Many people have experienced the annoyance of tossing and turning in bed and staring at the ceiling as the hours go by. It can be hard to go asleep when you’re stressed out, have too much screen time, or have too much on your mind. But getting help can be easier than you think. Dr. Myro Figura, a board-certified anesthesiologist, recently posted some simple but very helpful suggestions on Instagram that went viral on July 25. The tips are meant to help individuals fall asleep faster and have better sleep overall.
The “30-Minute Rule”: If you can’t sleep, get out of bed.
Dr. Myro’s main piece of advice for people who can’t fall asleep in half an hour is surprising but very important: “The most important thing you don’t want to do is stay in bed.”
He says that if you’re still awake after 30 minutes, your brain is probably “too activated,” and the setting has to alter. He suggests that you get out of bed and go to a different room, where you should do something “boring” in a dimly lit space.
Dr. Myro says that knitting, reading a physical book, or just looking out the window are all good low-stimulation activities. The goal of these exercises is to “restart the body’s natural melatonin production.” “You need to get your pineal gland to start making melatonin again, but you can’t use any screens,” he says.
Why screens keep you from sleeping and what to do instead
The strong warning against screens arises from the fact that they stop the body from making melatonin. Dr. Myro warns, “Your laptop and phone give off blue light that will break that cycle.” Blue light from electronics is known to lower melatonin levels, which makes it difficult to fall asleep. Melatonin is the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle.
Dr. Myro suggests trying specific approaches like breathing exercises or supersomnolent meditation if simple, low-stimulation activities aren’t working. He tells people to “Look these up,” which means that these ways might assist relax the mind and body even more.
And what about those evenings when nothing else works? “Now take a melatonin and do the same thing again, but don’t go to bed until you feel sleepy,” he says at the end. Dr. Myro’s philosophy makes an essential point about sleep: it’s not always about pushing it, but rather about working with your body to make the best conditions for sleep. Knowing and honoring your body’s natural rhythms may be the key to getting better sleep quickly.