Sleep Health

Published May 30, 2022

12 min

How to fall asleep fast

DreamCloud Editorial Team

Table of contents

1. Military Sleep Method2. 4-7-8 Method To Fall Asleep 3. Image Distraction 4. How To Fall Asleep In 5 Minutes How Long Does It Take To Fall Asleep Naturally 10 Natural Ways To Fall Asleep Conclusion Frequently Asked Questions

Are you spending more time turning and tossing in your bed rather than sleeping? Does falling asleep seem like a mammoth chore? We get it. Not being able to doze off can be frustrating, and if this becomes a regular phenomenon, it can take a toll on your health. Around 50 to 70 million adults in the US suffer from sleep disorders. If you are one of them, it’s time to come out of it. Read on to know how to fall asleep fast.

1. Military Sleep Method

The military sleep method was developed to help pilots fall asleep quickly in the US Navy Pre-Flight School. It is helpful for people who have to sleep while sitting because of their profession or any other reason. This method focuses on relaxing your muscles and controlling your breathing. Know how to fall asleep in 10 seconds using the military sleep method:

Lie down on your bed and relax your muscles.
Start with your facial muscles. Let them relax naturally.
Now, relax the muscles of your shoulders. Take deep breaths.
Don’t think of anything for ten seconds. Next, you might try imagining a relaxing scene. If this doesn’t work, try repeating “don’t think” in your mind for 10 seconds. That's how to fall asleep easier.

If the military method fails to take you to the world of sleep, you might consider focussing on its basics. Muscle relaxation and breathing can indeed be helpful when you are trying to sleep. Learn more about how to sleep well and efficiently in the other methods.

2. 4-7-8 Method To Fall Asleep

This method combines the power of meditation, visualization, and breathing to help you sleep . It can help you relax by distracting you from all your thoughts. Follow these simple ways to fall asleep;

Rest your tongue at the back of your front teeth.
Exhale all your breath through your mouth, making a whooshing sound.
Now inhale slowly through your nose. Count 4 in your mind as you do it. Hold your breath for 7 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds.
Repeat the process four times. If you feel relaxed sooner, let your body go to sleep.

Progressive muscle relaxation

How to easily fall asleep fast? It is a common question. Yes, progressive muscle relaxation can help you relax and go to sleep. You can also call it deep muscle relaxation. These techniques on how to fall asleep fast help you unwind for the day. You will focus on different muscle groups in your body to tense and then relax them.

Raise your eyebrows to tense your forehead muscles.
Now, focus on releasing the tension.
Put on a wide smile to tense the muscles of your cheek.
Now relax them slowly.
Squeeze your eyes shut.
Relax them slowly as you focus on your eyelids.
Try this out with the other areas in your body like shoulders, neck, hips, and feet.
Doze off to sleep when you feel relaxed.

This is one of the most effective ways on how to relax and fall asleep fast. You can try out the 4-7-8 breathing first for better effects, making it the best way to fall asleep.

3. Image Distraction

It is about imagining a calming and relaxing scene that distracts you from all other thoughts. A 2002 study showed that people who practiced imagery distraction were likely to fall asleep faster. So, how to go about it? How to make yourself fall asleep fast?Try imagining a scene and the feelings associated with it. For instance, you can imagine the sun setting on the mountains, the sound of flowing water, and the rustle of leaves. You will find all your worries vanish from your mind. That is how to sleep better at night. First, you take recourse to scenes from nature and watch your tensions flee. Then you can enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep.

Ask Yourself to Stay Awake

Don’t try to fall asleep. No, we are not joking. It is all about paradoxical intention. You end up doing something you don’t want to do. Thinking about sleep and trying to doze off might make you anxious. What you can do instead is try not to sleep. It might be more effective than all other methods to make you fall asleep and is one of the fastest way to fall asleep.

