Tricks to fall asleep for adults and children

Many people have a hard time falling asleep quickly, as the stresses of daily life and negative thoughts can keep us from getting that well-deserved rest. If you can't sleep properly at night, you’ll have problems in everyday life and your performance at work will suffer.

For this reason, in this article we would like to introduce you to a few tricks that will help you get to sleep faster. In addition, we also have sleep tricks for children, as quality sleep is especially important for their healthy development.

 

What are the consequences of sleep deprivation?

Sleep deprivation is a widespread problem and the number of people affected is increasing every year. The consequences of sleep deprivation are devastating and manifest differently in each person. While some people seem to have little reaction to sleep deprivation, others are affected all the more severely. However, the long-term consequences come gradually and unnoticed at first.

Cognitive performance deteriorates

Nighttime gives the brain the opportunity to process newly acquired information and store it in long-term memory. Thus, new skills can be learned and information can be stored. This happens predominantly in the deep sleep phase, one of the five sleep phases we go through during the night. Those who get too little deep sleep in the long term will have more and more problems remembering information and experiences.

Powers of concentration are negatively affected

Those who get little sleep will have a harder time concentrating on something the next day. Our brain is divided into different regions and the region that is responsible for our attention is affected by the lack of sleep. As a result, we have difficulty remembering certain words, for example, or get distracted too easily.

Reactivity decreases

Those who get less than five hours of sleep several times in a row have a reduced ability to react. Sufferers feel groggy and overwhelmed, similar to alcohol consumption, because our bodies produce more adenosine. Adenosine impairs our ability to concentrate and increases our sluggishness.

The performance of our genes is inhibited by lack of sleep

Scientists found that lack of sleep messes up our internal clock and our genes can't work as usual. As a result, hormones that are important for us cannot be released, which worsens our body's ability to regenerate. For this reason, we become more susceptible to diseases and our immune system is weakened.

Too little sleep increases blood sugar and promotes high blood pressure

People who continuously get less than six hours of sleep per night have higher blood sugar levels, because sleep affects how our body responds to glucose. In addition, too little sleep drives up blood pressure because blood flows more slowly in tired people, and the heart responds with stress. As a result, the heart pumps faster and we become more susceptible to heart disease.

 

How can you fall asleep faster?

There are several fall asleep tricks that can help you get to sleep faster. You should try out for yourself which of these tricks works best for you, because everyone's body reacts differently.

Avoid long naps

After a short night, it seems very tempting to lie down during the day and catch up on the sleep you missed. However, a midday nap tends to prevent us from getting properly tired in the evening and tends to exacerbate our problems falling asleep.

Anyone who feels tired during the day and wants to close their eyes briefly should do so before 2 p.m. and only for a maximum of 30 minutes. Anyone who sleeps longer than 30 minutes runs the risk of slipping into the deep sleep phase and will have difficulty waking up again. This upsets the body's internal clock and we are unable to fall asleep at night.

Avoid alcohol in the late evening

While alcohol is known to calm our nerves and help us fall asleep, it is not a good idea to drink alcohol before sleeping. Although we may fall asleep faster, alcohol shortens our sleep period because the body is busy breaking down the alcohol, keeping it awake.

Relaxing exercises before sleeping

By doing certain relaxation exercises before going to sleep, we can achieve faster recovery and slow down physical activities. These include: progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, breathing exercises before sleep, meditation and yoga.

 

Sleep tricks for children and babies

Children can also suffer from problems falling asleep. Since sleep is essential for brain and body development, parents should make sure their children get enough sleep every night. To make it easier to fall asleep, the following tricks for kids will help:

Get plenty of exercise during the day

To help your child fall asleep faster at the end of the day, they should get enough exercise and fresh air. If children move around a lot during the day, they will automatically fall asleep faster at night.

No late dinner

Just like adults, children should not eat massive meals before bedtime because our digestion can prevent us from falling asleep or staying asleep through the night. For this reason, there should be at least an hour between the last meal and bedtime.

Bedtime rituals for children and babies

Routine is essential for children and babies because it gives them orientation in everyday life and conveys a sense of security. It should be the same at bedtime. Before going to sleep, familiar rituals such as a warm bath or reading a book aloud should be performed so that children can fall asleep more quickly.

Create the perfect sleeping environment for children

Children and babies should be dressed appropriately at night so that they neither freeze nor sweat. For babies, a sleeping bag and breathable clothes are enough for this. For children, stuffed animals can provide a sense of security and help them fall asleep.

 

Products from Zizzz to help children fall asleep faster

As already mentioned, the sleeping climate plays an important role for children, because only those who are appropriately dressed at night can sleep relaxed through the night. For children and babies, we recommend our baby sleeping bags, which we also offer as summer sleeping bags. They are made of certified cotton and ensure the optimal temperature while sleeping.

In addition, snuggle cloths are perfect for small children to feel less alone and train fine motor skills. These are made of natural fabrics, namely Swisswool and 100% organic cotton.

 

Conclusion

Adults as well as children can suffer from problems falling asleep. These have short and long-term consequences on our health and performance, such as poor concentration and increased blood pressure. To shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, you can try the above fall asleep tricks for children and for adults.