5 Things to Try if You Can't Sleep

Have you ever been utterly exhausted all day long only to not be able to fall asleep at night? Let’s just say it’s incredibly annoying. Now, for more serious sleep issues such as insomnia, this list may not be so helpful. But if you’re just having one of those nights and can’t seem to fall asleep, these 5 things should help.  

1. Listen to music

Listening to some relaxing music is a great way to soothe yourself and clear your head. And we’ve made it easy for you! We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite songs to fall asleep to. Check it out here

2. Read a book

Reading a book is another great way to take your mind off the fact that you can’t sleep while still remaining calm and relaxed. If you need to, leave your room and head to the living room. Turn on a lamp, curl up with a blanket and dive into a good book (nothing too exciting of course). After 20 minutes or so, you should feel yourself start to doze off.

3. Stretch

This may seem like an odd one, but trust us, it works! Doing some simple yoga poses or light stretching is a great way to relax your muscles, calm your breath and clear your mind.

4. Adjust the temperature

Research shows that the ideal temperature to sleep in is between 18 and 22 degrees celsius. So if you can’t sleep, you may have the heat on a bit too high, or maybe you have too many blankets on you. Play around with the temperature until you find that sweet spot that’s perfect for you.

5. Tell yourself a story

Think of this as a modern spin on the old ‘counting sheep’ strategy. Try to relive all of the events of your day from start to finish, or try to ‘watch’ your favourite movie in your head. By going through events and telling yourself somewhat of a story, you once again distract yourself from the issue at hand and can more easily drift off to sleep.

Not being able to fall is always a frustrating experience, these 5 tips should make it a bit easier to get snoozing. Is stress keeping you up? Here are 5 ways to conquer stress and get to sleep