COVID-19 has been hugely responsible to topple our sleeping routine upside down. Especially in the initial days, due to lack of work and sitting at home all day, late to bed and late to rise became the new normal. Even now, things haven’t really gone back to being totally normal, I see many of my friends online during late hours and even I started dragging my writing work till late at night. But a few weeks back I decided that it was enough and I have to come back to a reasonable routine. Playing with sleeping patterns can cause long term damage and lead to insomnia. But since it had become a newly formed habit, breaking it took some time and here are some tried and tested tips that helped to induce sleep

Switch Off

I feel it’s all a state of mind and hence coming in the mood to sleep is very important. So what I do it is, an hour before my sleeping time, I dim the lights, light an oil diffuser and switch off my phone and TV and try to bring myself in a relaxing mode. Keeping away from mobile and TV at least an hour before sleeping is really a habit that we all need to work on. I prefer lying down comfortably in my bed and chit chat with my son. This allows us both to unwind and then in half an hour or 45 minutes we start to fall asleep.

Hot Water Bath

Taking a hot water bath just before bed also helps the body to relax a great deal. Try not to make the water too hot, but warm enough to give you a nice fuzzy feel. And don’t forget to brush your teeth before bed for that overall fresh feel and also for the sake of your oral hygiene.

Reading

On some days, I prefer reading a nice book to fall asleep. Books that aren’t too heavy on mind are preferred for night time reading so that you don’t take the worries or miseries of book characters to bed with you. Also avoid reading suspense thrillers at night as the curiosity of what is going to happen next interferes with the sleep. Read something nice and light, may be even spiritual if you like that kinda reading or love and romance.

Natural Supplements

Some herbs are known to induce sound sleep and Ayurvedic supplements like Nature Sure SOMNI sleep aid tablets can come to your rescue. These tablets containing Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri), Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis), Vatch (Acorus calamus), Kali Mirch (Piper nigrum), Gajwaan (Onosma bracteatum), Khurasin Ajwain (Hyoscyamus niger), Amla (Emblica officinalis), Pipla Mool (Piper longum) are highly effective in inducing sleep and do not have any side effects. They help you to attain calmness and relieve stress so that you can sleep peacefully. I have started taking these since a few weeks and they have helped me a lot in bringing my sleep patters to a proper schedule.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile Tea made of Chamomile flowers is widely known for its qualities to make a person feel relaxed and induce sound sleep. A cup of this tea before bed is recommended by many and I too vouch for it.

Eat Early

Give yourself a good gap of 3-4 hours between your dinner and sleeping time so that you don’t feel heavy and uneasy while sleeping. Also try and eat light food, so as to avoid indigestion issues that also hamper sleeping patterns.

Caffeine

Cut down on your caffeine intake in the evening, coffee, aerated drinks and alcohol should be avoided during late evenings. And even if you drink any of these, keep a gap of minimum 3 hours between your drinks and sleeping time.

Exercise

Yes, exercising is important for a healthy sleeping pattern. Not before bed, but an overall active lifestyle helps getting better sleep. You can also try a light walk after the dinner or in the evening that would make you feel both, refreshed and sleep better.

Essential Oils

Lavender is widely used around the world as an essential oil that helps calming down and inducing sleep. If you would have noticed a lot of children personal care products use lavender oil so that it can help the babies relax and sleep peacefully. You can either apply this essential oil on your palms, wrists and behind the ear but make sure it is diluted with other carrier oil like a coconut oil, or you can use these essential oils in diffusers. You can also out 2-3 drops on your pillow case a few minutes before sleeping.

I hope these tips will help you to get some sound sleep just the way they have helped me. 🙂