HOW TO CALM DOWN AND FALL ASLEEP WHEN YOU'RE UPSET

How to fall asleep when you're agitated? A question that many would like to find an answer to, especially those who go to bed knowing that they will have to get up early the next morning to go to work and, once under the covers, they are unable to fall asleep in any way.

Stress and sleep: is there a link?

Agitation is a normal emotion, in the sense that every human being is, sooner or later, in a position to experience it. As such, the agitation itself should not cause concern, except for some circumstances, which can exacerbate it to the point of making it complex to manage.

One of the main causes of agitation is stress, which in turn can arise from various reasons, from performance anxiety at school or at work to the presence of pathologies, up to alcoholism, hormonal imbalances, and depression.

As a result, those who find themselves in a stressful situation should learn how to calm down if they are agitated, particularly when it is time to go to bed.

How to sleep when you are agitated? Some relaxation techniques

• - 4-7-8 breathing technique

To understand how to fall asleep when you are agitated, you can try some relaxation techniques, such as the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Borrowed from yoga, it is an effective method to increase the amount of oxygen and, at the same time, slow down the heartbeat. To perform it, place the tip of the tongue behind the upper incisors, at the level of the gum, exhale deeply, inhale for a count of 4, keep the air in the lungs for a count of 7 and finally exhale for a count of 8. The sequence must then be repeated 3 times.

• Progressive muscle relaxation

Another technique for sleeping when you are agitated consists of progressive muscle relaxation: invented in 1959 and based on the alternation between contraction and relaxation of the muscles, it is divided into sessions lasting approximately 30 minutes each and involves all the muscles, from those of the arms and legs, to the abdominals, up to those of the eyes.

• Gradual body relaxation technique

From the American marines comes the technique of gradual relaxation of the body, useful when you have to sleep in precarious situations. Starting from the head and proceeding downwards, all the muscles of the body are relaxed, simultaneously trying to focus the mind on a pleasant image, such as a clearing in the woods or a Caribbean beach.

How to create the best environment to promote sleep 

How to sleep when you are agitated? Certainly, in addition to carrying out the main relaxation techniques, it is necessary to create an atmosphere suitable for promoting calm and, consequently, falling asleep. It is also important to say goodbye to bad habits, such as going to bed late, perhaps after doing stimulating activities, such as a gym session or having spent too long on smartphone and tablet monitors.

To create an environment suitable for relaxing and sleeping peacefully, you need to turn off the lights and various mobile devices, but also choose restful colors for the bedroom, such as green or blue and, above all, set a routine to stick to. Among the main rules, going to bed and always waking up at more or less the same time, avoiding taking stimulating foods and drinks, planning the next day to ensure that anxiety doesn't get the upper hand just when it's time to get under the covers.

Mental wellbeing supplements: do they really work?

When anxiety, particularly caused by stress, is difficult to manage, it is possible to combine methods to calm down such as performing specific relaxation techniques, adopting a routine to regulate the sleep/wake cycle and creating a serene and restful environment to the intake of food supplements specifically designed to promote mental well-being.

Bottega di LungaVita offers some completely natural products, such as for example the Anxiety and Stress Drops from the TranquiVita line, based on chamomile, lemon balm, passion flower and escolzia, a valid aid for relieving insomnia and stress, but also in case you need to do you deal with jet lag. Always from the same line, the Strong Tablets combine the properties of melatonin, which helps to regulate the sleep/wake rhythm, with the relaxing and calming action of valerian, promoting rapid falling asleep.