Forget Sheep: Unusual Ways To Fall Asleep

If you’ve ever taken a class on Greek mythology, you may have heard the story of Tantalus. For his horrific crimes, he was struck with terrible hunger and thirst, then condemned to stand in a pool of water up to his waist with fragrant fruit trees growing around his head. If he bent over to drink, the water would recede. If he reached out to take the fruit, the vines would bend out of his reach.

Sleep may feel like that if you’re a student. With all the effort we put into coursework, we’re always tired. But we’re so stressed it’s hard to nod off when we finally lay down. If you’ve tried everything and you’re sick of sleep tantalizing you, we have some more unusual ways to fall asleep.

Sing Yourself To Sleep

Everyone’s heard of singing babies and little kids to sleep, but it’s possible to sing yourself to sleep, too. Singing naturally lowers the levels of cortisol—a stress-causing hormone—in your body. And, if there are songs that used to soothe you to sleep when you were a child, the association may still exist in your brain. Even humming a little may relax you enough to sleep—just make sure your roommates don’t mind.

Use the Power of Smell

Technically, this shouldn’t be considered an unusual way to fall asleep since aromatherapy has been around for thousands of years. But in recent years, people have rediscovered scent’s power to impact our mood. This includes relaxing us to help us sleep. Invest in a diffuser and some essential oils, such as:

• Lavender
• Sandalwood
• Chamomile
• Ylang-ylang
• Jasmine
• Bergamot

Just make sure that you’ve chosen a quality essential oil without additives before you diffuse it.

Take Some CBD

People have been associating CBD with countless health benefits, from improving your mood to reducing pain. One of those benefits is sleep. CBD reportedly works with your body’s endocannabinoid system to help reduce anxiety and increase sleep duration.

But as with essential oils, you want to make sure you are using quality CBD. Check the product’s certificate of analysis. Or, if in doubt, buy an extraction machine and make it yourself.

Go To Your Happy Place

People have used the concept of visualization motivate themselves to succeed, to not be afraid, and to find solutions for difficult problems. Here’s a new problem they can solve—your lack of sleep. Instead of staring at your stark, white ceiling, close your eyes and imagine yourself somewhere peaceful. This can be a fictitious place, like a field of flowers or a mountain top or a place where you feel comfortable, like your childhood bedroom.

Tell Yourself Not To Fall Asleep

Have you ever heard of reverse psychology? It turns out, you can use it to help you fall asleep at night. Instead of begging your brain to go to sleep, try lying in bed and telling yourself to stay awake. You can even tell yourself that it’s time to get up and be productive (without actually leaving bed). Next thing you know, you’ll be sawing logs without the aid of sheep.

image credit: Pixabay