Have we forgotten how to fall asleep?  This might seem like a crazy question, but it’s not as silly as it sounds.

On the face of it, we all know how to fall asleep.  We get into bed, close our eyes and sleep.  Or so you would think.

How to fall asleep by switching off electronic devices

There are so many distractions now that many people are having problems falling asleep and getting the right amount of sleep.  Among the biggest culprits are smartphones or mobile devices, video games, social media and the internet.  Around 70 percent of children between 6 – 17 sleep with at least one electronic device in their bedroom.

According to Sleep.org “cell phones, tablets, computers and other electronic gadgets have become such a huge part of our daily lives that it’s often hard to put them down—even at bedtime. Keeping your phone on your nightstand may not seem like a big deal, but technology affects your sleep in more ways than you realize. Whether you’re surfing the web, playing a video game, or using your phone as an alarm clock in the late evening, you’re probably keeping yourself from a restful night.”

The article also explains how the blue light from the screens restrain the production of the hormone melatonin.  Because melatonin controls your sleeping cycle, reducing melatonin makes it harder to fall and stay asleep.

Even if you’re not using your cell phone, doesn’t mean that it isn’t harming your sleep.  The constant pinging of late night texts, emails, notifications or other reminders means just having a mobile within reach can seriously affect your sleep.

Why we need a good nights sleep

Research shows that we perform better after a good night’s sleep.  A healthy adult requires around 7 – 9 hours sleep a day.  Children and teenagers need even more as their bodies grow and change.

Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for the body to carry out the necessary maintenance and repair needed to keep us healthy.

Janice Alexander has been studying health since 2002.  The following article provides advice and information on how to fall asleep.  Read it to find out how our diet, routines and environment can be addressed.  Once you understand what helps you fall asleep, you can tackle your sleep problems.

How To Fall Asleep

By Janice Alexander

So many people are suffering from insomnia these days and it is becoming an epidemic as it is increasing tremendously.

In the past 10 years insomnia has increased by at least 4-fold. When you are sleep deprived you have difficulty doing your job properly and you can’t use your brain at the same level as when you have a full night’s sleep.

Sleep is so important to rejuvenation and recovery and repair.  Without getting enough sleep you will recover from illness more slowly and age quicker.

Imagine your ideal healthy life.  You will be sleeping well, waking up feeling refreshed, energetic, and alert with a fully functioning brain and memory recall. You will be focused and able to get the job done with ease.

It probably would not be a life of taking medication and coffee to keep you awake. Or eating processed sugar for energy and then having to take sleeping pills to sleep at night.

If you don’t have enough energy in the morning your adrenal glands could be the problem because they have not been given what they need to perform properly.

How To Fall Asleep  by eating well

We eat for taste and not for nourishment and that is why we get into all this trouble. If we were to nourish our adrenals we wouldn’t need sugar and we would not need coffee to stimulate us.

Some people have problems getting to sleep because of pain.  So the first thing you would have to do to get good sleep is reduce the pain. The best way to reduce the pain is to eat anti-inflammatory foods.

In order to get good sleep there are certain rules called sleep hygiene that need to be followed.

Everything you do, you do better when you have had enough sleep. Sleep will be illusive without the correct nourishment, so food has to be first.

Toxins from our environment can also disrupt sleep. Magnesium and vitamin D are the two most important for all metabolic processes that happen in the body. Magnesium is involved in over 300 metabolic processes. Vitamin D is involved in every metabolic process in the body; not just for strengthening bones.

These two nutrients are the basis for all the workings of the body that we need. And there are loads more – like omega 3’s, potassium, vitamin C, calcium, selenium that we need for deep restorative sleep.

The best thing to do is to eat real food. The benefits of eating real food are not only getting better sleep.  You also get a multitude of other nutrients that come along in a bio available form.

How to fall asleep by detoxing

Detox the toxic chemicals and heavy metals out of your system because they can interfere with your sleep cycle.

You can do oil pulling.  This means that on waking – before you eat or drink anything – you swish coconut oil or sunflower oil or any other cold pressed organic oil around your mouth for up to 20 minutes and spit it out. Do not swallow it whatever you do, because it will contain the toxins that have dissolved into the oil from your body.

Oil pulling is used in many cultures to help improve arthritis, angina and a whole heap of other symptoms.

Nourish your adrenal glands by making sure you have adequate amounts of vitamin C and selenium. Cut back on coffee after noon and reduce your stress levels.

How To Fall Asleep by creating the right environment

Make sure your bed is comfortable and is not off gassing toxic chemicals meaning a natural fabric like organic cotton. Your pillow should be at the right thickness so that when you sleep on your side your spine remains straight and level and your head is not tilted to one side making you prone to having a crooked neck in the morning.

Do you sleep naked or with night clothes or just your underwear and what fabrics are they made of? Make sure the fabric next to your skin is natural and is not man made from nylon rayon or any of those other man-made fabrics.

Sleeping naked means the 2 litres of sweat that we lose every night will be soaked into the bed sheets and they will need changing more often than if you were wearing night clothes.

The amount of sweat we lose at night can vary from one night to the next.  That can be for many reasons, we drank a lot just before bed or we are too hot.

We need to sweat out the toxins because the body’s solution to pollution is dilution. The more toxins you need to get rid of the more you will sweat.

Read the full article for more information and advice on how to fall asleep.

For others a problem they might be facing is how to fall asleep faster.  If you are having trouble sleeping, you are not the only person who may need help sleeping.  These 5 tips can help you sleep better.