How To Fall Asleep Faster
78How to fall asleep fast? An interesting question. Unless you’re blessed with an internal off switch, it can be rather difficult to fall asleep fast - if at all. And it’s not just knowing how to fall asleep. It’s how to sleep better as a whole. The truth is there are no miracle cures and answers. What works for one may not work for another.
Knowing how to fall asleep fast is easy. The hard bit is actually doing it. If you're unfortunate enough to suffer from a sleep disorder/ sleep problem - then you may feel that you're on a hiding to nothing. Sleep problems are common and can range from insomnia to simply experiencing a hiccup in your sleep pattern.
Insomnia - for example - is thought to affect up to one in three people during their lifetime. Unfortunately there are no miracle sleep cures available and for many it’s simply a case of trial and error.
Fortunately, that doesn't mean that all is lost. Far from it. You made be surprised to learn that many of us have simply forgotten how to relax ... literally forgotten how to fall asleep. We're so busy rushing round, work, home, socialising - that the part of the day where we're supposed to relax and refresh our sytems becomes elusive.
Tips To Fall Alseep Fast
Sleep Better
Natural Sleep Aids
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Some of the tips to fall asleep fast will be of benefit. Some sleep problems are too severe to simply resort to a cup of warm milk and if you're a sufferer of chronic insomnia (for e.g.), then it’s likely that you’ll need medical intervention and support. You should know that it's ok to approach a sleep specialist and explain what your problems are.
Many of us often view our problems as trivial or unimportant - especially when all you want is some help regarding how to fall asleep, fast or otherwise. You're not bothered right? You just want to sleep. How you get there is only half the problem - for some, staying asleep is just as important.
Bear in mind that your issues, your niggles and anxieties are not trivial, far from it. They're a way for your doctor to understand what may be underpinning your lack of sleep. They help him or her evaluate the whole, not the half. The more you offer, by way of what's going on in your life, the easier it will be for them to correctly diagnose what you do - or don't need.
If you do decided to make an appointment and discuss your sleep problems, try and remember the following:
- keep it concise. List your issues but try not to over explain - don't confuse your doctor
- be honest. Even if you're embarrassed - speak your mind. Perhaps you're experienecing marital problems or a difficult relationship with a child or work colleague. These are not matters of little importance. They're stressful situations and you're doctor is not there to sit on judgment
- don't be afraid to show your weakness. If you're mind is a whirl of worries and/or anxieties - say so. Again, you'd be surprised at how much a worried mind can completely wreck your abilty to fall asleep
If on the other hand, you'd rather soldier on a bit longer or don't feel that you've a sleep disorder as such, then this article may be all you need - a few pointers in the right direction.
How To Fall Asleep Quickly
Falling Asleep
Sleep Facts On Video
Sleep Disorder
Learning how to fall asleep quickly relies on your ability to understand the importance of creating a good sleep habit. Let's start with you: if you're reading this, you may well have forgotten how to fall asleep. Sounds crazy right? But sleep is not a given and too many of us take for granted that we'll crawl into bed - then simply fall asleep.
Creating a sleep habit is actually very simple. You just have to set aside a time of your day (obviously the part before you retire!) whereby you follow a pattern, an habitual one. The basic principle is similar to how we help our babies settle for sleep, how we create a 'night and day' when they're newborns.
Apply that principle to yourself, using the following guideline:
- within a reasonable time span, start to wind down. Physically begin to slow down and relax
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thinking about worries and a myriad of little niggles creates an active brain - an active brain can make you restless/anxious - refueling your need to move and do something. Learn to swtich off... read, chat (lighweight - don't put the world to rights!) relax witha loved one, watch a movie together. In short - swtich off. Sounds easy but if you make the effort - you can and will learn how to inject some 'down time' into your mid to late evening
- before it gets too late, take a relaxing bath. Climb into a hot tub. If you're the kind that likes have a good scrub, get this out of the way - the same with brushing your teeth. Once you're done - simply lay back and let the hot water realax your muscles and tired body.