Acupressure for Sleep

Acupressure helps in relaxing some specific pressure points in your body. This is also an excellent method for how to fall asleep fast when not tired. Some points are particularly tense. Gently massaging them can help you relax and fall asleep. More research, however, needs to be done on the effects of acupressure on sleep. Here are some acupressure points that might help while you try to fall asleep.

The spirit gate is the small hollow-like place under your palm on the pinky side.
The inner frontier gate is the hollow area on your palm below the wrist crease.
The wind pool is where your head connects with your neck.

You can press these areas gently. Breathe deeply while you do it. Focus on how your body relaxes. And you will slide into the world of dreams. Trying these steps for 2 minutes is some of the natural ways to fall asleep.

4. How To Fall Asleep In 5 Minutes

If two minutes also feels too less, don’t worry. There are ways to fall asleep fast and easy in 5 minutes. To make yourself fall asleep fast without medication in five minutes, all you have to do is try a combination of any of the above-mentioned methods. Along with all of them, you can also try other sleeping tips, such as listening to soft music, staying away from electronics, and more. Below, we bring you more tips on how to fall asleep fast.

How Long Does It Take To Fall Asleep Naturally

A person's average time to fall asleep is about 10 to 20 minutes. However, it depends. Some nights when you are too tired, it can be sooner than usual and vice versa. However, if you cannot fall asleep even within 20-30 minutes, there can be an underlying issue. How To Fall Asleep Fast: 4 Easy Ways To Follow If you are wondering how to sleep well and the art of falling asleep quickly is something you want to learn, the steps below will help you out.

10 Natural Ways To Fall Asleep

Here are 10 natural ways to fall asleep. These steps are oh-so-easy to follow and don’t require any medication or more. Take a look.

Practice Yoga

Yoga is not just a great workout routine, but it can also be practiced to keep yourself calm and help you relax after a long day. In fact, as per a survey, it was seen that almost 55% of people found yoga to be beneficial when it came to falling asleep. Yoga helps you because it regulates your breathing and completely calms you down. You can try a few yoga positions for 3-5 minutes before you hit the sheets and you are good to go.

Start Meditating

One of the simple tricks you can try easily is to meditate before bed. Yes, deep breathing to fall asleep works. Meditating before bed every day will reduce your stress and anxiety. Thus, you will be able to get an excellent night’s sleep. How would you start meditating as a beginner? You might find it hard to focus initially. However, it will get better with time. Follow these steps to ace your meditation game to fall asleep;

Sit straight on your bed and close your eyes.
Inhale and exhale deeply from your abdomen.
Push aside all other thoughts and focus on your breathing.
If you find it difficult to stop thinking, imagine your worries moving out as you exhale.
Do it for five minutes if you cannot do it for long. Then, you can increase the time gradually.
Take a Warm Bath

You know that a warm bath can leave you refreshed after a long and tiring day. But, it can also help you sleep better at night. A studyshows that taking a bath before bedtime increases the chances of getting sound sleep. Moreover, you will fall asleep quickly. That is because your body will start cooling down after the bath. It will signal your brain that it’s time to sleep. Now you know another relaxing tip on how to fall asleep fast naturally. So, if you cannot fall asleep quickly, don’t go to sleep without taking a warm bath.

Listen to Relaxing Music

One of the enjoyable things to do when you can’t sleep is to listen to music. You need to listen to something soothing and relaxing so this trick works. Music sends electrical signals to the brain, triggering a physical change in your body and promoting sleep. Sleepy music also decreases the amount of cortisol in you, and you also feel the stress leaving your body.

Try Aromatherapy

Using essential oils is a pleasant way to fall asleep. You can add a few drops of your favorite sleep-aiding essential oils to a diffuser, and you are good to go. Why does it help? Because of cedrol. Essential oils have a combination of cedrol, which has sedative effects on both animals and humans. Some of the oils you can try to fall asleep faster include lavender essential oil, clary sage oil, and cedarwood oil.

