If you are anything like me, then you know how hard it is to sleep at night when your brain decides to stay awake and question everything in the world. I usually go to bed pretty late, at around 3 a.m., after finishing up with my studies and homework. It is undeniable that I am physically and emotionally drained and all I want to do by that time is fall into a peaceful slumber.
So, with aching muscles and droopy eyes, I manage to get to bed. But the moment I curl up in my bed, my brain decides to begin its very own conversations with itself. And then it starts to come up with the most ridiculous questions ever, and I find myself lying there, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. From ‘what’s the meaning of my life’ to ‘can we really see ghosts with our peripheral vision?’, I go through it all while trying to sleep and failing miserably.
I tried a series of things to do in such situations and thus came up with 6 things to do when you can’t sleep at night.
This works every time! Take up a book you like and curl up in your bed. I guarantee within 20 minutes of reading, you will start to feel drowsy, and even your brain will decide to shut up, and you will eventually fall asleep.
- Play some soft music on low volume.
Music is the best stress buster. So, if you are stressed and can’t stop thinking about it, music will calm your nerves. Just switch off all the light, put on a radio station that plays soft music, or a playlist that soothes you, and you will fall asleep before you even know it.
- Fresh bedsheets and duvets.
Clean bedsheets feel so good to sleep on! Change your bed sheets if you’re feeling clammy. Adjust the duvets until you feel comfortable. Maybe you like to keep your feet out, and maybe you prefer to tuck it in. Try different sleeping positions until you find the one that seems most comfortable to you. After all, you can’t sleep unless you are utterly comfortable.
- Stop trying.
Sad but true, the more you tell yourself that you need to sleep, the harder it will be to fall asleep. If you can’t sleep, don’t force yourself. Take a bath or go to the balcony and breathe in some fresh air or maybe even take a walk outside. Meditation helps too.
- DANCE!
Okay, I know you have to get up early in the morning, and dancing in the middle of the night seems ridiculous, but it works! When nothing works, I give up sleeping, put on my headphones, and dance around the room. It’s fun, and eventually, I tire and fall asleep. Give it a try; sometimes ridiculous things work!
- Pull an all-nighter!
Who needs sleep? Sleep is for the weak! Pull an all-nighter! Grab some mid-night snacks, watch some movies, stalk your crush online, check out the latest gossips about your celebrity crush, and so on. Or you can also start to appreciate the beauty of the night, write a poem maybe? Basically, do all the things you want to do but don’t have time to do because of all the stupid stuff you have to do, like assignments!
I hope this helps! Sweets dreams!
Srijonee Basu Indraprastha College for Women English Hons.
Edited: Natasha Shinde
Last Updated on by Laveleena Sharma