Dr. Raj, one of the leading stars on Tik Tok, reveals his 10-3-2-1 method for falling asleep faster and sleeping better with a high success rate. However, for some of you it won’t be easy to take on some of the steps.
On the internet, you’ll find numerous tips for falling sleep, but Dr. Raj’s is one of the best we’ve heard and we had to share.
In a video that garnered more than 640,000 views, the doctor revealed his 10-3-2-1 method for how to fall asleep and for continuous, better sleep. And even though it sounds like a line from the song "Trilli Trella", there is a lot of logic behind it.
The 10-3-2-1 method prepares your body for falling sleep, but requires you to pay attention to times and cut down on certain foods and stop activities that you were used to doing until late in the evening.
So what is the 10-3-2-1 method for falling asleep faster? Let’s explain:
10: Ten hours before bed you should no longer consume caffeine.
"This is the time it takes for your body to clear caffeine from the bloodstream and get rid of its effects," explains Dr. Raj.
We don’t need to tell you that caffeine keeps you up, since you probably need it in the morning to get going. Drinks that contain high amounts of caffeine include coffee, tea, energy drinks and other soft drinks such as cola. If your regular bedtime is 22:00, Dr. Raj's method says you can not drink more caffeine after 12:00 noon, which is pretty crazy for coffee lovers, but totally worth the hours of sleep you’ll earn at night.
3: Dr. Raj's next tip: Avoid large meals three hours before bed.
He explains: “It helps prevent heartburn and sleep disturbances. Also, avoid alcohol because it harms your REM sleep.”
During sleep, we go through different stages. REM sleep (rapid eye movement) begins about 90 minutes after you fall asleep and helps provide the body with complete and thorough rest. It’s also the time in our sleep when we dream. A sleep in which one dreams is very beneficial for the brain in the process of establishing and storing memories.
2: Two hours before bed it’s recommended to stop working.
Dr. Raj says it will help us get into a calm and peaceful mood. There’s no chance we’ll succeed in falling asleep if we continue to think about the dozens of messages waiting in our in-box.
1: One hour before bedtime Dr. Raj says to close all screens.
He clarifies: "That means Netflix too!"
Blue light inhibits melatonin production which causes you difficulty in falling asleep. In addition, addiction to screen time makes us go to sleep too late, which in itself is really unhealthy. Also, too much screen time may damage eyesight.
Dermatologist Dr. Joanna Ward explains: “Blue light which has high HEV energy can cause significant damage to our eyes and skin, and accelerate the aging process. Light emitted by the sun isn’t a new discovery, yet today we all absorb extra amounts of LED from modern technology, it is emitted from our large televisions, our LEDs, our computer screens and smartphones."