6 Weird Ways To Trick Your Mind Into Sleep That Actually Work

When it comes to falling asleep, the most effective thing you can do is to calm your mind.

Of course, this may be easier said than done – especially in the middle of the night when you’re desperate to fall asleep.But there are several less obvious ways to calm your thoughts and get your brain and body ready for sleep.

Aside from taking a hot bath before bed, having a nightcap or squeezing in a workout, here are some expert-recommended ways to lull you to sleep:

Don’t sleep.

One of the most effective ways to lure yourself to sleep is to stay awake as long as possible.Deirdre Conroy, a sleep psychologist and clinical director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic at the Center for Healthy Sleep Disorders at the University of Michigan, says that over-efforting to fall asleep never works, and that it’s worry and anxiety about falling asleep that keeps many people up at night.

By taking the opposite approach, forcing yourself to lie in bed and stay awake all night – a phenomenon known as paradoxical intention – you’ll unconsciously doze off at some point.”In your mind, you’re actually trying to stay awake, but sleepiness eventually sets in,” Conroy says.

Focus on the morning

The key to getting a good night’s sleep isn’t what you do and don’t do at night.In fact, your morning habits have a much bigger impact on your sleep.Cathy Goldstein, a sleep neurologist at the University of Michigan’s Center for Healthy Sleep Disorders, says a good night’s sleep starts in the morning.

Goldstein says, “Set your alarm clock and take bright light ahead of time – this will not only cue your body when to get up, but also when to go to sleep.”Waking up at the same time your alarm goes off every day and exposing yourself to daylight can set your biological clock and make it easier to fall asleep at bedtime.

Let yourself worry.

Conroy says taking time to worry about something earlier in the day can help you fall asleep at bedtime.Instead of getting rid of your worries altogether, take the time to worry about something a few hours before you go to bed – rather than at bedtime – so you can sleep better at night.

One tip: Spend 15 minutes jotting down these concerns in a journal so you can get them down on paper and leave them there.”This can actually reduce the amount of worry that happens before bedtime,” Conroy says.

Thinking about Nature

Jeffrey Durmer, a board-certified sleep medicine physician and sleep coach for the U.S. Olympic weightlifting team, says the sounds and darkness of nature are natural ingredients for inducing sleep.After all, nature reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, lowers heart rate and decreases muscle tension.

To fall asleep, Dulmer suggests thinking about nature – just as you did the last time you slept in a remote cabin or lay under the stars.It can even be as simple as building a fire, lighting candles or “spending time on the porch, patio or deck, letting the darkness and quiet reverberate in your mind instead of the light and noise,” Dulmer says.

Pay attention to the sound of your breathing.

Slow, deep abdominal breathing-such as the 4-7-8 breathing technique, in which you inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for seven seconds, and exhale for eight seconds-relaxes the mind and body and aids sleep.

In addition, simply focusing on your breath allows you to forget about other worries and concerns and focus on the present moment.”Taking your attention away from your surroundings and focusing on something that is completely under your control (the breath) helps the mind to settle down and become calm,” says Dulmer.

Consume your brain, not your body.

It’s a common misconception that working out at night helps you sleep.But while exercise can tire your body, it doesn’t necessarily tire your brain.

Conroy says, “Your body may feel tired after a marathon, but that doesn’t mean your brain is ready to sleep.”Note: Regular exercise usually improves sleep, but working out to fall asleep won’t help you much.

Instead of working out to promote sleep, Conroy recommends engaging in activities that will leave you mentally exhausted.”We’re social people and our brains like to learn, so if you’re not engaging with the outside world during the day, it could affect your sleep,” Conroy said.

Read a book, play with a puzzle — find something that really engages you mentally.”Otherwise, for some people, there’s no difference between night and day,” Conroy said.