You come home after a long, exhausting day, crawl into bed, and although you’re tired, sleep just doesn’t come. Hours pass. You toss and turn. And turn some more. You stare at the ceiling, check your phone, or dive into the sea of your worries as the clock ticks away relentlessly.
The next morning, you wake up feeling like you haven’t rested at all—irritable and grumpy. The thing is, sleep isn’t a luxury—it’s a basic need. If you neglect your rest, both your body and mind will end up paying the price. The good news? You don’t have to resign yourself to living with insomnia; there are very effective methods to get more deep sleep.
Why Aren’t You Sleeping Well?
If you suffer from insomnia, you’re not alone. Studies show that approximately 10% of the global population suffers from this disorder, while another 20% experiences occasional sleep problems. However, just because it’s common doesn’t mean its consequences should be taken lightly.
Chronic insomnia can seriously affect your mental health, increasing the risk of developing anxiety and depression. Plus, lack of sleep diminishes your ability to concentrate and remember, which can limit your daily performance. On a physical level, insomnia is linked to a higher risk of conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, and weakens the immune system, making you more susceptible to illness.
However, to prevent these problems and address sleep issues, it’s crucial to find the root cause. Although we often associate insomnia with stress, anxiety, depression, or other psychological factors, it’s important to realize that the cause is not always emotional.
Conditions like restless leg syndrome, hormonal imbalances, or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be responsible for sleepless nights. In fact, sleep specialists from Nightly point out that approximately 23.5 million people suffer from obstructive sleep apnea but haven’t been diagnosed, preventing them to get more deep sleep.
Therefore, it’s important not to self-medicate or assume insomnia is just “a mental thing.” A proper diagnosis can reveal if there’s an underlying physical cause that needs treatment because it’s affecting your rest, or if, on the contrary, it’s due to stress, worries, or poor lifestyle habits and inadequate sleep hygiene.
How to to get more deep sleep, Naturally
Sleeping pills might seem like the quickest fix—you take them, and you’re quickly in the arms of Morpheus—but they’re not always the answer. Sometimes, all it takes are small adjustments to your daily routine or applying some psychological techniques to sleep well and deeply. Take note!
1. Transform Your Bedroom into a Sleep Sanctuary
Unless you’re completely wiped out, the environment of your bedroom can make a huge difference in sleep quality. If it’s too hot or too cold, you won’t sleep soundly. The ideal temperature is between 18 and 22 °C. It’s also a good idea to wear comfortable pajamas and use breathable sheets that help regulate body temperature throughout the night, ensuring you stay comfortable at all times.
It’s also recommended to sleep in complete darkness and a quiet environment. Even the faintest light can interfere with melatonin production, the hormone that regulates sleep. That’s why it’s best to sleep in the darkest room possible. As for noise, a calm environment is ideal, so if you live in a noisy area, earplugs or soothing sounds like white noise can help mask external noise.
2. Don’t Look at the Clock
“Is it really 3 a.m., and I still can’t sleep?” Constantly checking the clock won’t help you sleep; in fact, it’ll only make things worse. Checking the time will make you more aware of the “time you’re wasting.” Every quick glance at the clock creates more pressure to fall asleep, which increases stress and makes it harder to relax.
This leads to what’s known as the “rebound effect”—the more you try to sleep, the less you’ll succeed because the pressure prevents your brain from unwinding. The solution? Break the vicious cycle: stop counting the hours and focus on relaxing. Thinking of pleasant things will be much more productive than tossing and turning while checking the time every ten minutes.
3. Take a Warm Bath Before Bed
Known as the “hot bath effect,” science has shown that taking a warm shower before bed can help you to get more deep sleep. The warm water has a relaxing effect, especially on muscles, which will leave you feeling more relaxed and help you disconnect from the stress of the day.
Your body will gradually begin to cool down, mimicking the natural process that occurs when your body prepares for sleep. Your brain will interpret this temperature change as a signal that it’s time to rest, making it easier for you to fall asleep faster. The ideal time for this relaxing bath is between 1 and 2 hours before bedtime.
