Can't get to sleep? Here are 5 tips you may not have thought of to help you drop off

IF counting sheep before bedtime is getting a bit dull, there are some interesting new studies that are proven to get you to sleep even faster.

1. Get rid of tension

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Anxiety expert Charles Linden emphasises that relaxing your muscles makes you more ready for sleep. Focusing all of your tension to one part of your body for a few seconds, and then releasing it, can help you to get into a more comfotable position.

2. Meditate
Stanford Medical Centre investigated whether mindfulness and meditation could help insomniacs get to sleep.

In their six-week program, the time that it took people to get to sleep halved. By the end of the study, 60 per cent of the participants no longer qualified as insomniacs.

There are plenty of free guided meditation clips on YouTube that you can play while trying to get to sleep.

This one by TheHonestGuys has been viewed over 4.5million times.

3. Get out of bed

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Dr Rosenburg, author of Sleep Soundly Every Night, Feel Fantastic Every Day, believes that removing yourself from bed will help you sleep quicker.

If you can’t sleep for more than 20 minutes, Rosenburg suggests that you should go into another room and partake in a quiet activity.

Listening to relaxing music or reading a book can help you wind down, so that when you get back into bed you are more likely to fall asleep.

4. 4-7-8 breathing technique
US sleep expert Dr Andrew Weil has created the 4-7-8 breathing trick that can help you fall asleep in less than a minute.

The technique helps to calm the mind and relax the muscles and Dr Weil’s breathing exercise has been viewed almost 1.5million times on Youtube.

5. Be grateful

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Leading psychology professor Nancy Digdon argues that writing a gratitude journal for 15 minutes each day can help you sleep for longer.

Noting down the little things that you take for granted helps you keep pessimism and stress away, making it easier to fall asleep.