If you have trouble falling asleep you have surely read countless articles online about tips that will help you out. But many articles preach different ways of falling asleep that don't really work. Here are some of them:
Fake it until you make it
This is a really annoying tip. Simply faking sleep won't get you to sleep. It's not like laughter - if you try laughing forcibly you might suddenly find yourself laughing for real.
Your brain does not recognize fake laughter from real one, as the chemical reactions are all the same. Pretending to laugh might release positive energy, but pretending to be asleep won't help you actually fall asleep and get you well deserved rest.
Talk to yourself
Talking to yourself is another one of the tips often mentioned in different "how to fall asleep" manuals that just can't work. There is no logic behind it.
If you talk to yourself, your brain will work more, not less. To start sleeping your brain needs to relax and your mind needs to be quiet and silent. Only then you can asleep.
Count sheep
Another often mentioned tactic that is counter productive. We see all those cartoon characters count sheep and fall asleep almost instantly. That is likely where this myth started - in cartoons.
This approach does not work in real life for the same reasons as talking to yourself doesn't work. Your brain is working more when you count sheep. Instead, you should try to calm the brain down and rid yourself of thoughts.
Sleeping pills
While sleeping pills may technically put you to sleep, the kind of rest you will get is just not natural. That is, you won't really rest your mind. Sleeping pills are like first aid - they help solve the problem momentarily, but are not a long term solution.
Furthermore, if you get used to sleeping pills, you will have an extremely hard time falling asleep naturally.
Drink a can of beer or a glass of wine
This advice is equally bad as is the advice to take sleeping pills. Getting drunk may get you to start sleeping, but you just won't get the natural rest you need. By drinking alcohol you are likely to dehydrate over night resulting in bad dreams and making it more likely that you will wake up early, still tired by unable to go back to sleep.
Sleeping on pills, alcohol or drugs is like a disaster waiting to happen.
Singing to yourself
Come on, we've been through this already. If you make your brain work more, you will not be able to fall asleep. Singing to yourself is the same as talking to yourself or counting sheep.
I admit, it can get you closer to sleep, but it won't help you actually fall asleep.
Drink a glass of warm milk
This is another myth, just like counting sheep to get asleep is. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that drinking a glass of milk will make it harder, not easier for you to catch some sleep.
Milk and other protein rich foods block tryptophan's sleepiness-inducing effects.
If you are really trying to fall asleep and have trouble doing it, these are certainly the ways to avoid going about it, as they are counter productive or just damaging to your overall wellbeing.
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