We all know how important is a good night-sleep to prepare ourselves for the following day and yet very few of us make the necessary special arrangements to ensure that we get a sound sleep. Millions of prescriptions are daily written for sleeping pills as people around the world are suffering from sleep disorders and struggle to get a peaceful night’s sleep. Following are few natural tips which can help you get a sound sleep at night.

How to Make Yourself Sleep

At times it feels frustrating not being able to fall asleep. You move from one side to another and still don’t get the right posture or something keeps nagging you. Don't worry. There are a few tricks you can use to encourage sleep.

1. Make You Room Sleep Friendly

A few alterations in the bed can help in making you go to sleep. Use cotton sheets as they are less irritating. Make certain that pillows and mattresses are free from allergens. If the mattress is lumpy or old, consider a change. The best room temperature for sleeping is around 65-67 degrees Fahrenheit. Have a good air conditioner or fan installed in the room. Make sure the room has adequate ventilation.

2. Turn Off All Lights

This is one of the most important things to do. Complete darkness is necessary for quality sleep as light inhibits the sleep hormones and also raises the body’s temperature by producing the hormone cortisol which also keeps one attentive and wide-awake.

3. Ban All Electronics

How to make yourself sleep? Ban all electronics! Phones, televisions, and computers lure and sidetrack us. They tell our brains to be up and vigilant. In reality, you should be very cautious enough to evade them before bed because the extra light can lessen the quality of your sleep. Fight the urge to surf the internet if you’re having a wakeful night. Screens on phones, computers, and tablets are backlit, which will awaken you from sleep.

4. Get Out of Bed

Staying in bed, restless, can in fact exacerbate sleeplessness because your brain begins to subordinate bed with being wakefulness. If you just can’t fall asleep get up and do something else like reading for a while and then, when you feel exhausted again, go back to bed. You can also try to sleep on your sofa or on the bed in another room, which works sometimes.

5. Clear Your Bladder

Make a stop at the bathroom just before bed. This will aid you to clear your bladder so that you fall asleep more effortlessly and stay asleep all through the night. Similarly, don’t drink enormous quantities of fluids in the hours leading up to your sleep time, which might interrupt your sleep in between your sleep.

6. Reduce Stress

One most important way of solving how to make yourself sleep is to kick that stress out of your mind. Have calm and soothing white noise, like light music or rain forest sound, in the background to help you go into sleep more easily. If you are the restless type, try to take out the worrying thoughts about the day. Do not rebuild arguments from the day in your imagination. If you find yourself predisposed, try to calm your mind by playing a tune and center all your thoughts on that music and let everything else move out. You can also let your mind wander or use the old trick of counting sheep to fall asleep gradually.

7. Relax Your Mood

Set your mood into sleep mode before heading to your bed. Occupy your mind with calming activities that can help you relax and prepare you for sleep. Reading is good way to cause tiredness if done around sleep time. Involve in activities like mind-bender puzzles or soduku can also help you relax before bed time.

8. Change Your Sleep Position

Sleeping posture is also important for a comfortable night’s sleep. Make sure to keep your back straight and that your neck isn't resting too high or too low. Avoid sleeping on your belly, as pushing your head to one side can lead to spine problems. Put a pillow between your knees to keep your hips in an unbiased position, if you’re sleeping in a side pose.

9. Try Relaxing Techniques

The following relaxing techniques can be the right answer to how to make yourself sleep:

• Muscle relaxing exercises: Begin right from the tips of your toes, slowly flex and then release all of your muscles one by one. Progressively, move to your ankles, calves, and then knees and finally up towards the neck.
• Muscle clenching exercises: Casually squeeze your left hand, open it slowly, and then repeat it with the other hand. Alternatively, keep doing it until you feel relaxed.
• Lying and meditating: Center your mind on relaxing your muscles and go to bed. Don't repel or judge anything that comes to mind.
• Go into your fantasy world: Take you concentration off sleeping and put it on something calming. For example, shape your perfect home in your thoughts and imagine something comforting from nature.
• Forcefully staying up: Get relaxed, shut your eyes, and take pains to stay awake and a point will come when you just can't resist but fall asleep.
• Breathe with the "4-7-8 Method": Firstly, put the tip of your tongue behind your two front teeth and exhale fully. Then close your mouth, inhale through the nose for the next four seconds and hold your breath for seven seconds. Finally, exhale fully through your mouth again for eight seconds. Repeat this procedure until you fall asleep.

10. Other Tips on How to Make Yourself Sleep

• Make a proper sleep routine and sticking to a sleep timetable will tune your body to know when it’s time to sleep.
• If some of your clothing feels fitted, just change them and wear something you feel comfy in.
• Put a limit to the quantity of food that you eat in the afternoon and early evening, as it can highly upset the quality of sleep.
• Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine just before bed because it will disturb your sleep cycle. But you can go for a warm shower or a cup of a warm tea which ever suits you best.