Having trouble sleeping?  Doesn’t seem to matter how many sheep you count it still doesn’t help you fall into the land of nod?  Need some tips to get some much-needed shut eye as soon as you hit the sack?

Look no further!  Here are a number of more unusual ways of successfully turning in, taking a nap, copping some z’s, bedding down, having a siesta and enjoying a snooze!

Make Your Bed & Now Lie in it!

People who make their bed in the morning are 19% more likely to get a good night’s sleep every night – there is nothing like being excited to jump into bed with your positive outlook on sleep!

Sock It to Me Babe!

Warm feet and hands equal rapid sleep onset. Shifting blood flow from your core to your extremities cools down your body works in concert with melatonin.

Munch on Magnesium

Magnesium plays a key role in our ability to sleep through the night. Try chowing on magnesium-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds, spinach, and  swiss chard or pop a ZMA supplement, another form of magnesium, about half an hour before bedtime.

Ice Nice zzz’s

Reset your nervous system if you feel anxious or distressed before bed by submerging your face in a bowl of cold water which triggers an involuntary phenomenon called the 'Mammalian Dive Reflex', lowering your heart rate and blood pressure. Then it’s off to bed with a soothed system ready to hit that hay.

Be Cool - Go Naked!

A cooler body temperature is more conducive for falling asleep.  People doze off easier and sleep better when the room temperature is on the cooler side!

Toe Curl – Give it a whirl!

Curl your toes tightly for the count of seven then relax and repeat.  This helps to relax your mind and body and before you know it – "Morning!"

Don’t be a Dummy – Rub your Tummy!

Rub your belly starting at the navel making bigger and bigger circles as you go clockwise, then anticlockwise then smaller circles, clockwise and then anticlockwise whilst the sleep fairy waves her wand!

Fall asleep on the double  - after you have a blow some bubbles

The benefits of blowing bubbles before bed are two-fold: Bubbles are slightly hypnotic to look at and require a process of deep breathing to blow.  It’s like a deep breathing exercise, which helps calm your body and mind and since it’s such a silly activity, it can also take your mind from any potential sleep-thwarting thoughts.

Don’t be a Day Vampire - Expose yourself to sunlight

Thirty to sixty minutes of natural outdoor light can help our bodies create a sleep schedule. This is critical for us since our bodies may be inundated with confusing signals from artificial light. Enjoying the sun's rays in moderation is like hitting the reset button.

Rock & Lull

Sit in a chair and hum a soothing song.  Avoid singing rap or heavymetal - instead choose a light soothing song that will slow you down mentally and prepare you for a goodnights sleep.

Back to Sleeping in the Sack

Sleeping on you back is a winning sleeping position. Snoozing in savasana pose is a boost for spine and neck health, because the back is straight and not forced into any contortions. Plus it helps the mattress do its job of supporting the spine. In a perfect (and kind of uncomfy) world, everyone would sleep on their backs without a pillow, as this position leaves the neck in a neutral position and too many pillows can make breathing more difficult.  It is also a winner for the more cosmetically inclined. Spending all night with the face out in the air—and not smooched up against a pillow—leads to fewer facial wrinkles – win – win combo!

Do a Headstand

This may sound stupid, but it works.  A headstand circulates refreshed blood to the master glands in our brain - hypothalamus and pituitary, which control all the other glands in our body. It also cleanses and detoxifies the adrenal glands, making us think positive and ward off depressive thoughts.  As your worries and anxieties fade away, you’ll naturally doze off into a restful slumber.  Just remember to get back on your feet before you doze off!

Be a Rebel with a Cause!

By telling your brain you’re not going to sleep and you will stay awake as long as possible will make your brain rebel and automatically feel sleepy!

Pip Pip Sleepless Nights

By having a glass of cherry juice which is full of melatonin, a natural antioxidant helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle. Produced naturally by the body in small amounts, melatonin plays a role in inducing sleepiness at night and wakefulness during the day.

Yippee Eat a Kiwi

Nightly kiwis one hour before bedtime means an improved sleep, its duration, and efficiency.

Imagine  - Go on a Mental Vacation

Try a relaxing imagery exercise: Picture any tranquil scene and let your imagination take you on a chilled-out journey letting you do all those things that make you feel relaxed and calm.  Go to your happy place every night. Imagine yourself sitting on the beach, perhaps with a martini in your hands and a bonfire burning away all the worries you ever had. See the waves of the ocean making that soothing noise; feel a pleasant, cool breeze blowing on your face. Feel your hands touching the moist sand and as you look into the horizon, see the waves crashing onto the shore; this will help cue your brain to settle down.

No Baa Baa Sheep just a Bar Bar of Soap

If all else fails, placing a bar of soap underneath the sheets, sounds a little weird but apparently, a bar of soap releases the mineral magnesium while you sleep, which believers say will relieve nocturnal leg cramping and restlessness aiding a peaceful nights sleep.

Make sacrifices

Avoid distractions; hide the remote control, lose the phone/tablet, don’t look at TV or listen to music as these will keep you awake more than it should.

Read a 'peaceful' book

Or a boring one. They both work for me. But dont do this until you go to bed because the idea is to fall asleep fast and not to read 100 pages in bed and then go to sleep. The moment you feel tired, put the book down and put your head on the pillow. 

Don’t Perplex Just Have sex!

This is one of those activities that once completed requires recovery, so a good night sleep is the best solution.

Who said that learning how to fall asleep fast wasnt fun?

"Don't fight with the pillow but lay down your head

And kick every worriment out of the bed."

-Edmund Vance Cooke

"Laugh and the world laughs with you; snore, and you sleep alone!"

-Anthony Burgess

"The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more."

-Wilson Mizener

"There is no hope for a civilization which starts each day to the sound of an alarm clock."

-Unknown Author

"A well-spent day brings happy sleep."

-Leonardo da Vinci

Your life is a reflection of how you sleep, and how you sleep is a reflection of your life."

-Dr. Rafael Pelayo