The 3-Minute Sleep Trick That Works

culled from:prevention.com

You’d probably give anything for an extra half hour of sleep, right? Your regular manicure, your favorite latte, frosting (whoa, scratch that last one). Fortunately, there’s no need to give up anything: New research shows that a simple back rub can be just what the insomnia doc ordered.
Women who received a slow stroke back massage for just three minutes logged 36 more minutes of sleep time than people who didn’t get massaged, according to a small new study published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing.
Why can three minutes matter so much? Some research suggests it’s the amount of time our body needs before it can start producing feelings of calm, says lead study author Melodee Harris, PhD, an associate professor at Carr College of Nursing at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.
While more research is needed to confirm the results, Harris points out that a person’s sleep experience is largely subjective. “Your quality of sleep is whatever you say it is,” she says. In other words, if you try this and it works, that’s what’s important.
And since it takes so little time, what’ve you got to lose? Here’s how to try it out:
Lay in bed on your side or stomach. Have your partner use his fingertips to make slow, circular movements starting at the base of your spine and working up to the base of your neck. Repeat for a few minutes—that is, if you haven’t already drifted off to dreamland before then.