Worth a shot for some Z's

It's not always easy drifting off to sleep, that's why people will do anything to turn the tides in their favour. Some stuff really doesn't work though (and will actually have the opposite effect) but these five have been proven to do the trick.

Stick your legs in the air

Time to get your yoga on for around 10 minutes (to feel the full effects) before hitting the hay. If you stick your legs up into the air, preferably in a comfortable position by resting them on a wall. Open your chest up by spreading those arms and combine this with basic breathing exercises. You should start to feel relaxed as your heart rate is lowered and be more ready for a nice kip! 

Brew up a banana tea

Bananas might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of sleep but there is actually a way to maximise their usage through the power of brewing! So take the banana peel (not the actual fruit part as this contains more sugar than you want right now), a cinnamon stick and water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and then your tea will be ready (follow this banana tea recipe). The magnesium in the peel will calm your body down and get you naturally ready for sleep.

Listen to brown noise

You may find that the thing that's keeping you up the most is the amount of noise that's happening at night. If you live near a busy road or some partying neighbours then you might really struggle to get that sleep you need. That's why you should try to drown out these distractions by listening to brown noise. This is essentially a constant peaceful noise (like a whooshing sound) that will not only help you fall asleep but stay that way too. There are other noises such as white noise and pink noise that have different frequencies, so try each to find which is right for you. Recommend the free app SimplyNoise for the best results.

Journal your day

Sometimes what prevents us from a good sleep are all the thoughts running through our heads. The best way to get them out is by literally writing them down. This will help you process your current thoughts and feelings so you don't feel the need to do it when you're in bed. Try to focus on jotting down positive things that have happened and what you plan on doing the following day. Then you can feel satisfied that you know what you have done and what you need to do.

Count down from 300

You've heard of counting sheep before right? Well, this is essentially that but in its purest form. You start from a high number and work your way down to bore yourself to sleep. This works better than counting sheep as there's less room for your imagination to make it interesting. Most people are usually asleep before they reach 100!

So which will you try first to help you enter dreamland?