How to fall asleep faster

how to fall asleep faster

It's not always easy for me to fall asleep. Sometime my brain is in overtime, running a million miles an hour thinking about all of the things I have to do the next day and how I'll find the time to manage it all. Sometimes, sleep feels completely elusive, and I toss and turn for hours before finally falling asleep.

I dealt with this problem for years. I would often hear statistics like "it only takes on average seven minutes to fall asleep", and I would laugh because for me it took hours some nights. Sleep just didn't come easy. Finally, I decided it was something I was going to work on. I was going to hack my body and my sleep to finally learn how to fall asleep.

I hit the internet, scouring scientific articles and reports, trying to see what the experts say about how to fall asleep. By re-calibrating my habits and hacking my sleep schedule, nowadays sleep comes easily. I can sleep fast; almost immediately after my head hits the pillow. It's not always easy to sleep, but it becomes easier and easier once you learn how to fall asleep. Here are some of the most effective sleep hacks and tips that I've used to help me learn how to fall asleep fast.

How to fall asleep fast

The secret of falling asleep fast is to cultivate healthy habits that lead to good sleep hygiene. By following these tips for better sleep, you'll train your brain to fall asleep faster, sleep more soundly, and wake up feeling rested and refreshed after a night of quality sleep.

Healthy sleep hygiene is a habit, and it can take time to properly develop it. The important thing is to start with these tips now. You might just be surprised at how much better and happier you feel after a night of good quality rest.

Sleep at the same time every night

The single most important healthy habit that you can keep to help yourself to fall asleep fast every night is to maintain a routine and healthy sleep schedule.

This means that you should try to not only get the right number of hours of sleep every night, but you should try to sleep on a routine schedule as a habit.

Try to have a set time to go to sleep and wake up, no matter

>> How and why you should wake up earlier.

Don't do anything in bed besides sleep

The bed is for sleeping, and if you want to be able to fall asleep quick, you need to train your brain to associate the bed only with sleep. The bed is not for watching TV, eating a snack, browsing or working on your laptop, or playing on your phone.

Once you train yourself to associate the bed only with sleep, avoiding all other distractions (especially electronic distractions) while you are in bed, it becomes easier to fall asleep quickly. If your brain associates the bed with television or games, essentially external stimulation, it will be harder to fall asleep fast.

It can take some time to retrain your brain, but be patient! Eventually, a new habit becomes cemented into your mind. After a few weeks, your sleep will begin coming easier than ever before.

>> How long does it take to form a new habit?

Go electronics-free for one hour before sleep; no phones or TV in the bedroom

This relates directly to the previous point. In fact, if you can make it a habit to ban all electronics from your bedroom completely, you'll be able to sleep much faster and easier.

The artificial light emitted from electronic devices are terrible for helping you fall asleep. Modern electronic devices emit light on the blue wavelengths of the light spectrum, which are harmful for falling asleep. Blue light inhibits the body's release of melatonin, a hormone that helps you to fall asleep quick and naturally.

By putting your phone away (and not using it as your alarm clock!) and removing the television from your bedroom, you can begin avoiding electronics for about an hour before going to bed. During this time, the body will be able to produce the proper levels of melatonin, and you will be able to sleep faster and more soundly.

Read a book before bed

Instead of watching television at night, try reading for an hour before bed. Reading helps to calm down your brain; there's a reason that people tell or read bedtime stories to their kids! Reading before bed isn't just for children, though. Adults could benefit just as much, or even more, from making time to read before you fall asleep.

Reading will relax your brain and help to distract you from the stressors that cause anxiety during the  day. When you read for an hour (or even less) before you sleep, you will fall asleep much more easily and quicker than before.

Meditate before going to bed

Evening meditation, even just five minutes before bed, can calm you down, help you relax, and put your mind in a calm mindset that is conducive to falling asleep quick.

>> Awesome benefits of daily meditation

Have a cup of herbal tea before bed

Some types of herbal teas, such as chamomile tea, help the body and mind to calm down and relax after a busy day.

Some brands even market a special "sleepytime" or "bedtime" herbal tea made of relaxing herbs and flowers that promote relaxation and lead to better sleep.

No caffeine for at least five hours before bed

Caffeine has a half life of around five hours. This means that after five hours, only half of the caffeine that you have ingested will have left the body. If you drink two cups of coffee at 3:00 pm, you will still have the equivalent caffeine of one cup of coffee by 8:00 pm.

Everyone has a different tolerance level to caffeine, so try to find the right time in your day to begin cutting back on coffee.

I have a few rules for myself. I never drink coffee after lunchtime, and I don't drink any caffeine (such as tea) at all after 3:00 pm. Again, that's just me. Try to cut back on caffeine for yourself and see what effects limiting caffeine consumption in the afternoon has on your healthy sleep cycle.

>> Healthy replacements for coffee that give you clean energy without caffeine

Take a cold shower before bed

This one might be a little surprising. You might even think that the shock of cold water from an icy cold shower might wake you up and make you feel more alert.

Actually, even though a hot shower may feel relaxing, it might cause you to take longer to fall asleep. The human body sleeps most deeply when it is slightly cool. When you take a hot shower, you raise your core temperature slightly, as if you were exercising. Your brain will begin to feel more awake, and your body will have to work harder to cool your body down to the optimal sleep temperature.

By taking a cold shower, you are preemptively preparing your body to become more relaxed, leading to falling asleep fast and sleeping more deeply throughout the night.

Turn on the AC

This is related to the previous point. Sleeping when it is slightly cold helps you to fall asleep fast and sleep deeply.

The optimal temperature for the human body is somewhere between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 18 Centigrade). This might seem a little too cold for you, and if it is, that's ok. Just try lowering the thermostat a few degrees lower than normal. You can even bundle up in a cozy warm blanket and still get the benefits.

Listen to white noise or nature sounds

Some people feel like they can't sleep without the noise of the TV on in the background. This is a very unhealthy habit, as television releases artificial light on the blue wavelength of the light spectrum, which inhibits the body's production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that is necessary for deep sleep, and when you sleep with the television, you are actually robbing your brain and body of the necessary deep sleep that it needs to function properly.

If you can't sleep in the silence of your bedroom, try to switch the television out for white noise, or even nature sounds like rain, running water, or crickets chirping.