Do you have problems with falling asleep? “How to fall asleep faster?” Has this question ever came to your mind?
Then, you are at the right place. In this article, I will tell you 20 ways to help you sleep faster.
How to fall asleep faster?
This is a common problem. Age is not a barrier. The Elderly are more commonly affected. But the younger population is not spared. They often suffer from sleep onset prolongation.
Delay in sleep onset or insomnia occurs due to various reasons. There are many ways to deal with this problem.
I follow this simple steps.
• Create a sleeping environment.
• Prepare your body for sleep.
• Trick your mind.
• Train your mind.
These steps have helped me and many others to overcome the difficulty in falling asleep. I will talk about various ways you can take this step and deal with your problem.
I am sure you will find an answer to your question “How to fall asleep faster?”
Now, let us start with the first step.
Create a Sleeping Environment.
Creating a sleep-inducing environment is key to falling asleep quickly. This is the first step for falling asleep quickly. For this, you have to know what are sleep inducers and what will ruin your sleep.
Let us take a quick look at some of the easiest hacks that you can do to create a sleeping environment.
1. Hide your Clock
When we don’t fall asleep quickly, we become restless. We tend to look at the clock. This does not help the process. Interestingly it will only add stress.
How long will it take to sleep? Why am I not feeling sleepy? How to fall asleep faster? Questions like this will flood your mind. This will increase stress and also increase the time for sleep onset.
So, hide your clock or place it in a position which is not directly visible from your sleeping position.
“Hide your clock, not to get distracted.”
2. Cool your Room.
Optimum temperature is very important for falling asleep.
Study 1
This study demonstrates that hot temperature will affect your sleep cycle. Whereas the colder temperature does not affect the sleep cycle (circadian rhythm).
Study 2
This study discusses how an increase in nighttime climate change is affecting the sleep of individuals of that area.
Many studies suggest that 18 degrees Celsius or 65 degrees Fahrenheit will be optimal for inducing sleep.
So, adjust your thermostat before going to sleep. You can also try to keep your feet and arms out of your blanket.
“18 degrees Celsius – 21 degrees Celsius is the optimum temperature for faster sleep onset.”
3. Scent your room.
Any herbal aroma will elevate your mood and will help to sleep. There are many research papers which studied effects of aromatherapy on sleep.
Let us see some of those researchers.
A study was conducted on 16 men and 18 women between age groups of 18 years -30 years. Those who were exposed to the smell of lavender had better sleep and also fell asleep earlier.
The researchers concluded that lavender has mild sedative properties and helps in falling asleep faster.
Study 2
In this study, the researchers concluded that lavender aromatherapy has helped patients with heart disease in nursing home attain quality sleep.
Depending on the researches I suggest you should also try scenting your bedroom with lavender or any other herbal oils.
“Lavender will answer your question on how to fall asleep faster.”
4. Choose right Mattress.
You will be spending all night on your mattress. So if your mattress is not comfortable then this will not disturb your sleep.
So, buy a good mattress that will support your spine properly and help you in your sleeping.
5. Choose proper Pillow.
Pillow is not as expensive as a mattress. But it is equally important as your mattress. If you do not get a proper pillow you will end up with neck pain, shoulder pain, and headaches.
From personal experience, I can tell you a pillow which is not comfortable will delay your sleep. You will keep on tossing and turning. Which will further hamper your sleep?
So, choose a proper pillow and you will get your answer to “How to fall asleep faster.”
Now that you have created a sleeping environment, the time has come to go to next step.
Prepare yourself for Sleep
You can also call it sleeping ritual. It’s very important to have a proper sleep ritual. Yes, it can vary from people it people. But there are certain things that you would not want to omit.
6. Take warm Shower.
Some people take shower in the morning and some at night. I take shower twice a day. After waking up and before going to sleep.
Before I go to bed I take a warm shower. This makes my body temperature to rise.
So when I enter my bedroom with the thermostat at 18 degrees, I automatically feel sleepy.
You can try this. This has worked for me.
‘Take a warm shower before sleep.”
7. Wear loose Cloths.
Always try to sleep in loose clothes. If you have separate sleeping clothes, then that will be good. If you don’t have then get a pajama and loose T-shirt.
Once you wear them your internal clock will tell you that it is sleeping time. A tight cloth will delay sleep onset. So, it can be the reason for keeping you awake.
“Wear loose clothes to sleep faster.”
8. Acupressure.
There are various pressure points in our bodies. Pressing these points relaxes our body and mind. This helps to restore the balance of your body and mind.
There has been much medical research that suggests using acupressure techniques can be the answer to how to fall asleep faster.
