Are you struggling to get your mind to STFU for long enough that you can fall asleep? Yeah, join the club. Deepak Chopra, aka Oprah’s favorite wellness guru, shared four tricks for falling asleep quickly and peacefully. He says he goes to sleep as early as 8 p.m., so uh, seems like this guy knows the secret. Here’s what he advises.
First, try mindful breathing. That’s a fancy term for paying close attention to your breath.
“In order to fall asleep, mindful breathing can be very helpful; all it means is that, as you’re laying down to go to sleep, you observe the breath,” Deepak told CNBC Make It. “Mindful breathing immediately restores self-regulation [and] calms the mind.”
To try this, just count to four when you breathe in, then count to six as you breathe out. You’ll gradually notice your breath slowing down, which in turn relaxes your entire body.
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Second, Deepak recommends a mantra: say “so” when you inhale and “hum” when you exhale. It’s a calming Sanskrit mantra that’s often used in yoga and other forms of meditation. Deepak says it can “put you to sleep very fast”!
Third, you can try reflecting upon your day — but not in that obsessive “OMG why did I say ‘you too’ to the waitress when she told me to enjoy my meal” way. Instead, simply re-trace what happened without judgment, like you’re watching it on video.
“Observe the day, without judging it, and then let it go,” Deepak says. “When you do that, you actually let go of all the stresses that happen during that day and you go to bed with a fresh start for the next day.”
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And the last trick: practice better sleep hygiene. Go to bed earlier, and avoid using technology in the bedroom. Yeah, you knew that one was coming.
“Any technology in the bedroom is disruptive to sleep,” Deepak says. And we all know how stressful social media can be!
The hardest part of all of these tricks is probably just actually doing them regularly. Just imagine Deepak in your ear reassuring you and you’ll be good to go.