4. Let Aromas Lull You to Sleep
Ever had a specific scent instantly transport you to a state of calm, nostalgia, or happiness? Scents have a “direct route” to the brain because the sense of smell is directly connected to the limbic system, which controls emotions and memories. This makes them a natural solution for deep, restful sleep. Scents like lavender, chamomile, or sandalwood trigger relaxation responses and will help you wind down after a busy day.
In fact, studies have shown that lavender is an effective remedy for insomnia because it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering heart rate and blood pressure to promote a feeling of tranquility and relaxation. Practically, it’s as if these scents are telling your brain, “Hey, it’s time to switch off and rest.” Take advantage of its effect while enjoying your nightly bath or using them in your bedroom.
5. Try Relaxation Techniques and Let Calm Take Over
When the lights go out, and everything falls silent, the daily stimuli that had kept you busy disappear, and your mind may start to wander. If worries or anxiety are keeping you up, relaxation techniques might be the solution for a restful sleep.
One of the most well-known techniques is deep breathing. It involves inhaling slowly through your nose, holding the breath for a few seconds, and exhaling gently through your mouth. This simple exercise sends a powerful signal to your nervous system: it’s time to relax and rest.
Progressive muscle relaxation, which involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups, starting from the feet and working up to the forehead, is very helpful in releasing tension accumulated throughout the day. You can also try visualization: imagine a peaceful, safe place, like a sunset beach or a quiet forest. These techniques will also help you avoid worries while creating the ideal mental state for sleep.
6. Create a Relaxing Pre-Sleep Ritual
Remember when you were a kid, and your mom used to read you a bedtime story and tuck you in every night? That comforting ritual probably helped you fall asleep. Even as an adult, pre-sleep rituals can have a similar effect. Basically, routines are effective because they signal to your body and mind that bedtime is approaching, which prepares you for sleep.
Think of it as a personal “ceremony” that helps you unwind and prepare for sleep. It could be something as simple as making yourself a relaxing tea, drinking a warm glass of milk, reading a light book, or listening to soothing music. You can also include gentle stretches or a few minutes of meditation to release accumulated tension. The key is that it’s something you enjoy and that allows you to slow down while your mind enters “sleep mode.”
7. Try Not to Fall Asleep
Instead of trying hard to fall asleep, try staying awake. Yes, you read that correctly! Paradoxical intention is a reverse psychology technique that involves doing the very thing that causes distress, rather than fighting it or trying to avoid it. Ironically, the effort to keep your eyes open will end up exhausting you, so you’ll fall asleep instead.
In fact, a study from the Karolinska Institute found that this technique is effective because it removes the pressure to fall asleep quickly, which often causes the most anxiety. By downplaying the act of sleeping, your mind relaxes, and strangely enough, sleep is more likely to come naturally.
The way to get more deep sleepmay require time and effort, but the benefits are well worth it. From improving your physical health to restoring mental clarity and emotional well-being, every step you take toward better rest is an investment in your quality of life. So, if sleep has been eluding you for a while, it’s best to consult a professional to discover the cause and finally get the rest you deserve.
References:
Jansson-Fröjmark, M. et. Al. (2022) Paradoxical intention for insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sleep Res; 31(2):e13464.
Harding, E. C. et. Al. (2019) The Temperature Dependence of Sleep. Front Neurosci;13:336.
Troynikov, O. et. Al. (2018) Sleep environments and sleep physiology: A review. Journal of Thermal Biology; 78: 192-203.
Chien, L. et. Al. (2012) The Effect of Lavender Aromatherapy on Autonomic Nervous System in Midlife Women with Insomnia. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine; 740813.
Lewith, G.T. et. Al. (2005) A single-blinded, randomized pilot study evaluating the aroma of Lavandula augustifolia as a treatment for mild insomnia. J Altern Complement Med; 11(4): 631-637.
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