50 Ways To Fall Asleep Faster Even If You’re Not Tired

Do you find it difficult to get to sleep at night? Find yourself tossing and turning for what seems like (and probably is) hours? Here’s some ways you can fall asleep faster TONIGHT!

Here are some powerful ways you can fall asleep faster, even if you’re not actually tired. You can either try one of these, or all of them at once, it’s up to you. Also this is not just for lucid dreamers, this is for anyone who wants to sleep faster!

Editors note: This article is focused on short, easy to perform HACKS and tricks that can help you fall asleep a bit faster at night. It’s not exactly focused on getting BETTER sleep. To learn more about that, read the super detailed article I wrote showing you how to get better sleep at night and wake up feeling more refreshed.

How to fall asleep much faster

Here we go, but before we dive in: Some very powerful ways to fall asleep faster that are fairly new to the market are using a mind machine to meditate before sleep, or using a natural sleep supplement like this.

1: Make sure your room is comfortable

Your room needs to be a perfect comfortable palace bedroom. Okay not quite, but make sure that things that are obviously going to stop you getting good sleep are removed from the room.

Things like beeping alarm clocks or noisy computers. Turn all of this off for the night and you won’t be woken up as much by annoying noises. Also make sure that your bed is comfortable. Turn your mattress over every week, change your pillowcases every week and use a light pillow spray.

2: No light an hour before bed

Your body produces a hormone whenever it’s exposed to light. Light can be from the sun (natural) or from things like your phone screen, the light bulb, TV screen etc (artificial). The body will keep itself awake if you expose it to all this light. Try to cut out exposure to light about an hour before bed.

Even if this means sitting in darkness, having a bath in darkness or at the very least turning your lights right down and not looking at any screens. This will make you fall asleep much faster.

3: Meditate before bed

Meditation is a powerful way of relaxing your mind and body. It’s very easy to get started and it really helps you fall asleep. It might feel a little strange at first, but meditation is actually a fairly natural thing. It’s just in the modern world, we’re not used to just sitting and not doing anything or thinking anything.

4: Get your room to a good temperature

The temperature of the room you’re sleeping in is important. Make sure it’s not too warm, and not too cold. It should be more cold than warm because when you’re in deep sleep your body shuts down to a much lower temperature anyway. Making the room cold to begin with just helps this process and makes it easier for the body to shut the temperature down and fall into deep sleep.

Obviously don’t overdo this and make your room so cold that you can see the breath coming out of your mouth, but just maybe leave the window open a crack an hour before bed. It’s so nice to cuddle up in the duvet when it’s all cold, and you’ll find yourself falling asleep faster that way as well.

5: Make yourself TIRED in the day

When you have exercised during the day and you try to fall asleep, you find that it’s easier. Maybe you’ve experienced this? After a really long hard day of working, exercise, or doing lots of activities on holiday you find that you just dissolve into the bed. You’re so tired that you NEED sleep.

Think about it, the body knows it needs sleep, and in a perfect world, people would work and play hard, then fall asleep instantly when they touch the bed. It’s usually only when people stay up watching TV, drink lots of coffee or have too much stress on their mind that sleep becomes difficult.

6: Don’t overthink things too much

Try not to stress out about anything at night. No matter what happens, you’re alive and you should be thankful of that. Drift into the world of dreams and deal with other things tomorrow. You got fired from your job? That’s tomorrows problem. You broke up with your ex and wonder if they’re still thinking about you? Ignore them. Move on and sleep.

Of course it’s easier said than done and when things like this happen it’s natural to want to think about them. If it helps, try to ‘label’ your thoughts as thoughts. Notice that you’re having them but don’t let them drift into other thoughts, because that’s what will keep you awake.

7: Stay up and do something for 20 minutes

Often, when you’re trying to fall asleep, the ACT of trying to fall asleep actually keeps you awake. To combat this, if you’re struggling to fall asleep just get up and do something relaxing for 20 minutes. It’s important not to do something ENGAGING like playing a video game or watching a film. Try reading something.

8: Don’t look at the time

Looking at the time just further reminds you that you’re not falling asleep, and you’ve got work in 5 hours. It’s just going to panic you and make you stress out even more. Hide the clock and don’t look at it at all! Not even a glance at your phone. Just relax.

9: Wear your socks to bed

Science has proved that in order to experience rapid sleep onset (fall asleep fast) your feet and hands need to be warm. You may have noticed that you naturally try and warm up your chest and hands (and you wiggle your feet) when you’re cold and trying to fall asleep. Wearing socks keeps your feet warm and makes you fall asleep faster.

