11 Old-Fashioned Tricks For Falling Asleep That Actually Work

If you’ve been lying awake night after night, willing yourself to sleep with zero luck, you should definitely consider turning to the tried and truetricks for falling asleepthat have been passed down for centuries. You know the ones — things like drinking a glass of warm milk before bed to help you fall asleep. Or following the saying “early to bed, early to rise,” so that you can maybe (finally) get on a proper sleep schedule.

These old wives’ tales about how to fall asleep may sound ancient, but there’s a reason they’ve hung on all this time. Some, like the warm milk idea, work with your brain’s natural sleep chemicals, like tryptophan, to help you nod off. And the rest are simply about good sleep hygiene which is, of course, where it’s at if you want to get on a better schedule — and have better sleep.

“What can you do to get the perfect night’s sleep? One of the keys is preparation,” Chris Brantner, founder and sleep science expert at SleepZoo.com, tells Bustle. “Put together a calming bedtime routine that works for you. For many people this includes hot tea, a book, or even yoga. Don’t eat close to bedtime, and avoid alcohol and caffeine. Finally, turn your smartphone off an hour before bed. In fact, don’t even allow devices in your bedroom!”

By sticking to a routine, you should be able to snag the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep you need each night. And, if you add a few of these time-tested tricks into the mix, you should be able to fall asleep in no time.

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