The above are all - literally - sleep aids. All work in conjunction to aid your ability to fall asleep. Try it. As many nights as possible, begin o adopt the habit of winding down.
How To Stay Asleep
Sleep Better
Sleep Peacefully
Learning how to stay asleep is another aspect of combatting sleep disorders. You can start by checking out your bedroom. Is it a mess? Does it look busy? Is the room representative of general chaos? If so, take stock: a messy room will stimulate your mind. Simple fact. Your ironing in the corner, a messy pile of books and magazines, clothes that need putting away.
All that happens is that as you glance around you start thinking 'I need to do this or that'. Your bedroom needs to represent tranquility, it needs to look ... relaxing! So, if your room's the complete opposite, clear away the clutter. There's a link that details what you should and shouldn't do and it also contains information regarding nautral sleep aids - so maybe take a look at it. A relaxing environment makes you feel more relaxed and worth remembering, in your journey to returning to a healthy sleep pattern.
The last bit! Almost there. Take a hot drink of milk of chocolate - sweeten the milk with honey, rather than sugar - before bed. Milk and chocolate contain tryptophan - which converts to seratonin. Seratonin is a sleep hormone. There are, in fact, many foods that are fairly rich in seratonin and again, there's a link to an article that talks more about them. There's some truth in the old wives tale regarding hot milk helping you to drift off to sleep.
Fortunately I don't suffer with any type of sleep disorder. However, I'm probably in the minority. Learning how to fall asleep fast will be trial and error for many and I for one wish anyone currently afflicted with a sleep disorder the best of luck. And the ability to achieve better sleep.
How To Sleep Links
- Foods That Help You Sleep Better
How to sleep better. That’s slightly different from simply learning how to fall asleep. Better sleep means we function better when awake. And vice versa. Being able to sleep better at night is intrinsically... - Natural Sleep Aids
This article covers natural sleep aids - one or two of which you'll find surprisingm due to the fact that you'll have overlooked a few sleep aids that you already have to hand.
Fall Asleep Tips Guys?Loading...
BC - lol yup. No waffle. No nonsense. Just a short 'how to' and done. Says what it needs to say ;) And thanks!
Oh you are welcome you little Genius ; )
BC - News in the post and all that lol! A good evening to you :)
Lovely Hub. Honestly, I drink a small glass of Bailey's to help me get ready for bed most days and it works. Think its time for a change - warm Milk, with 2 teaspoons of Bailey :)
Lady - Thanks for stopping by and thankyou for your feedback. And what a lovely hubname ... Lady!
That is too good! Or a good shot of rum! Thanks frog!
Candie - it's a basic overview and aimed at those suffering a disrupted sleep pattern. So I hope it's helpful from that aspect.
And thankyou ;)
My sleep disorder consists of the inability to turn all the thoughts in my pea brain off. I cannot make myself lay in bed wide awake. So I get up, clean, throw in a load of laundry, see who is harrassing who on HP, watch something on TV, grade papers, whatever comes to mind.
I have a very soft and fluffy mattress and exactly 6 pillows that I find most comfortable once I'm actually able to fall asleep. My bedroom has a TV, a playstation and my husband's set of electronic drums, but those are all off and it is dark. I can't go to sleep with wet hair and the blowdryer would totally wake me up. I can't drink milk without eating something intensely chocolate, which would combat the effects of the triptophan. (Although I saw a great special on that on the Food Network, scientifically proving that eating a large turkey leg--full of triptophan--will make you sleepy).
So frog, I'm coming to you in hopes you have the answer to my intense need for that switch that turns my brain off. I would imagine 4 hours of sleep a night isn't helping my cognitive function. I know if anyone has the answer, it would be you. Or maybe Candie and her shot of rum. Hmmmm.........
Lmom - that's a tough one. You know half the problem can be caused by a restless mind? I wish I knew the magic answer.
Perhaps make friends with an anaesthetist? Or a hynotherapist? Or I don't know - just start low and aim for an ist?