Let us take a look at some of the medical researches done to find how acupressure helps to enhance sleep quality
Study 1
A study conducted on 120 post-menopausal women in Mashhad during 2009. The researchers suggested that acupressure alone can improve their sleep quality at a rate of 22%.
Study 2
Acupressure also has shown to help the those who suffer from Insomnia. A study done on 25 adolescents suffering from insomnia suggests this.
Study 3
75 elderly patients with hypertension were studied. The research concluded that Acupressure can lower systolic blood pressure effectively.
It will also improve the sleep quality among the middle-aged and elderly patients to fall asleep faster.
Let us take a look how and where to apply acupressure.
Point 1
Try to feel a small depression between your eyebrows. It is at the level of your eyebrows above your nose. Apply gentle pressure and massage it gently by yourself.
Point 2
A depression between the 1st and 2nd toe. Apply gentle pressure to it and massage.
Point 3
Massage both your ears.
“You can easily do acupressure of the first point all by yourself.”
Follow this steps to prepare your body and mind for sleeping.
Trick your mind.
Our mind is like a monkey on steroids. At the end of the day when rest is most needed, it will still work out. It will keep on thinking what has happened throughout the day. And if that was not enough it will also bring back old thoughts from the past.
Have you experienced this before? I have. I always thought I am over thinking. The problem with this is this that you won’t be able to fall asleep.
So we need to control our mind or in some cases trick it.
But, Why?
So that we can fall asleep faster.
Here are tricks that will trick your mind and will be the answer to “How to fall asleep fast.”
9. Listen to music.
Music is very powerful medicine. It has the potential to calm our minds. When you listen to soothing soft music, it helps your mind to relax. This treatment is also called music therapy. Music can be the answer to your question of “How to fall asleep faster.”
Not only this there are many research articles regarding the influence of music and sleep. Let us take a look at some of those researchers.
Study 1
According to the research, music can assist in improving the sleep quality of patients with sleep disorders. They also suggested follow up music therapy for 3 weeks for those who are suffering from chronic sleeping disorders.
Study 2
The researchers suggest that music can help patients with insomnia. Listening to music helps them sleep faster.
Study 3
A study was done on 94 students aged between 19 and 28 years on 2006. Those students had some sleep complaints. The research concluded that classical music helped them to fall asleep faster.
So, as you can see in this research that music therapy can definitely be the answer to how to fall asleep faster.
I prefer to hear “Jazz”. You choose what suits you the most. But don’t start hearing party songs. That won’t help.
“Hear soothing soft music to distract your mind.”
10. Imagine a beautiful Landscape.
Just like music Images also leave a good impact on your mind. Using engaging images, the pre-sleep activity and sleep onset latency can be decreased.
It is a type of behavioral research therapy.
A medical research study conducted on 41 people with insomnia. They were instructed to imagine soothing natural pictures.
This imagination distracted them from negative thoughts. This helped them to fall asleep faster.
Negative thoughts or worrisome thoughts come to your mind from day to day hustle. So it is an only smart thing to keep them away.
If you want to follow this technique, then try picturing natural landscape like mountains, waterfalls, beaches and oceans. As a matter of fact, you can imagine your favorite place which calms your mind.
“Imagine beautiful landscape pictures to calm your mind.”
11. Blow bubbles.
Next time you find yourself lying on a bed and shuffling positions. Yet you are not falling asleep. Your mind haunted by a question “how to fall asleep faster”. This is the right time to bring your inner child out.
Have you ever tried to blow a bubble when you were a child? Now you have to try to blow bubbles.
Step 1
Purse your lips round.
Step 2
Slowly blow out air as you exhale.
Step 3
Try to visualize the clear bubbles.
This will take you to your childhood moment. Your mind will be at peace and you will fall asleep faster.
If you have racing thoughts in your mind. Which is very common when you are trying to sleep but not falling asleep.
Then imagine putting your thoughts in the ring and blow them. You will be surprised next morning when you find how effective this solution is.
“Bring out the child inside you and fall asleep faster.”
All these techniques are easy to do and will give you a result.
This is also good habits. If you get used to it then, it’s good. But sometimes it becomes hard to tame our mind.
So, next step, you have to train your mind.
Train your mind.
Training your mind is hard. But that does not mean that we should shy away from doing so. Simple people have done great things by training their mind. This no doubt will be a good answer to your question of ‘’How to fall asleep fast.”
There are some meditation techniques and breathing techniques which will help you keep your mind calm. This will also increase the oxygen capacity. Altogether this will help you fall asleep faster and also have a quality sleep.
12. Slow breathing.
Breathing is not something unknown to us. But the pace at which we breath is important. Breathing technique is nothing new. It is an age-old tradition in Ayurveda and Yoga. It is called “Pranayama.”
