Can You Relax Naturally Before Bed? Believe it or Not, it May Be Possible

You can't get any more relaxed than when you're sound asleep. However, mental and emotional stress can make this feel impossible to achieve. Is it even possible to relax when you are trying to get to sleep? We know it sounds crazy, but it can be accomplished with some (or all, if you're feeling ambitious) of the sleep hacks we have listed below. With any luck, you'll be feeling relaxed and ready to drift off to dreamland every single night.

Forget Hacking the Planet - Hack Your Environment Instead!

There are certain steps you can take in order to set up the perfect, relaxing environment you need for a wonderful night's sleep. Modern-day conveniences have, unfortunately, changed our environments in a way that makes it difficult to relax. But a few simple changes can fix all that, such as:

• Creating white noise - For a lot of people who have trouble sleeping, the problem stems from stressful thoughts that you can't stop thinking about. White noise machines and the noises they play - weather ambient rain storms, summer nights in the country, whale calls, or even plain old television static - can help give you something auditory for your brain to focus on instead of thinking stressful thoughts. And the more pleasant the noise, the more relaxing it'll be to listen to it.
• Taking a warm bath - Who doesn't feel relaxed after a warm bath? You can even make the effect stronger by throwing in some lavender, chamomile, or passion flower essential oils to the tub. Just do yourself a favor and avoid the temptation of a glass of wine. The alcohol make you drowsy at first, but you will sleep fewer hours during the night and ruin your sleep cycle.
• Embrace the darkness - Of your room, that is. Do what you can to eliminate all distracting lights, even those from your favorite electronic devices. You may also want to invest in blackout curtains and/or a sleep mask to make sure you are in total darkness.
• Stay cool bro, stay cool - We know this can be difficult in certain climates and areas where energy costs are high, but try to make your bedroom as cool as possible, especially before bed. 68 Degrees fahrenheit is recommended, but any temperature that makes you feel chilly will work just fine. What's better is that if you take a warm bath before stepping into a cool bedroom, the temperature fluctuation will flip a very specific sleep switch in your brain. This unleashes an avalanche of physiological changes which, long story short, put your body in the perfect state for good rest.

Getting Your Mind Right - Mood Boosting Relaxation Tricks

As we touched on a minute ago, getting your mind relaxed and banishing anxiety in the evenings is the best way to help you fall asleep at night. Emotional stress actually creates a physical reaction in your body which eliminates sleep hormones and keeps you wide awake. But there are a few lifestyle changes you can easily make to prevent this.

Trick #1: Exercise! You should definitely exercise, especially during the day. And especially outside where you can get some sun on your face. If you have a gym membership, you can even try hopping on the elliptical that's closest to a sunny window. The sunlight helps balance your circadian rhythm, and the strenuous physical activity will help tire you out so that it's easier to fall asleep.

Trick #2: Relaxing herbal teas. Make sure to find an organic, minimally processed brand of tea which contains ingredients like lavender, chamomile, or even valerian root. Better yet, if there is a specialty shop near you, go ahead and splurge on some loose leaf tea and make your own concoction. Experimenting and finding the right combination for you can be really fun and satisfying!

Trick #3: write it all out. Some people lay awake at night stressing out because they cannot stop thinking about something that's making them sad, angry, or anxious. Other people specifically worry about challenges in the future and how they're going to deal with the problem(s). Writing everything down in a journal can help purge those toxic thoughts from your brain so that you can relax. To-do lists are also be helpful if you're the worry wart who can't fall asleep because you're busy thinking about what you need to do tomorrow.

Trick #4: meditation. Whether you're upset about the past or worried about the future, living in the moment and taking a breath to relax is very difficult for a lot of people. But mastering this skill is essential for promoting relaxation, especially at bedtime. There are plenty of wonderful apps out there which guide people simply but effectively through mindfulness meditation exercises. It can even be as simple as counting your breaths in and your breaths out up to whatever number you think it's easy for you to keep track of. Once you hit that goal, start over again. It can be very relaxing to get out of your own head and focus on something else!

Do Not Force Your Body to Relax

Have you ever seen someone successfully concentrate on relaxing and actually pull it off? Neither have we. Which is why it's so frustrating when someone orders you to "relax" - it's simply not possible! Relaxation is about the hormones in your body, the balance of endorphins in your brain, and many other circumstances that are largely beyond your control. Stressing yourself out by trying to force yourself to relax is a bad idea. It's only going to make things worse.

You shouldn't force your body to relax with toxic substances, either. Prescription sleeping pills can be dangerous over the long term and can cause random, harmful side effects at any point while you take them. Over the counter sleeping pills are not much better. Believe it or not, right alongside alcohol, these drugs change your brain and make it even more difficult to get healthy sleep over time! So don't do them!

What you can do instead is invest in a quality herbal sleep aid like Avinol PM. The natural ingredients help calm both brain and body and promote honest, true relaxation. You won't get the same effect from a prescription sleeping pill or binging on a few glasses of riesling while you take that warm bath. Avinol PM is affordable, it's easy to get, and even comes with a free trial if you're a new customer - so why hesitate? It can't hurt to try.