The Chase star Darragh Ennis shares 'genius' trick to fall asleep quickly
Altering just one aspect of your bedtime routine could transform your sleep, claims The Chase celebrity Darragh Ennis. Whilst he's best recognised for challenging contestants as The Menace on the ITV quiz programme, Darragh works as a neuroscientist and recently authored a book about the human body called The Body: 10 Things You Should Know.
In a latest clip on his TikTok profile, Darragh outlined why countless people struggle with falling asleep at night, and revealed how to achieve a guaranteed restful night's sleep. And it's super simple to do, as there's just one aspect we need to modify about our pre-sleep habits.
Darragh argued that scrolling through your mobile before bedtime can prevent sleep due to how our minds react to the illumination that phones produce.
He stated: "Did you ever wonder why it is that looking at your phone at night can make it hard to go to sleep? It's all to do with light. Backlit screens emit a lot of light, and we've evolved to be active during the day.
"Our bodies tend to get tired when it's dark outside. Our brain does this by using signals from our eyes about how much light there is, but also what colour light we see. If we take in blue light, a lot of which comes from backlit screens, the production of the hormone melatonin decreases. Melatonin is one of the key things that helps make us sleepy."
Numerous phones and other backlit gadgets now feature blue light filter settings that can activate automatically at specific times of day. These are intended to block blue light and reduce eye strain during evening hours, but according to Darragh, they offer little assistance with sleep quality.
He explained: "The blue light filters and things don't seem to have much impact either. Lots of studies have shown this because [with] other parts of the light spectrum, particularly yellow light, our brain thinks that it is coming from midday sunlight. This also stops us from getting sleepy."
For those battling bedtime insomnia and seeking a straightforward solution, Darragh suggests the simplest approach is to abandon your phone when heading to bed.
He advised: "If you really want to get better sleep, it has been shown that the best thing you can do is not look at a backlit screen at all. If you want to read or anything, it's better to put your phone down and read a book."
How to get a better night's sleep
The NHS' Every Mind Matters programme has outlined various measures that can assist with falling asleep quickly and achieving higher quality rest once you do nod off. Their recommendations include:.
1. Have a good sleep routine
Having a regular routine helps to improve sleep. It's sometimes called sleep hygiene. A good sleep routine should include having a set time to start winding down and going to bed and getting up at fixed times.
2. Relax and try meditation to help you sleep
Avoid electronic devices at least an hour before bed, as mobiles, tablets and computers all throw out blue light that stops sleep. Reading, listening to soft music or a podcast, or sleep meditation can all help if you have trouble sleeping.
3. Try mindfulness for sleep
Anxiety, worry and stress can affect how well we sleep. Luckily, there are things you can do daily to help manage your worries, like talking to someone you trust or writing in a notebook about your concerns.
If you often lie awake worrying, set aside time before bed to make a to-do list for the next day, as this can be a good way to put your mind at rest.
4. Create the right sleep environment
It's generally easier to fall asleep when it's quiet, dark, and cool, although the right sleep environment is personal. So, try different things and see what works for you. You may find that wearing earplugs and putting your phone on silent can help you eliminate distractions and fall asleep faster.
Good curtains or blinds can help to keep a room dark and avoid unwanted light by keeping clocks out of view and phones facing down. Some people also find it helps to play music for sleep, such as ambient sounds like rainfall, gentle music or white noise.
5. Do not force sleep
If you're lying awake, unable to sleep, do not try to force it. If you're tired and enjoying the feeling of resting, then sleep may naturally take over. But if you cannot sleep, get up and sit in a comfy place and do something relaxing, like reading a book or listening to quiet music.
6. Improve sleep through diet and exercise
A good diet and regular physical exercise can help us relax and get better sleep. Avoid eating large meals before bedtime, and try to ditch any caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine before you go to sleep. The general advice is to avoid stimulants 1 to 2 hours before bed.
Regular exercise helps with sleep, but avoid anything too energetic in the 90 minutes before bedtime if you find it stops you from sleeping.
For more information, visit the NHS website.
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