You have to involve your diaphragm in your breathing process.
Steps
1. Sit on your mattress or a yoga mat.
2. Fold your legs. Keep your spine erect.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Slowly breath in count up to 7 seconds
5. Hold your breath for another 7 seconds
6. Slowly release your breath counting 7.
While doing this try to feel your breathing. This will have two effects. You will inhale an adequate amount of oxygen.
Secondly, you will only concentrate on your breathing. This will help you in detaching from the outside world. Your mind will be attached to yourself only. This will keep all other thoughts away.
This will help you sleep well and fall asleep faster.
Make it a habit to practice “Pranayama.” This will help you greatly in life. I have seen results in front of my eyes.
“Practice Pranayama It feels, great.”
13. Use 4-7-8 method.
This technique is very well known. This is a simple technique.
Step 1.
Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth row. Keep it in that position throughout the entire process.
Step 2
Breath out (exhale) through your mouth. You will hear whoosh sound.
Step 3
Close your mouth. Count 1-2-3-4. Breath in (Inhale) through our nose.
Step 4
Now hold your breath and Count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7.
Step 5
Slowly breath out completely on count 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 making the whoosh sound.
Tips:
Repeat this until you fall asleep. Keep towels near you. This will be handy when you are trying for the first time.
This technique has done wonders for some people. This can be a good answer for how to fall asleep faster.
Of course, there are other ways. I have just talked about two techniques to keep things simple.
14. Meditation.
It is a process to concentrate your mind. You get attached to yourself by detaching yourself from worldly affairs. This will help you in every field of your life.
When our mind, body, and soul are at equilibrium then we will automatically perform better.
Meditation is in long term is the answer to your question ” how to fall asleep faster.”Breathing exercises like slow breathing techniques and yoga will help you meditate.
Training mind is a continuous process be consistent with it.
“Follow these four main steps daily and fall asleep faster .”
But some days you have are already lying on your bed and waiting for sleep. This can happen to anyone.
In this case, you should engage in some activity.
Engage in some activity.
There can be times when you will wake up at night or waiting to fall asleep. Try to go back to sleep. But if you don’t fall asleep for 15-20 minutes, then don’t waste your time trying. Wake up and take some fresh air. Try and get involved in some activities.
15. Write a Journal
When you are under stress you need to express your feelings. Sometimes the daily routine becomes very stress full. If you are under stress, then you will not fall asleep quickly you.
So, if you find that you are not falling asleep, then don’t struggle. Wake up and start writing. Maintain a personal Journal. Writing is also a good habit. Write down your thoughts and free your mind.
This will help you relax and you will fall asleep faster. Let us know have you tried writing a journal and is this the answer to your question “How to fall asleep faster.”
16. Read a Book
Just like writing reading can be a stressbuster. Reading is a good habit. If you are struggling to sleep then reading a book can help you. Just do not read interesting books like Horror, adventure.
Read those which you have already read.
Use books, not an electronic device. You may dim the light but still, it emits blue light which will interfere with your sleep.
17. Draw
Following the same concept like the above. If you love to draw or sketch. Then instead of reading or writing just draw. But don’t start up a new project of drawing.
Just do it as a hobby, best will be to color a coloring book. This will need enough concentration to make you tired. This way you will fall asleep quickly after you have colored for at least 10 minutes.
“Get engaged and tire yourself before sleeping.”
Foods to eat.
Having a meal and wait for at least 3 hours before going to sleep. Food will take time to digest. If you have consumed protein, then they take more time to digest.
But in case, you are not falling asleep quickly then you can try taking any one of these foods this will help you fall asleep faster.
18. Cottage Cheese.
It contains lean fat and tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that may increase serotonin. Lower levels of serotonin will help you sleep faster and better.
19. Honey
Honey contains tryptophan which induces sleep. So if you are not falling asleep quickly then you can try taking honey.
Mix honey with milk or green tea. This will help you in falling asleep fast.
20. Cherries
Cherries are few natural sources of melatonin. It will help you regulate your circadian rhythm.
“Eat cherries or other fruits like raspberries instead of taking melatonin supplements.”
Also read our article: Drinks that will help you Sleep.
Conclusion.
All these techniques are easy, simple and doable. If done properly they will help you in your quest for “How to fall asleep fast.”
Millions of people around the world have followed some of the techniques and have got results. Tell us which of the above techniques you will like to explore.
I believe that having a quality sleep will help you in leading a healthy life. I wish you fall asleep fast and have a comfortable and quality sleep.
“Thank you” for reading this article. If you like the article please share it with your friends, family, and loved ones. We will be hugely grateful and highly encouraged by your generosity.