Reading: 4 Weird Sleep Tricks that Work

Raise your hand if this happens to you all the time: you go to bed at a reasonable hour, but spend the next 90 minutes trying to fall asleep. Or you fell asleep fine, but now it’s 3 am, and you’re wide awake.

You’ve probably tried your fair share of sleep remedies, and some of them probably even worked for a bit. But if you’re looking for more tools to add to your arsenal, here are four weird sleep strategies to help you nod off in no time.

Play Tetris for 10 Minutes
I know this sounds crazy — more screen time, while you’re in bed? But focusing on a simple task like a game of Tetris can help calm a crazed brain, and have an almost meditative effect. Why Tetris? Studies find the game can be used as a cognitive vaccine, meaning that because it stimulates both your working memory and visual processing at the same time, it blocks your brain from replaying traumatic memories. So instead of going over that awkward conversation with your boss a million times, focus on clearing those lines. Just make sure your screen is on the lowest light setting to minimize blue light.

Sleep with Me
The best thing about the Sleep with Me podcast is that it’s completely boring. Seriously, the only interesting part of host Drew Akerman’s show is probably its name. In each episode, Ackerman tells a monotonous, rambling story where the tangents are often longer than the actual plot. Listening along will keep your mind off of to-do lists and whatever else usually leaves you staring at the ceiling, without getting you so invested that you want to stay up to find out what happens.

Bring Back a Favorite 80s Hairstyle
Get yourself a thick spandex headband…that also happens to be a pair of headphones. If you’re in love with a snorer or happen to live near a fire station, sleep headphones are key. Flat padded speakers are tucked into a headband, so they’re way more comfortable than lying on your earbuds. Added bonus? You can pull them down over your eyes for an instant sleep mask.

Go to a Sleep Concert
Composer Max Richter partnered with a neuroscientist to create an eight-hour-long opus designed to help you relax into sleep. Lullabies are nothing new, but Richter upped the ante by turning his into an overnight performance, one where every member of the audience gets tucked into bed for the night. Recreate the experience at home, or see when Sleep is performing near you.

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