A good night's sleep can leave you feeling really refreshed and ready to take on the day. But many of us often find ourselves laying await at night struggling to drift off.
Struggling to doze off can be a frustrating experience. And it can particularly feel stressful knowing it could have an impact on the following day, reports the Mirror.
A survey from Get Laid Beds found a fifth of people in the UK take between two to three hours to fall asleep once they get into bed, which isn't ideal. If you're finding yourself unable to fall asleep, then you might want to try a few 'unusual' tricks from an NHS doctor.
Dr Daisy Mae has shared three tips for those who need a little help. And she claims they'll have you drifting off in mere minutes.
Her first trick is all to do with keeping your eyes open, which may seem rather counterintuitive, but that's the whole point. The expert claims you should force yourself to stay awake as it will trick your mind into doing the opposite.
She said: "There is actually a phrase to describe this, which is called 'paradoxical intention', where you challenge yourself to stay awake and it tricks the mind into falling asleep. All you need to do is lay in bed, keep your eyes open as much as you can and repeat the phrases 'do not fall asleep' or 'I will not fall asleep. Your eye muscles should tire quickly, and hopefully you'll be asleep in no time."
Dr Daisy Mae goes on to suggest a breathing technique, known as the 4-7-8 method. "To do this, you need to put your tongue to the roof of your mouth for the whole exercise, just behind your teeth," she instructs.
"Then, exhale through your mouth - it probably will make a bit of a weird noise, but roll with it. Next, close your mouth and inhale through your nose for four seconds.
"Then, hold your breath for seven seconds. Now that the 4-7 are both done, we're onto the 8. Exhale through your mouth, making another weird sound, for eight seconds. Repeat this until you’re fast asleep."
And her final piece of advice is all to do with thinking back over the events of the day. She claims going through your day backward can make a big difference when trying to fall asleep.
"Run through what your day consisted of while you lay in bed, but do it starting from getting into bed in the evening, to waking up first thing that morning. Do everything in reverse order. This will keep your mind clear of any worries, and it will be a bit more challenging and mundane than running through your day in the right order," she adds.
