Rose here. Tonight I want to talk about how to fall asleep fast. Do you have a hard time falling asleep? Are you tossing and turning thinking about all the things you have to do? Stress is the number one reason why people cant relax and fall asleep. There are ways you can turn off your mind and learn how to fall asleep fast.

First even before you go to bed you need to get into the mind set to get ready to fall asleep. Having a nightly routine such as taking a warm bath, not a hot bath as your body will have to cool down before you will be able to fall asleep. Have a cup of decaffeinated sleepy time tea or warm glass of milk, but don’t drink too much or you will wake up during the night and have to go to the bathroom only to start the process of falling asleep all over again.

There is a new product on the market that absorbs natural sleep aid ingredients into your system. It’s not a pill, it’s not a liquid, it’s a toothpaste. Yes, PearlyDreams toothpaste is made with; passion flower extract, melatonin, valerian and balm mint all herbs known to have relaxing properties. As you know melatonin is produced in our pineal glands and regulates our sleep cycle. When we don’t produce enough melatonin we have trouble falling asleep. Jet lag, working odd hours, too much light in your bedroom and age are factors that cause us to produce less melatonin.

Make sure your room is as sound proof as possible. If you are traveling sometimes this is hard to do. You might want to consider listening to sleep music, white noise or binaural sound waves. What is white noise? White noise is a neutral sound that will drown out external noises. A white noise machine is relatively inexpensive, but if you cant afford one a fan or the air conditioner will work just the same.

A well known way to help you fall asleep is using a self hypnotic tape or CD. Self hypnotic tapes use repetitive suggestions such as body tightening and release, subliminal messages and deep breathing. It is not only good for relaxation, it also keeps your mind busy and off any problems you may be having. Deep breathing helps lower your pulse rate by holding your breathe for ten seconds then exhaling slowing counting backwards from 8 to 1. Repeat 2 more times. I have a self hypnotic relaxation tape and more than half the time I fall asleep before it ends. If you do not want to try self hypnosis, try meditation instead. Concentrate on a single word and repeat it over and over going slower until you have lowered your heart rate and you will be totally relaxed.

Other suggestions to prepare for sleep try reading, writing or anything that will get your mind off whatever you are stressing about. Make sure you are not in restrictive clothing. Anything that is too tight will not move with you when you turn over. I feel loose fitting pajamas are easier to sleep in than a nightgown that is sometimes tighter around the shoulders and rides up during the night.

How is your mattress? Do you sink to the middle of your bed or do you feel the bed springs? If you cant afford a new mattress get a Memory Foam Mattress Pad with a terry cloth cover. Why should you make sure you have a terry cloth cover? Memory foam is known to hold into the heat and with a terry cloth cover it will allow more air movement between you and the pad therefore keeping you cooler. Make sure your room temperature is set at 65 degrees or less and make sure you don’t have too many blankets on. Keep your pets out of your room they will only disturb your sleep. Don’t use your bed for anything other than sex and sleeping. You don’t want to watch TV or play video games in bed or it will take you longer to fall asleep always wondering how to get the bad guy.

Do you remember what you were dreaming about just before you woke up this morning? When you lay down at night and close your eyes the first thing your mind will think about is the last dream you had. It might be just for a second, but it might be enough for you to recall more than a fleeting memory. These conscious dreams are called lucid dreams, because you are half asleep and half awake when you have them. Lucid dreams are the best thing you can think about to help you fall asleep. The more you remember the faster your subconscious will take over and start dreaming again. Now its unlikely that you will have the same dream, but I know that is possible. When you are laying in bed do you catch yourself thinking about some crazy story or fantasy and wonder how or why you were thinking about that…well that was your subconscious starting to dream and putting you to sleep. You may want to start a dream or sleep journal. Keeping track of your dreams can be fun as well as a way to get to sleep.

In closing I just want to talk about one more thing…naps. Do you find yourself taking a three or four hour nap in the afternoon then staying up til 3 or 4 in the morning because you weren’t tired when it was a decent bedtime. Now you have to get up at 7am and go to work feeling restless and mad at yourself but you take another nap again that afternoon? You’ve gotten yourself into a terrible sleeping pattern, if you are going to nap have a ‘power nap’ of only 15 to 20 minutes. You will still wake up refreshed, but most of all you will be able to adhere to your nightly routine and wake up in the morning ready to take on the world! This is Off the Kuff with the Kuffner Twins Rose and Kitty

Rose knows PearlyDream Toothpaste at Sleep Aides.

categories: memory foam mattress topper,White noise machine,Dream Journal,Lucid Dreams,Insomnia,Sleep Fast,asleep