Counting sheep, listening to music, envisioning a white piece of paper — these are just a few of the age-old sleep tips that get wheeled out time and time again.
But that doesn’t mean they’ll work for everyone.
This week, a group of troubled sleepers has come together to share their tried and tested tricks on how to get a better sleep, and some of them are a little unusual.
The discussion was held on anonymous forum Reddit after one user posed the question: “What’s a good trick that helps you fall asleep?”
Breathe it out
“Surprised no one has mentioned controlled breathing yet. Take a long slow deep breath, hold it in for 3 seconds, then blow it out slowly. Repeat 5 times. This helps slow your heart rate and relax you.”
R & R: Rain and Reading
“Reading or listening to a rain soundscape. Combine both and it’s just very relaxing.”
Time after time
“You’ve heard this one before, but it’s one of the best pieces of sleep advice around: wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day. Your body will become conditioned to follow this schedule, meaning that you will become tired and be able to fall asleep at a predictable time every night.”
Beds are strictly for sleeping
“Don’t read, watch TV, or work in bed. Associating waking activities with your sleeping space can confuse your body and make it more difficult to use that space for sleeping.” (Post continues after gallery.)
A beautiful space = a beautiful sleep.
The Final Countdown
“The best thing I do is count down from 100. Typically, I won’t make it down to 50 before I am asleep.”
Turn it on and turn it off
“Turn on a movie or sitcom that you enjoy and know pretty well… Keep the volume pretty low. Go to bed, close your eyes and just visualise what is happening in the show. It’s pretty rare I make it though a full episode of anything.”
