A fifth of people in the UK take between 2-3 hours to fall asleep once they get into bed, according to a survey by Get Laid Beds.
Those that read before bed, are most likely to fall asleep quickest, and have the best quality of sleep, according to the same research.
Get Laid Beds has worked with doctor and sleep-expert, Dr Daisy Mae, to look at three weird techniques that may help you fall asleep quicker:
Force Yourself to Stay Awake
“here is actually a phrase to describe this, which is ‘paradoxical intention’, which is where you challenge yourself to stay awake, which tricks the mind into falling asleep.
"All you need to do is lay in bed, keep your eyes open as much as you can and repeat the phrases ‘do not fall asleep’ or ‘i will not fall asleep’. Your eye muscles should tire quickly, and hopefully you’ll be asleep in no time.”
The 4-7-8 Breathing Method
“To do this, you need to put your tongue to the roof of your mouth for the whole exercise, just behind your teeth. Then, exhale through your mouth - it probably will make a bit of a weird noise, but roll with it.
Then, close your mouth and inhale through your nose for four seconds. Then, hold your breath for seven seconds.
Now that the 4-7 are both done, we’re onto the ‘8’. Exhale through your mouth, making another weird sound, for eight seconds. Repeat this until you’re fast asleep.”
Go Through Your Day… but Backwards!
“Run through what your day consisted of while you lay in bed, but do it starting from getting into bed in the evening, to waking up first thing that morning. Do everything in reverse order. This will keep your mind clear of any worries, and it will be a bit more challenging and mundane than running through your day in the right order.”
