7 Ways to Fall Asleep Faster

Curing Insomnia without medication

My wife is one of those lucky people who falls asleep before her head hits the pillow.

I am not so lucky. When I lie down my mind begins to race at quantum speeds processing a million random thoughts. My parents tell the story of waking up in the middle of the night finding the three-year-old me playing my Mr. Roger’s records while singing “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” 40+ years later. It still happens…well without Mr. Roger’s records.

Insomnia comes in handy for an Obgyn since babies do not seem to follow the Monday through Friday 9 to 5 schedule. I hear from patients every day that they also suffer from insomnia. Over the years I have searched for tools that avoid addictive medication. Here is my TOP seven list of natural ways to treat insomnia.

Cut Screen Time

Electronics stimulate the mind. Turn the phone off. No Television. Instagram and Facebook will still be there tomorrow. Let your bedroom be a refuge for sleep and intimacy.

Mindfulness

I was a skeptic about meditation. Now my nine-year-old daughter Lucia and I do a brief mindfulness exercise together every night on an app Headspace. We also like the Insight Timer.

Meditation has many health benefits and helps calm the mind. Leave your skepticism at the door and give it a try. Commit to doing it daily for two weeks. That was my plan, and I am still doing it daily a year and a half later.

Mindfulness is an awesome way to help get the kids to sleep. You spend time together and both get the health benefits as well as develop habits that can last a lifetime.

Bulletproof Sleep Induction Mat

This is my favorite product. It looks like a bed of nails. Ok, it is a bed of nails. The mat stimulates acupressure points in the back to trigger relaxation, release endorphins and increase blood circulation. It feels great and “hurts” just enough to stop the mind from racing. It may sound crazy, but it works.

Bulletproof Sleep Mode Supplement

Most over the counter supplements contain too high a dose of Melatonin. Over time these deplete your body’s ability to produce its own. This is a combination product of bio-identical Melatonin, L-Ornithine and Brain Octane oil designed to put the brain into sleep mode. I recommend taking this with an over the counter Magnesium supplement.

Daily Exercise

Get your steps in. We all make a million excuses for why we can not exercise. The truth is we all need to commit to this key health habit. Start with something simple like walking around the block.

Do it every day.

Set an easily achievable goal that you can stick with over a long period of time. As the exercise gets easier you can increase your goal. The key step is to set the bar low enough that your excuses to NOT exercise just seem silly. I remember telling myself one time “I can’t exercise today because I would have to change my shoes.” #badexcuse

Dodow

Dodow is a LED light metronome that helps you relax. A glowing, pulsating blue light is projected on the ceiling. You coordinate your breathing to the dynamic light changes. I find it extremely calming and peaceful.

Read a book

Fill your time before sleeping with a book. Reading books expands your mind and opens you up to new ways of thinking. Reading even a few minutes a day can help calm your mind and prepare it for sleep. If you read for just 10 minutes a day you can complete on average 10 books a year. Reading is life-changing.

Do you want to learn more about health, parenting, women’s health, and pediatric care? Visit the MacArthur Minute for more informative articles. This article was contributed by MacArthur Medical Center’s Dr. Jeff Livingston