Nice suggestions froggy. But milk cause me to have a lot of ulcer pain. I hate to do it, but I have to take prescription meds to knock me out to sleep. Never try the medicine ambien. Just 10mg will throw your whole body flat on the floor, and you won't remember any of it until the next night.
froggy, great hub...as it is bedtime and here I am! LOL, I do find setting the temperature lower helps greatly. I just cannot sleep if it is warm! The routine thing is great advice!
Cool hub! I just watch any current popular TV show....3 minutes tops...I'm out. :)
I can fall asleep fine, it is waking up after 4 hours and then can't go back to sleep. Like Laughing Mom I can't seem to shut my brain up. I have tried to write things donw on a pad of paper and I still cannot stop thinking of those thing. I seem to get creative then an think of al the things and ways that I can do whatever it is that I am thinking about. I can't drink a warm galss of milk before going to bed. I am lactose intolerant and I can't drink any alcohol either because my body cannot tolerate it. So how do we stay asleep. Oh and the main reason why I wake is because I have to go to the bathroom. Have done this for years and years. I sleep a full 9 hours straight only with drugs. Sometime those Tylenol PM will knock me out and sometimes they won't have any effect on me what-so-ever.
An interesting point of view. We do agree that very often it is mind over mattress. Salt air can be just the right remedy too.
I have a severe sleep disorder. It is called hubpages. LOL. (I blame you froggy)
Great idea, frog. Know any 'ists'?
The best thing I've ever found to help me sleep is to read a book until my eyes start to cross, lol...I know when I've read the same paragraph 2 or 3 times, that I'm ready to sleep. I have a lamp on my bedside table, so I don't have to get up to turn the light off, and get woke back up again...
We're lucky to get five hours of sleep a night, though--we are night owls, and earlybirds all wrapped up into one...:)
I'm usually out like a light, but I do sympathise with others who find it hard to sleep...can be most frustrating I imagine.
Excellent Hub. One problem I have encountered is when you have a wife or concubine and they must have a light on; a fan on ; and the TV on all night long when I know, being sagacious and all, that real sleep requires dead quiet and pitch black. So, I would suggest, to get off topic a minute, that when speed dating use that minute to find out: under what conditions do you sleep? NEXT!
mayhmong - did you know that a glass of wine can do the trick? As an alternative to milk? Red that is? It's fact by the way. Google it. Or mulled wine. Though a glass ... not the bottle!
k@ri - you know many people struggle to sleep when they're too warm. Heat is hard work, even when you're lying still! I'd rather be slightly cold when it comes to sleeping. And yes the habit trick. Most of us (me included) tend to just wander to bed as and when. I think oft times we forget how to sleep - if you get me.
Tom - lol I literally just go to sleep. The way that young kids do. I've always been able to do it. I just lay down - and go to sleep :)
LadyG - have you tried soy or rice milk as an alternative? Neither contain lactose yet still contain tryptophan. And that's the 'secret' ingredient. Alternatively eat a banana mashed onto a slice of toast (or two), with a little nugmeg/cinnamon sprinkled on. Bananas - another great source of tryptophan. As are peanut butter and oats. Not sure about how to get round the trip to the bathroom though. Maybe that's just an ingrained habit?
You certainly sound as though (above anything) you can't switch your mind off. Which I do understand - though it's not a problem I suffer from as a rule. Have you considered NLP or similar?
And it sucks that you have to take meds in order to get an good nights sleep here and there!
This is a truly useful hub.....
Capt - yes sir ...mind over matress is often overlooked! It's amazing how many people need to spend less on the latest technology and more on a great matress! And sea air is always a good thing ;)
Paper - I'm thinking you should look closer to home. I've read your profile. I think Frieda may have a hand in your sleep issue ;)
LMom - umm ... I know one ist. Probably not helpful though. He's a cyclist ...
