Do you find yourself tossing and turning at night? Fear not, a doctor has shared a handful of helpful strategies to ease your way into slumber - and one stands out for its simplicity, something we can all try tonight.
Sleep issues plague many and stem from various causes.
While occasional disturbances are normal, chronic insomnia can severely disrupt your daily life.
Advert
Research even suggests prolonged sleep deprivation can heighten the risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and depression.
For those wrestling with the night-time toss and turn, Dr. Sethi, a Harvard and Stanford trained gastroenterologist, offers a beacon of hope.
Sharing insights on his TikTok (@doctorsethimd), he has dished out a slew of sleep aids, among them a remarkably simple technique - the '4-7-8' breathing method.
Advert
These are his four sleep hacks:
Eat a banana
Munching on a banana, rich in tryptophan, may hasten the onset of sleep.
"These are natural sleep aids," Dr Sethi explains.
Advert
If you're wondering why, tryptophan is converted to serotonin when it enters the brain, which in turn is converted into melatonin, a hormone which is essential to getting your forty winks.
Eat some yoghurt
Similarly, yoghurt - with its blend of calcium and protein - supports melatonin production, promoting restful slumber.
"Greek yoghurt in particular can contribute to better sleep quality," Dr Sethi explains.
Advert
You're best off having unsweetened yoghurt if you can.
The healthy snack is packed with vitamins that can help with sleep such as vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 along with magnesium and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
Cut down your exposure to blue light
Light from screens such as your phones, laptops, tablets and TV can make it trickier to nod off.
Advert
Dr. Sethi advises curtailing screen time at least an hour before bedtime.
"Blue light interferes with melatonin production, making it harder to fall asleep," Dr Sethi explains.
And if all of that fails...
The 4-7-8 breathing technique
Dr. Andrew Weil crafted this method as an adaptation of pranayama, an age-old yoga practice renowned for inducing relaxation by restoring oxygen levels within the body.
According to Healthline, consistent practice of this technique might lead to quicker sleep onset for certain individuals.
"Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, and exhale for eight," Dr Sethi says. "This technique is a simple but powerful tool to reduce stress and anxiety before bedtime."
So, if counting sheep isn't doing the trick, why not give the '4-7-8' technique a shot?
Josh Browne