The question is easier than it seems: How did you sleep last night? I mean exactly the moment you went from wakefulness to sleep or, if you prefer, the moments before, what happened? how did you get it? what did you feel at that moment? It is still curious that even though we sleep every day, “falling asleep” is such an unknown process.
And not only by ordinary citizens but by scientists themselves. In the last decade, the technological leap in neuroimaging tools has managed to bring us much closer to what happens at that enigmatic moment in which we plunge into the domain of Morpheus.
And yet the web is still full of “fixes” to “fast sleep” that is closer to magical rituals and superstitions than anything resembling a scientifically sound, behavioral technique. What does science tell us about all this?
A crash course in the neurobiology of sleep
There are a good handful of brain structures directly involved in sleep processes: the hypothalamus (which acts as a control center for arousal and contains key neural structures in circadian rhythms), the brain stem (where the transition between waking sleep), the thalamus (which, in a way, is the structure that passes sensory information to the central nervous system and which, during sleep, goes into “do not disturb” mode), the pineal gland (which secretes a hormone, melatonin, which contributes to inducing sleep by adjusting to the day-night cycle) or the amygdala (which “processes” emotions and has a very important role in the REM phase of sleep).
However, the most interesting thing about all this anatomical analysis is to realize that we do not have structures specifically dedicated to sleep. Although there are groups of neurons whose function is focused on it, the difference between wakefulness and sleep is more in the way the nervous system works than in the structures that are involved. The core issue of “falling asleep” is how to switch modes without compromising system performance.
For this reason, within the famous REM and non-REM sleep phases, there is one (phase 1) that, although it lasts a few minutes, is tremendously important. It is a light sleep during which the body (heartbeats, breaths, movements) relax and slow down and in which the brain wave patterns begin to show that the transition between one state and another is underway.
This gives us a first clue as to what the body needs to start the process that will put us to sleep. However, it is not enough to have a period of calm. Normally, two internal biological mechanisms help regulate sleep and allow us to synchronize those moments of rest with our physiological needs: circadian rhythms (a kind of “biological clock” that regulates many functions: from body temperature to the release of hormones ) and wake-sleep homeostasis (i.e., the need for sleep).
The three key tips to falling asleep
These three levers are the fundamental instruments that we have to facilitate that sleep is not only deep and restful but also that we can fall asleep quickly. In general, all the techniques that we can find to help us fall asleep fast play with them in one way or another.
Relax your mind and body
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.