Tam - I'm a lover of reading in bed. But coupled with my horrible talent for dropping off so easily I rarely get to read much above a few pages. Reading is in fact a great way to switch off. Passive reading enages your mind and tires your eyes. Though I'd aim for light reading over something dark and brooding!
Feline - like me then. I have had occasional problems over the years but they're few and far between and have always been related to highly stressful events.
James - I'm with you on dark, quiet rooms. Tv's, music, lights - all horribly stimulating. Though again - it doesn't matter where I am or what's going on. When I'm tired I simply lay down and go to sleep. In fact many a time I haven't even been horizontal. I've fallen asleep in some ridiculous places. And Simões likes the TV on at night. It just doesn't bother me one bit. I wish I could share my ability. Or teach it ...
And yes. Little details are important. Soon as you find out a woman like noise and messy bedrooms - it may not be the kind of noise and mess guys like!
Brenda - hey :) I hope so. But if not - then the problems possibly a bit more than just a hiccup in someones' sleep pattern!
I have often found that what works for one person doesnt work for another. For example Dr Oz on the Oprah show says that people should not work at their computers or watch tv for at least an hour before sleeping...the brain is too stimulated. However, for me the best way to fall asleep is to put on some boring channel and I nod off in a few mts.
The part about the light is very, very true.Great hub- short and sweet.
diana - that's why I wrote that in, near the beginning. You're right. Everyone has different inner workings for one thing. As I've said before, I can fall asleep anywhere. if I'm tired, I just get so drowsy I can't stay awake. So for me, it doesn't matter what I'm doing. I simply need to lie down and go to sleep.
And it was short and sweet for a purpose. There's many many tips as to how to fall asleep fast, faster or even for staying asleep. But I was just aiming for the basic ones, the easiest to implement. And the ones that are most often overlooked.
Thanks for stopping by. The fact that many are is helpful in itself. You guys are putting your own ideas in the comments, which may or may not help another that reads it :)
What is NLP? The darkroom and all that. We have that! We have dark brown curtans and lavender painted walls. When my hubby is ON-Call for the Crisis team and has to be semi-awake to hear his beeper or the phone that is usually when I have to take something to keep me asleep. When he talks it wakes me up. Thanks for the tip of Rice Milk and I love Bananas. I will try those.
All good advice but it can be tricky to get quality sleep as you get older. Still that means you are OK for a long time.
I've never been able to sleep well. Usually it's not a terrible problem, but sometimes I end up just winding myself up. I start to worry about something and then before I know it I'm ridiculously depressed and sometimes in tears. I can't sleep unless I have music or a dvd on. I've also recently realised that I need a tidy room, altho since I am tidy this isnt usually a problem. When I was younger my mum used to tell me to just relax. Don't worry about the fact you cant sleep, just accept it!
Lady - Neuro Linguistic Programming. I can't adequately explain it to be honest. But it's similar to hynotherapy ... yet different. Google ... And I suspect that some of your problem will be habit with your husband? And re the milk and bananas. It's to do with consuming foods that contain tryptophan - bananas and milk, peanut butter etc.
I will try and collect a list together and maybe that will help :)
Ethel - I'm not that young. Anymore ... but I'm not too old either I guess ;)
jen - hey :) So you're using music etc as a diversion? Ok. That's good if it works well for you. I'm sorry to hear you get so low on occasion. Not being a doctor and reading between the lines I suspect you've got something else going on and the sleeping problem is a symptom of that. I hope you work it out.
They say you shouldn't watch tv right before bed, because it stimulates the brain or some such, but when I find myself laying awake, I turn on the television and puts me to sleep. I think it takes my mind off everything that was running through my mind. Or maybe it just bores me to sleep. Anyway, usually works for me. Reading works quite well too. Nice concise hub. Thanks.
Ye, I think a lot of people have the mind wandering problem. That is definitely why tv and music helps me. I have to say it's rare that I actually get THAT low. I'm nowhere near as bad now as I used to be (I'm fairly sure I had undiagnosed depression when I was younger). I'm just scared of getting depressed when I'm left alone with my thoughts at night and so I have the tv and music.
