I had a TV in my room was for movie nights with my kids. In fact, during that time, I’d turn the TV on because the background noise would put me to sleep. I’d set a sleep timer and very slowly (3-4 hours later) doze off to sleep. I was never really one into TV shows or movies.

It wasn’t until I went on a family trip to Hawaii to visit my mom. She had a little corner room with 2 windows and a low sitting bed where she let me sleep when I visited. Every night, I had no issues falling asleep. In fact, I felt like a could fall asleep easily. And here’s what I realized (along with other realizations in my consistent research of  how to fall asleep easily) when I returned home to my dry inland state:

1. Social Media: I had to uninstall all the apps

from my phone because not only was it preventing me from falling asleep but it was also such a time sucker. I look down for what I think is just a couple minutes, ends up being 3 hours! Once, I removed social media and put an end to my browsing, that’s when my productivity level and sleep quality really started to increase.

2. Humidity and Allergies: It was always humid in Hawaii.

My mom’s house was on the Big Island which meant nights were sometimes cold. However, her room was so tiny that it was nice and cool. I had no trouble breathing and never woke up with a sore throat. My sore throat is because of allergies which seem to disappear in Hawaii. I ended up buying this air purifier and humidifier in one. I did my research on this one and found that it was the most affordable option compared to a Dyson. There weren’t a lot of choices when it came to a combination of air purifier and humidifier in one. When it came to breathing, my all in one purifier and humidifier significantly improved my breathing and helped me fall asleep easier. 

3. Temperature: I like sleeping in the cold.

Like I mentioned above, it got cold at night on the Big Island. My mom always left her windows open (unless it was super cold). Unfortunately, I can’t always do that where I live. If it’s in the winter, I either don’t turn on the heater or if I have to, I keep it at 60* Fahrenheit. If it’s in the summer, my thermostat usually reads 72* (this is partially because I am trying to conserve electricity or else the temperature would be lower). It’s so convenient to have access to my thermostat when I’m already in bed. I’m able to adjust my thermostat while I’m in bed because of my smart thermostat. Sleeping in a cool room definitely helped me fall asleep easily. 

4. Darkness: I need my room completely dark

and if the room cannot get pitch black dark, I’ll opt for a silk eye mask with an adjustable velcro strap. It has to have an adjustable velcro strap because I basically have a big head. Eye masks with elastic straps give me a headache because they’re too tight. I need an adjustable one that I can wear loosely to feel more comfortable. I have three silk eye masks. One that is a bit thicker and also cover my ears which helps to dull out the noise. The other two are basic silk masks with adjustable straps. 

5. Blankets: I need my blankets to feel lightweight

but still provide warmth during winter nights. I understand some people prefer weighted blankets. I’m not one of them. I realized I don’t like feeling constricted. I want to be able to feel like I can move freely in bed. On my bed, I usually have a flat sheet, all season comforter, and a folded quilt. For nights when it’s really cold, I’ll just fold my quilt over me for the extra warmth. I’d rather feel warm and cozy in my bed versus in the air around me. 

6. Pajamas: I don’t like wearing loose fitting pajamas.

My girlfriend actually made me aware of both these things, blankets and pajamas. She’s a good sleeper and sleeps often. She told me she likes wearing form fitting pajamas because she doesn’t like to feel her pajamas fold under her and neither do I. At the time, I couldn’t understand why I felt so uncomfortable trying to fall asleep. And it was because I was constantly shifting around in bed trying to remove the lump of my pajama shirt that folded under me. Now, I only buy form fitting pajamas like long johns for the winter and shorts and tank tops for the summer. I used to only wear my bra and underwear for the longest time but recently that hasn’t been working for me.

7. Magnesium Glycinate: Always consult with you medical provider first.

I don’t like taking medications. If I had a headache, I’d just try to drink more water. I would suffer for hours in pain never taking anything. However, there was a period in my life where I had severe insomnia. I even had a sleep study done. At the time, my doctor prescribed me several sleeping aids. None of them seemed to work and if they did, I didn’t like how I felt when I woke up. I opted for Melatonin since I thought it was more natural than the prescribed medications I had. I didn’t like how Melatonin made me feel either.

However, it was my OBGYN (because we think I’m going through perimenopause) who recommended me Magnesium Glycinate. That really helped me! So much so, I had to switch from taking it every day to taking it every other day until I built better sleeping habits. Now I take it maybe once or twice a week, when I’m feeling like my sleep schedule is off. Remember, be sure to consult with your doctor first before taking any type of supplements. 

8. Noise: Going to bed, I’m ok with a little noise

but it’s in the early mornings where I’m super sensitive to noise. I’ve used ear plugs before which were helpful but thankfully, I don’t really need them for my home. When I got my sleep study done, the clinic introduced me to ear plugs. They provided me with the spongey expandable kind which were really comfortable. I tried buying some for myself after my sleep study but made the mistake of not checking the size of ear plugs I bought. They were huge and when I inserted them, they continued to expand in my ears which resulted in a headache.  I am realizing I am really sensitive and prone to headaches. That’s when I found an alternative solution which are silicon ear plugs. The silicone ear plugs are moldable and don’t necessarily need to be inserted as deep as the spongey kinds. 

9. Routine: I created a night time routine that works for me.

This really helped me transition from day to night. By creating a night time routine, this not only helped me physically tell my body to get ready for bed but also my mind (which can be more awake than my body). I felt calm and excited to end my day. Some nights my routine didn’t look the same but for the most part there are some non-negotiables I created as a permanent part of my night time routine. I wrote about my night time routine checklist here if you’re interested.

So there you have it. These are just some tips to fall asleep easier. Of course, I am consistently adjusting my sleeping habits and seeing what works and what doesn’t. If you also have sleep issues perhaps some of what I listed above may be useful ideas for you to try out. Hopefully, they too help you fall asleep easily. Please share some tips and ideas that may have worked for you. Happy sleeping!

Love, Sutivi