Can't Fall Asleep?

So last semester I was having a really hard time falling asleep at night. It was very frustrating to know that I would lay down at 11pm, but wouldn't actually fall asleep till 1am. I tried different things at night and talked to my mom and some other people and made a list of 5 things to do before you go to bed. This has worked for me and for some of my teammates. As athletes, sleep is probably one of the most important aspects of our training, most of the time we don't realize it.

Top 5 Tips To Fall Asleep Easily

1. Consistency

Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. This can be extremely hard because all of our schedules vary from day to day. As a college student, this can be particularly difficult. We have to stay up late studying for a test, or we sleep in till 1pm on weekends, etc. Doing that can really pose a problem for your sleep schedule. Every night I go to bed at 12:30pm-1:00pm and wake up at 8:30-8:45. I get my eight hours and I never have trouble falling asleep at night because my body knows its time to go to bed.

2. No Naps

All of us love naps. A 15 minute power snooze here or a 3 hour nap there. Alot of my friends live on this. I mean a short 15 minute nap probably wouldn't hurt anybody, but still. As I said in number 1, this messes up your schedule so much. Taking a 3 hour nap in the afternoon will leave you wide awake by the time midnight comes around.

3. Read Before You Fall Asleep

My mom told me this. I always like to read something before I go to sleep. It helps me relax and gets my mind off the daily worries. If you really are having trouble, read something boring like Finance, that will put you to bed real quick. I usually read something to my liking, but thats just me. Also, I've noticed keeping a journal and writing in it right before I go to bed leaves me thinking and therefore not being able to fall asleep. So I stopped doing that.

4. No Food within 2-3 Hours of Bedtime

I always love a midnight snack, last semester especially. I would eat a chocolate chip waffle right before I go to bed. What a horrible idea... and I wonder why I couldn't fall asleep last semester! My body was overloaded with sugar. But from my experience, if I eat anything before I go to bed, I won't fall asleep. So I eat a few hours before I go to bed, then try to drink a glass of water before I fall asleep. Its helped tremendously. Also, I'm pretty sure alcohol keeps you awake at night. I'm not sure how true that is, but thats just a theory.

5. No Exercise within 2-3 Hours of Bedtime

Obviously. But it gets your heart rate up and keeps you awake.

These are all just rules I have used over the past year and they have seemed to work for me and some of my teammates. I know all you college kids are on ridiculous sleep schedules, but if youre having trouble falling asleep at night try these 5 simple rules.