How to adjust for poor sleep? 12 simple tips to help you fall asleep easily

Poor sleep is a very common issue. Many people suffer from poor sleep quality due to various reasons such as habits, work, study, and daily life. So, how can we improve our sleep? Don't worry, let's take a look together at what to do when you have poor sleep and the dietary principles for poor sleep.
How to improve poor sleep
If you always experience poor sleep, you might try the following methods. I believe you will get very good results. 
1. Get rid of the habit of lying on your back.
Lying on your back is the most common sleeping position. In this position, the body and lower limbs can only be kept in a stretched state, failing to achieve the goal of full body relaxation. When the pressure in the abdominal cavity increases, lying on your back can easily cause feelings of chest tightness and unease.
Lying on your back also makes you unconsciously place your hands on your chest, compressing the heart and lungs, and making it easy to have nightmares. People who snore or have respiratory diseases should avoid this sleeping position.
When sleeping on your stomach, most of the body weight is placed on the ribs and abdomen, compressing the chest and diaphragm, affecting breathing and increasing the burden on the heart. Sleeping on your stomach also increases the curvature of the lumbar spine, causing the small joints at the back of the spine to be compressed.
The best sleeping position: lying on your right side. 
2. Try lying on your right side with your legs bent.
Why does the sleep position where you bend your legs to the right and sleep on your side make it easier for you to fall asleep?
The correct sleeping position should be to bend your legs to the right and sleep on your side. This is because the heart is on the left side, and sleeping on your right side reduces the pressure on the heart, which helps with the free circulation of blood and enables better metabolism.
Also, due to the gravitational force, the food in the stomach moves towards the duodenum, promoting digestion and absorption. However, when sleeping on your side, be careful not to use a pillow that is too low, as it may cause discomfort in your neck.
Tips for sleeping on your side: The direction of your head and feet should be east-west. Avoid sleeping with your head north and feet south. 
3. Keeping a diary
Engaging in thinking or engaging in stressful activities can cause the body to release stress hormones and increase alertness. However, writing down the stress in a diary can help us forget the restlessness when we go to bed.
Studies have shown that certain types of diaries enable us to focus on the positive aspects of life rather than the negative ones. 
4. Creating a Comfortable Environment
A comfortable sleeping environment can also help us fall asleep more easily.
Whether it's choosing the perfect mattress, spending a bit of money to buy an 800-thread-count sheet, purchasing thick curtains to block out the light, or placing a fan in the room as background noise, make sure the bed is comfortable and cozy before going to bed.
Sleeping in the same bed with a partner? Then make some changes together with your partner to ensure everyone gets a good sleep. 
5. Catching up on sleep
If you stayed up too late in the past few nights, then tonight, just catch up on some sleep and sleep an extra hour. Only then can you regain your energy and strength. 
6. Don't toss and turn
Can't fall asleep? If you've been lying in bed for more than 20 minutes, try getting up and doing some light exercise, such as reading a book or listening to some classical music.
Think about it, not sleeping will make you more anxious - this is a vicious cycle. 
7. Stay away from the alarm clock
Looking at the ticking hands of the alarm clock can actually cause more stress, making it difficult to fall asleep.
Moreover, the artificial light emitted by electronic devices can disrupt our circadian rhythm, making our bodies think it's time to stay up or attend a party. 
8. Utilizing Technology
Check out various smartphone applications and other small tools that can assist with your sleep. Tracking sleep for a long period of time can also help us determine what helps or hinders our sleep. 
9. Listen to soothing music
Soothing music can improve sleep quality and extend sleep duration. Try listening to classical music, folk music, or slow-paced modern music styles. These types of music are generally relaxing and pleasant. 
10. Try progressive muscle relaxation
Start from the feet, tense the muscles. Hold, count from one to five, and then relax. Then do the same for every muscle group in the body, from the feet to the top of the head.
Meditating every night will make you focus on your breathing, thereby helping your body prepare for sleep. 
11. Dim Lighting
Bright lighting, especially the "blue light" emitted by most electronic devices, may cause sleep disorders.
Skilled insomniacs might think of wearing special glasses to block the blue light, allowing them to sleep soundly all night. 
12. Let's impose an "electronic curfew"
The artificial lighting from computers, televisions and mobile phones may make it harder for the body to know when it's time to relax. And a study shows that watching less TV before bedtime can help reduce sleep debt. 
What should I eat to improve my sleep? 
I. Foods Rich in the Pineal Gland
The reason why foods rich in the pineal gland can improve sleep is that the quality of human sleep is closely related to a substance in the brain called melatonin. At night, darkness stimulates the body to synthesize and secrete melatonin, which travels through the bloodstream and acts on the sleep center, causing the body to feel a strong desire for sleep. When the sun rises, the pineal gland is stimulated by light and reduces its secretion, causing the person to wake up from sleep.
Studies have found that after middle age, the amount of melatonin in the human body gradually decreases. At 40 years old, it is one quarter of that in youth; at 50 years old, it is one sixth; and at 60 years old, it drops to one tenth. Therefore, middle-aged and elderly people can promote sleep by supplementing foods rich in melatonin. Such foods include oats, sweet corn, tomatoes, and bananas. 
II. Foods to Counteract Caffeine
The stimulating effect of tea can interfere with sleep. Therefore, if drinking tea excessively during the day affects sleep, you can drink a cup of water made from a few grams of jujube seeds before going to bed, or make a porridge with jujube seeds and rice and drink a small bowl before going to bed. Jujube seeds contain jujube seed saponin A, jujube seed saponin B, betulinic acid, betulinol, and three types of sterols. They can reduce the level of norepinephrine in the blood, thereby counteracting the poor sleep caused by caffeine. 
III. Foods that inhibit serotonin
If you often feel sleepy during the day but have trouble sleeping at night, you can have a piece of bread or a roll before going to bed. Since people in this group secrete more tryptophan during the day, tryptophan will be converted into 5-hydroxytryptamine, which has a sleep-inducing effect and causes drowsiness. However, there is not enough tryptophan in the body at night, making it difficult to fall asleep peacefully. Therefore, eating some bread or rolls at night can increase the content of tryptophan in the body, making it easier for you to fall asleep. 
IV. Foods for Regulating Nerves
If zinc and copper are insufficient in the diet for a long time, after a period of time, the human body will be affected by the lack of these two trace elements, which will affect the energy metabolism of brain cells and the regulation of the nervous system. The endocrine system will often be in an excited state, resulting in difficulty in falling asleep. In such cases, eating more foods rich in zinc and copper such as oysters, fish, lean meat, shrimp, and eels during dinner can effectively improve symptoms of neurasthenia and ensure good sleep. 
Summary: Poor sleep is a very common issue. Many people are frustrated by the lack of solutions and can only endure their "panda eyes" every day. However, by following the methods described in the above article, I believe everyone can achieve good sleep, making their bodies healthier and giving them more energy.