Insomnia. Yep. Know it. Had it since childhood. There is research beginning to show a certain chemical that helps to shut brain function off (yes, an "off" switch!) is missing in some people. If anyone is missing it, I am! Glad you wrote this, Frog, and more importantly, that you don't have sleep problems. What made you think of it since you don't?
lafenty - hey :) I guess it goes back to what works for one etc. To be honest, anything to do with using my eyes when I'm drowsy just makes me worse. TV, reading etc. My thoughts of falling asleep faster, or just the path to better sleep is a very individual thing. And many of us forget how to sleep! Running around - work, family, housework, shopping, socialising ... it's enough to knock most of us off kilter!
Jen - one of my sons is the same. He can't sleep unless he has music on or the TV. He was always a thoughtful child, he'd sit for hours quietly contemplating. The older he got, the more his thoughts deepened. He doesn't (that I'm aware of) have any problems sleeping, it's just he says the falling asleep part is tough if he allows his mind to wander. I empathise. A noisy mind last thing at night can't be easy to live with.
Trips - I'm sorry to hear you suffer with insomnia. I actually had a mild form of insomnia, last year. It was related to the breakdown of my marriage - but I kept that in mind. Mine was the wakeful half the night kind. I'd eventually fall asleep about 3/4 in the morning. But - I knew it was related to stress. I tried real hard to focus on it being temporary. And it did pass. I took nothing for it either. Have to say that I was exhausted much of the time.
And maybe you could use some NLP? As I've said to LadyG, I don't know enough about it other than it's purpose. Or have you exhausted all avenues?
And why did I write this - not being a sleep disorder sufferer? My partner sleeps really badly in the summer. And I mean REALLY badly. It's the heat. It just got me to thinking. When we reduce the heat in the bedroom he sleep a heck of a lot better. It made me think of the issue as a whole. And I also wondered if milk was anything other than an old wives tale - because now and then, when I'm a little restless (my son was upset a bit back, which upset me) I drink hot milk with honey and it knocks me out!
I have written another article, related, regarding tryptophan rich foods. I haven't published it yet but I will later. Maybe you can eat a ton of peanut butter?!
my sleep disorder is called I can't shut my mind off lonf enough to fall asleep. I lay for hours thinking of this that and the other when all I wanna do is sleep! maybe i need some ambien...or benadryl :)
gr8 focussing on the topic. in my childhood i never ever sleep after mid night but just before it. but now the practice is opposite. now i never ever sleep before mid night. when i am tired enough that all my brain is going to be swithced off and my body parts became stretched due to tiredness then i do 1 thing fall on bed and i dnt know then what happened. i 'll try this.
When I try to go to sleep nowadays I think about what hubs I can write next - lol. The way I see it - at least I am making good use of my can't fall asleep time. Usually focusing on a single thing like this helps to calm my usually restless mind. Otherwise I just wake everyone up and make them keep me company until I fall asleep :D
Janetta - restless mind I think. It's what causes many people to lay awake longer than they'd like to. There has been a lot of research into sleep disorders and there is some findings that suggest that some individuals (insomniacs) really cannot control whether or not they sleep.
However, most of us can find a cause within our waking lives. Our sleeping and non-sleeping time go hand in hand. It's a horrible fact of life. Going to bed unsettled cause a loss of sleep - or at least disturbs our sleep patterns. being tired during the day reduces our ability to function at an optimum level. And so on. A vicious cycle. Or it can work the other way. Some traumatic event can cause a lack of sleep. And you're back to square one. Unfortunately!
Aqeel -I think finding what works best is, as I've said or others have said, a very individual thing. Some things works better than others. Trial and error I guess :)
Shiba - See lol another one that has a restless mind. Or maybe it's not that. It's the inability to switch off? Though I can't fault you on wanting company. Why should you sit a lonley night on your own ... And I feel like I'm becoming the sleep doctor. I should do a Q & A on sleeping hints and tips ;)
How come no one mentioned the good old 3 letter word starting with s and I don't mean sit? Exhaustion or exertion will make you sleep... lol!
