A QUICK TRICK THAT MAKES IT EASIER TO DRIFT OFF AT NIGHT
“Here’s the very last thing you do before you get into bed,” he said.
Put your feet under cold running water – as cold as you can bear
Keep your feet under the water for 4 minutes
Dry your feet and get straight into bed
This sounded pretty silly and surprising and a waste of water, and it would have been easy to dismiss it. But I was desperate for sleep, and I decided to give it a go. I committed with myself to try it for 30 days, as in the past I’ve found that it takes that long to be able to properly evaluate a new habit.
On the first few nights, I couldn’t bear to keep my feet under the water for 4 minutes. I started with 2 minutes, playing with adding warmer water to the mix when it felt too cold and then going back to just the cold water again. I built it up from there. My feet did go somewhat purple at the 4 minute mark – they were really, really cold (so if you have circulation issues of any kind, I suggest you talk to a medical professional before trying this technique). Then, slowly but surely, once I got into bed, they would warm up. More importantly, I would start to feel very sleepy very quickly. With each night, it got harder and harder to keep my eyes open.
A surprisingly quick result
I promised myself that I would try the cold water technique every night in a row for 30 nights to see if it worked. I stopped using it after 10 nights… because I had already slept through for five whole nights in a row! I had found my natural sleep rhythm again. And it’s now my go-to technique for when my sleep gets disrupted. Five or more nights of Poora’s “Cold Feet Technique” and I’m back to getting the sleep I need.
Other techniques for better sleep
- Try out the two different approaches to sleeplessness, to see which works for you
- Set up and stick to a sleep routine
- Use strategies to bore your brain into falling asleep when you’re struggling to get to sleep, or when you wake up during the night
You can read more about these techniques in Getting a good night’s sleep.
Whatever you try – good luck! I hope you find more restful sleep and reap the rewards it brings.
Credits
I was given this advice by Poora Singh. If you would like to benefit from Poora’s expertise in osteopathy, psychology and motivation, you can find him and his team at the Edgbaston Performance Clinic near Birmingham, UK. This is not an affiliate post.