10: Dip your face in freezing water

Submerging your face in cold water triggers an involuntary response called the ‘mammalian dive reflex’ which will help you control your nerves and it relaxes you. It sort of resets your nervous system. Do this just before going to bed, and you’ll notice that your entire system just feels more relaxed!

11: Make a dream pillow

A dream pillow is a special type of pillow that you can create (or buy) with scents infused in it, which are proven to help you fall asleep faster, and deeper. You can easily make your own! Sleeping on a dream pillow will make it easier to fall asleep at night

12: Listen to binaural beats

Binaural beats are a special type of soundwave that you can listen to which guides your brain into various states. They’re easy to use, you just listen to them through your headphones as you’re trying to go to sleep. You can get started with them here (just get any package that you like the look of). You can also try these binaural beats which have a ‘sleep’ package designed to help you get to sleep faster.

13: Take a warm bath before bed

Taking a warm bath just before bed can really help you relax. It soothes your muscles and has been shown to help your system reset and wind down. Also try adding some lavender oil to the bathwater for even more relaxation effects! Tea tree oil can also be added to bathwater but that tends to stimulate rather than relax.

14: Use the 4-7-8 method of breathing

This is a method of relaxing and breathing that you can do at any time but it’s very good for when you’re trying to fall asleep and you want more oxygen going to your brain. There are several ways of doing this, but the principle is always the same: Getting you to slow down your breathing. The 4-7-8 breathing technique works like this:

Inhale for 4 seconds slowly, through your mouth

As you’re inhaling, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth

Then hold your breath for 7 seconds

Now exhale slowly for 8 seconds and repeat

It might feel difficult at first, if you’re not used to doing this! Be patient and if needed, start off with smaller times!

15: Get your partner to give you a massage

If you live with a partner, get them to give you a shot massage before bed, focusing on the neck, back and shoulders as these carry the most tension. The shoulders and neck especially can hold lots of unwanted tension and can make it harder to fall asleep. Small circular motions on the shoulders from a partner can help with this!

16: Don’t eat heavy foods just before sleep

Eating foods that are considered ‘heavy’ can make it much harder to fall asleep on time. Try limiting your LAST meal of the day to something light and easy to digest like carbs or vegetables. Lots of protein (meat or eggs) will make it harder to sleep because your body will be trying to digest the protein! It also increases chances of heartburn!

17: Drink something warm before sleeping

Drink a cup of tea or even better, lucid dreaming tea just before bed. This will relax you and make it easier to sleep. Combine this with dunking your face in COLD water, and you’ve perfectly reset your nervous system and you’ll be ready to pass out!

18: Get a good mattress and bedding

It can’t be stressed enough how important a good mattress really is for the quality of your sleep and dreams. Memory foam is almost always the best option as it provides great support but also adapts to your body every night. You’re asleep for a third of your life, don’t cheap out on a mattress!

19: Be comfortable with what you wear

Wear something nice and loose when sleeping. Don’t try and go to sleep wearing some pajamas that are too tight and restrict movement, and if you feel more comfortable sleeping naked, do it! Just speak to your partner and check they’re cool with that!

20: Get your posture for breathing right

The best posture for sleeping is usually on your side or back with your neck angled slightly upwards so that you’re easily able to breathe. Don’t hunch yourself over too much because it’s bad for your back!

21: Practice a bed time routine

Having a bed time routine that you actually follow every night can really make the difference between sleeping and just laying there frustrated. This is even more important in the summer when it’s hotter, and it’s naturally harder to fall asleep. (Get a good fan!) Here’s an example of a good bed time routine:

7PM have dinner and do the washing up

8PM have a bath and get dressed ready for bed

830PM Brush your teeth and get everything ready

Now you could watch a film until 10PM if you like

10PM Meditate for 20 minutes

1020PM Read until you feel really tired

Go to sleep!

22: Read something before bed

Reading something just before bed is a great way to feel tired enough to sleep. Often if you’re not even tired and you go and read for half an hour, you’ll feel tired enough to sleep just by doing that! A great way to read is to get a copy of the kindle versions of my lucid dreaming books and download them to your kindle!

23: Write in a journal before bed

Writing in a journal before bed can help you get some sort of closure on the day and help you to leave it behind. If you don’t write it down somewhere, it’s easy to just keep thinking about it as you’re laying there, which of course keeps you awake. You could take this time to learn how to keep a dream journal:

24: Stop napping during the day

Having naps during the day can keep you up at night, if they become too regular. If you HAVE to have a nap in the day time, try and limit them to only in the afternoon, and only for half an hour or so at a time. Never more than 2 hours otherwise you’re really stopping yourself fro being able to sleep at night.

