Best sleep tips

Trouble falling asleep is one of the most common sleep disorders and affects the duration and quality of our sleep. But what can we do if we can't fall asleep despite being tired and regularly lie awake for hours? We have the most important tips for falling asleep at a glance and show you which simple methods you can use to help you fall asleep and quickly find a restful sleep.

Table of Contents

1. difficulty falling asleep
2. The most important tips for falling asleep
3. Optional sleep aids
4. The sleep guide
5. Conclusion

1. Difficulty falling asleep

Lie down, close your eyes, fall asleep - sometimes that sounds easier than it is! It is becoming increasingly difficult to fall asleep quickly and easily these days, and every second German suffers from persistent problems with sleeping. According to experts, anyone who regularly has trouble calming down and needs more than 30 minutes to fall asleep despite being tired suffers from serious problems falling asleep. The average time it takes adults to fall asleep is between 5 and 20 minutes. There can be a variety of reasons why we don't get any sleep. The most common causes include stress, poor sleeping habits or a lack of relaxation. These factors make it difficult or even prevent falling asleep in the evening and not only rob us of important hours of sleep, but also stand in the way of our regeneration at night and a healthy start to the day.

So what can we do to facilitate the natural process of falling asleep in the evening and to support our body in falling asleep gently and quickly?

2. Top sleep tips

A good night's sleep begins with a good start to sleep. We have summarized the most important tips for falling asleep at a glance, so that you can relax more easily in the evening and quickly fall into a peaceful sleep.

#1 Get as much daylight as possible

The happiness hormone serotonin is converted to melatonin in the dark. For this reason, a healthy serotonin level is not only beneficial for our mood and well-being, but also an important prerequisite for a good night's sleep. So if you get enough daylight, you support the hormone production that is crucial for sleep and promotes natural tiredness and the process of falling asleep in the evening.

#2 Regular exercise or exercise

Regular exercise boosts the cardiovascular system and the metabolism in the brain, body and muscles, activates the nervous system and has a positive effect on the hormonal balance. An active everyday life promotes tiredness and the need for regeneration in the evening, has a positive effect on falling asleep and can demonstrably improve the quality of sleep by up to 65%!

#3 Pay attention to a healthy and balanced diet

A healthy diet and a balanced supply of nutrients have a decisive influence on how we sleep and how we fall asleep.

➥ Heavy meals make you sluggish, disturb sleep and easily distract the body while falling asleep. Avoid high-fat or high-sugar foods in the evening and have one last meal, as light as possible, up to 3 hours before going to bed so that the digestion process is completed and your sleep is not disturbed.

➥ Also avoid nerve-stimulating stimulants with caffeine, alcohol or nicotine in the last 4 hours before sleep.

➥Pay attention to your fluid intake and drink enough throughout the day. Water, light juice spritzers or unsweetened tea are best.

➥Some foods provide valuable nutrients that can have a positive effect on falling asleep. These include grapes (melatonin), bananas and almonds (L-tryptophan) as well as pumpkin seeds and whole grain products (magnesium).

#4 Relax & shut down before bed

Switch off, shut down and relax! Whether physical or psychological - stress leads to an increased release of the stress hormone cortisol, which acts as an antagonist of the sleep hormone melatonin in the sleep-wake cycle. Stress counteracts restful sleep and disrupts the natural process of falling asleep. Try to relax both physically and mentally and let go of stress, worries or problems of everyday life. A beauty routine, a hot bath or an episode of your favorite series – at least take a moment to switch off. Especially quiet music and meditations, the famous evening reading or targeted relaxation exercises can help you to find inner peace and make it easier to fall asleep.

Here you will find detailed tips for relaxation before bed!

#5 Establish a solid sleep routine

Get used to a steady sleep pattern and try to go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every day. This helps your body to adjust to sleep naturally in the evening and thus supports a quicker fall asleep process.

#6 Create a quiet, dark and comfortable sleeping environment

Light inhibits the urgently needed melatonin production and therefore counteracts natural tiredness and the process of falling asleep. So dim the light a few hours before going to bed and try to avoid bright screens and other light sources in the evening and especially at night. You should also choose a cool and quiet sleeping environment so that you are not distracted and woken up again, especially while you are falling asleep, e.g. B by noise or other disturbing stimuli.

3. Optional help for relaxation & falling asleep

Everyone reacts differently and how effective one or the other sleeping tip really is depends on the actual cause of our problems falling asleep and our personal circumstances. In everyday life, it is also not always easy to follow all the rules or tips every day.

#7 dietary supplements to naturally support relaxation and sleep

Nowadays there are already numerous safe and scientifically proven supplements that can support your body and psyche in the relaxation and falling asleep process. Many plant extracts and natural nutrients, such as vitamins or minerals, can have a calming and relaxing effect on us and help to calm down in the evening and prepare for sleep. And falling asleep itself can also be promoted in a natural way with the help of a harmless dietary supplement, for example with preparations that contain the sleep hormone melatonin. An additional intake of melatonin is usually harmless and can demonstrably promote the natural process of falling asleep. When choosing a dietary supplement, pay particular attention to the high quality of the nutrients used.

Watch out! We recommend that you only use natural relaxation or sleeping aids if necessary. Chemical sleeping pills affect sleep in an unnatural way, can have numerous side effects and can also quickly become addictive.

#8 Falling asleep techniques: auditory sleep support & breathing exercises

You're already in bed and just can't fall asleep? Certain breathing techniques, meditative relaxation exercises or the increasingly popular auditory sleep accompaniments can be used directly to fall asleep faster. Especially when stress, thoughts and worries keep you awake, these techniques can help to release emotional and physical tension and focus on the upcoming rest phase. You can find useful breathing exercises in this article. We have examined how music can also contribute to a restful falling asleep process.

4. Your sleep guide

5. Conclusion

Under which circumstances we find sleep best and fastest varies from person to person and depends on many different factors. It is therefore important that you listen to your need for sleep and your personal feelings in order to find the optimal conditions for you to relax before going to sleep, to fall asleep and to have a restful night's sleep. Because a good night's sleep is and remains one of the most important foundations for starting a healthy everyday life!

Greetings and sleep well!