Dynamic - lol well maybe because it's so damn obvious?! But then, isn't ti a bit of a one way solution? Men I believe get more of benefit ... ;)
You got it right, it's the habit that we indulge in. We must associate the bed with sleeping and not other thing espeicaly work or else the unconsious mind will think that it's time to work instead of sleep.
Anyway, we are have an internal clock that controls or dictates the time we fall asleep. Lost of synch between the internal clock and real time makes sleeping out of normal "TIME".
meta - yes. Many of us pay little attention to our night time habits. We're too busy living. We only really think about it when something goes wrong - ie experience an inability to sleep or the overall quality begins to affect us.
And we do have an internal 'clock'. It's called the circadian rhythm. And it's when that is disrupted that we experience problems - though not just with sleep.
I write in bed before going to sleep with my computer propped up on a bed tray! Often I will read, and that makes me sleepy quickly. I find my more active days are the least troublesome as far as getting to sleep. Nice hub, Frog.
Doodle - thankyou for that :)
And yes, being over active makes it hard to become underactive. As in sleeping!
Useful Hub in today's life...
Thanks!
Jen - thankyou and I hope you sleep well ;)
I always relax in my spa, then drink a warm glass of milk. Works like a charm to fall asleep fast after a stressful day!
Great tips frogdropping, now all I need to find out is how to wake up quick! I'm so sluggish in the morning even when I've had a good night sleep!
Almost never have a problem myself but this is terrific advice and I know so many who can use it.
Hey hey Rope :) I'm like you. Rarely if ever had an issue. But the advice is real, genuine stuff. Most with serious sleep disorders would find this isn't enough for them but for general hiccups in a sleep pattern, it should do the trick :)
Very informative, and to the point. Thank you very much for the hub.
I'm lactose intolerant myself, and I don't drink alchohol. So I guess I'll try the bananas someone recommended. I can't fall asleep, and I can't stay asleep. I'm wedged between my daughter and my husband. You see, we sleep on futons like sardines. I really need some more sleep.
Great tips! I'm sure glad I'm not one of those people who has a hard time falling to sleep :)
I totally agree with having a clean, neat room and removing the clutter. You have great tips. Somewhere I remember reading in past about clearing your mind and imaging a sink with the water going down, or a blackboard being erased, which symbolizes clearing the mind...sometimes that works for me. If all else fails, praying always helps to calm one down, and then there is the old method, counting sheep which can actually work.
Regards,
Easylearningweb
easylearningweb - thank you :)
Really enjoyed your article! I came looking to see what your suggestions were and they all line up with others things I've read about sleep, the brain, Seratonin, and the nutritional pieces that contain it. The warm milk thing was a new idea though. Funny, in the old days people used to give their kids warm milk before bed... now we know why! The secret is out! Again, great article!
hi so im 14 and i have the worst sleep problem ever i find myself stYing up sometimes till 2:00 3:00 in the morning i play with my ipod becuase im sooo bored but still then i sleep durning the day and nap all day buti cant help it becuase ididnt get the sleep the night before and every 5 mins it seems like i need to go to bathroom and by the way its summer vacation anyway please help ive tried warm milk no lights complete scilence cunffy bed and all i want is to fall asleep
Hey Kenz - the simplest answer is that you set your alarm for 8 AM for a few days running. Get up, no matter how tired you are from the lack of sleep. Force yourself to stay awake and active, then go to bed at a reasonable time, say 10 PM.
It won't be easy for the first few days but your problem isn't that you can't sleep, it's the fact that you've accidentally switched your body clock round - sleep during the day, awake through the night.
The body only requires a certain amount of sleep, and you're making up what you need by falling asleep during the day.
You just need to make yourself so tired by night time that you fall asleep fast and easy. Good luck :)
badcompany99 2 years ago
Oh short but perfect in so many ways my friend, I love it ; )