25: Limit your caffeine intake

Coffee is great and everyone likes a cup in the morning. It gets you going and although it’s not 100% healthy for you to have ALL THE TIME it’s okay once or twice a day. The problem is when you drink it 6 times a day and the last cup is with dinner at night! Don’t drink coffee or consume caffeine after 3PM!

26: Try to sleep/wake up the same time every day

Having a routine that you follow is great for sleeping on time. Try to come up with a good ‘wake up’ time and then from that, work out when you need to go to sleep. Often you’re more in control of your go to sleep time, so work around what time you NEED to be awake in the morning to get ready for work etc.

Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep, based off when you need to wake up in the morning

Stick to the same wake up time every day, even on weekend! Don’t cheat!

The time you go to sleep will naturally follow on from when you wake up, you’ll be tired at the right time as long as you always get up at the same time! Your body is smart.

27: Get lots of sunshine in the day

Sunlight during the day increases production of serotonin in the body which is your wake up hormone. When this peaks and reaches the optimal levels, it starts to actually help make you more tired and you start producing melatonin! If you can, try to wake up with the sunrise, and go to sleep shortly after it sets.

28: Use FLUX (program to reduce blue light on your PC screen)

For those of us who use computers every day, it’s important to reduce our exposure to harmful ‘blue light’ that the screens give off. The blue light simulates the sunlight and our eyes can’t tell the difference, so it keeps us producing serotonin and keeps us awake! Download this program (FLUX) which reduces the blue light your screen gives off!f

29: Have sex just before trying to sleep

Having sex almost always makes you tired instantly after. Use this to your advantage, and have sex with your partner just before going to sleep. For even better results, have sex, then dunk your face in cold water, then meditate, then fall asleep! Works like a charm.

30: Stop yourself/your partner snoring

Snoring can seriously stop you or your partner being able to fall asleep fast, so consider investing in a snoring aid that can help you STOP snoring every night! Also, by practicing good breathing techniques you can stop or reduce your snoring!

31: Prep your mind with relaxation

Before going to bed, (a few hours before) try listening to sleep optimization sound tracks. These prepare your mind for sleep and help you to wind down. It’s good to do these before bed as they help your mind get into the right state for sleeping.

32: Drink enough water during the day

Hydration is very important for energy, health and many other things. Make sure you drink enough water during the day and don’t cheat! Don’t develop bad habits like forgetting to drink for hours at a time. Remember, when you feel thirsty, it’s too late and you’re already dehydrated! Don’t wait until you’re thirsty, just drink every now and then as a habit!

33: Breathe only through your left nostril

This is not proven but some people report that if you breath only through your left nostril by holding the other one closed, you’ll feel more relaxed. This is said to only work just before sleep, actually while you’re laying in bed trying to sleep. Worth a shot!

34: Stretch your muscles

As we walk around during the day our muscles become tense and tight. Aside from getting a massage or having a bath, simply stretching is a very effective way of relaxing your muscles and helping yourself to fall asleep! Bonus points if you use a foam roller and do some yoga as well!

35: Tense all your muscles and then relax them

Part of the WILD method for lucid dreaming (in some variations) is to progressively tense all your muscles and relax them. It helps you to realize WHICH muscle groups were tense without you knowing it. Try this as you’re trying to go to sleep.

36: Look back on your day

Often we’re busy during the day and we forget to reflect. Often we don’t have time to think about our day and how it went. It’s a good habit to think about your day and consider what you could do differently. Either think back on your day before bed, or write it down in a journal.

37: Take melatonin before sleeping

Melatonin is produced naturally by the body, but it’s slowed down by us watching screens or having artificial light in our rooms. Especially if you do night shift work, consider taking a melatonin supplement to help you naturally fall asleep.

38: Listen to white noise

Some people just can’t fall asleep in silence. That’s totally fine, and if that’s you, consider getting a background noise generator, which can produce white noise while you fall asleep.

39: Don’t drink just before bed

The worst feeling in the world is when you drink just before bed, and then just as you’re starting to fall asleep, you feel you need to use the toilet! Sometimes, you dismiss it and think ‘I’ll be fine’ and then STILL need to go in two hours time! Avoid this by not drinking for 2-3 hours before bed.

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