Falling Asleep
Getting tired is natural; we spend our days using our bodies and being active. Even if you’re not physically active, mental activity is also tiring. We eat food to provide us with energy, and water to keep us healthy and hydrated, but eventually, we get tired. A lot of people drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages to stay alert, while some people prefer to consume things with higher sugar content for an energy burst. No matter what the quick fix, at the end of the day, nothing truly refreshes us like that of a good night’s sleep.
We all have our bedtime routines, things we like to do to wind down before we head to the land of the z’s. You’ll go to the bathroom, perform any skincare routines you may have, brush your teeth and get into your pj’s. Maybe you prefer getting into your jammies as early as possible, or maybe you’re a strict nighttime showerer. Once you’re in bed, the routine continues. Some people like to read or watch some TV before they’re ready to close their eyes. Once we’ve checked all our boxes (even subconsciously), the lights go off… and then what? Have you ever thought about the fact that we don’t really know how to go to sleep? Every other basic human function we know how to do. We breathe naturally without even thinking about it, and with time, we learn how to eat and drink, but we don’t really know how to fall asleep properly.
In order to fall asleep, we sort of just lie there, acting out as if we’re sleeping, waiting for sleep to come, whilst almost pretending that we already are. Some people have a really hard time falling asleep, and as they’ll tell you, the harder they try, the longer it takes. Other times we don’t even mean to fall asleep, and we just do. For example in the middle of a class, or on the bus. For a species so advanced, you’d think we’d know how to fall asleep correctly.