Ever find yourself waking up an hour, two hours, three hours before your alarm is supposed to go off, but can’t fall back to sleep? You stare at your clock or phone calculating how much sleep you can still get if you fall back asleep right away. And the more you think about it, the harder it gets to get back to sleep. So what do you do? Well, here’s a few tips:
– Think about something else besides why you can’t fall back to sleep. Positive and calming thoughts are the best – vacations, people you love, etc. Or take time to think of things you are grateful. Thinking these things will often take our focus off the sleep struggle, help us relax and eventually help us doze back off.
– If that doesn’t work after 30 minutes, get up and go to another room. Walk around for a bit. It may seem counter-intuitive to leave the room that has your bed in it, but this well help you not to hyper-focus on your inability to go back to sleep. This also removes the possible negative connotation you could begin to associate with your bed and bedroom and your challenge of sleeping. The mental break and change of location after a few minutes should hopefully help you get back to snooze-ville soon!
– And finally, resist the urge to look at your phone. The blue light from your phone contributes to keeping you awake and whatever you read or look at further engages your brain, rather than relax you.
If you find yourself regularly waking up earlier than desired, it could be the sign of health issue, so consult a doctor if need be. Here’s hoping more and better sleep is in your future.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Mactrunk