Set a Bedtime Routine

You have read several techniques on how to fall asleep fast. But nothing can beat setting a routine for yourself. So, what should you do? Now there is no one-size-fits-all routine. But, you can try and test what works for you and what doesn’t to help you fall asleep faster. You can take a walk on the terrace or take a warm bath. You may even try listening to music. Do whatever suits you the best. When you perform the same activity regularly, your body and brain will understand when to wind up. You should also try to go to bed at the same time every day. That will make your body accustomed. And it will prepare itself to slide off to sleep.

Take a Walk

How to fall asleep fast with insomnia? Some people with insomnia feel restless at night. You might consider taking a ten-minute walk to calm down. Take care not to make any loud noise or go near bright lights. It should serve as a soothing ritual to reduce your anxiety and help you fall asleep faster.

Put Your Socks On

This method might help if you have cold feet. Having cold feet constructs your blood vessels affecting circulation. That will send signals to your brain to stay awake. If you wear socks, your blood vessels will dilate. That will improve blood circulation and help your brain to fall asleep faster.

Have Your Dinner Early

Do you eat your dinner and jump straight into bed? That might be bad for your digestive health. Moreover, it will also prevent you from getting a peaceful night’s sleep. Instead, try to have your dinner at least two hours before bedtime. Thus, your body will get enough time to digest the food, and you will not have trouble falling asleep. You must also avoid eating heavy and oily food at night. Proteins might be hard to digest. You can go for some light carbs instead. When you keep your stomach happy and calm, it will not disturb you at night.

Get the Perfect Mattress

What could be the best mattress for you? No one type fits all. The best mattress for you will depend on your preferences. Try to choose mattresses that are neither too soft nor too firm. The former will not provide enough support to your joints. And the latter might feel too hard when you lie down. If you have specific medical conditions like arthritis or lower back pain , you can consult your physician before buying your mattress. A good mattress is imperative to help you fall asleep faster.

Conclusion

Not getting sound sleep at night might turn you into a grumpy person during the day and affect your productivity. So, make sure you fix your sleep routine as soon as possible. The sleeping tips in this blog will surely help you forget your worries and doze off to the nearest dreamland. However, if the problem persists, you should see a doctor immediately.Disclaimer: This website does not offer medical advice nor professional medical services; rather, it is provided solely for educational, informational, and/or entertainment purposes. Individuals seeking medical advice should consult a licensed physician. The information provided should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any condition, disease, or injury. When you have a medical condition, you should always talk to licensed doctor or other certified medical professional. You should never delay seeking professional medical advice or treatment based on the contents of this website. Call 911 or immediately go to the nearest emergency room if you think you may have a medical emergency. The contents of this website are provided "as-is", Dreamcloud Sleep and its parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, contributors disclaim any warranty of the information contained herein. Please contact support@dreamcloud.com to report any errors, omissions, misinformation, or abuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Fall Asleep When Not Tired? Try having your dinner early. That will make you go to bed sooner and wake up early. You can try meditation, listening to sleepy music, and breathing exercises to fall asleep faster even when not tired. You can refer to some of the other tips in the above article. Why Does It Take Me So Long To Fall Asleep? The average time to fall asleep must be between 10-20 minutes. However, if it is taking more, it can be a sign of an underlying condition. It is essential that you talk to your doctor. Why Do You Fall Asleep After Eating Sugar? When you consume a lot of sugar, it leads to an increase in insulin production, which results in draining your energy and increases the feeling of tiredness. What Color Helps You Fall Asleep? It is believed that the blue color can help you fall asleep faster as it has a calming effect on your brain. To know more about colors that can help you fall asleep, read this article here.

How to fall asleep fast

1. Military Sleep Method

2. 4-7-8 Method To Fall Asleep

Progressive muscle relaxation

3. Image Distraction

Ask Yourself to Stay Awake

Acupressure for Sleep

4. How To Fall Asleep In 5 Minutes

How Long Does It Take To Fall Asleep Naturally

10 Natural Ways To Fall Asleep

Conclusion

Frequently Asked Questions

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