If you’re anything like me, your night probably goes a little something like this. After a long, exhausting day, you brush your teeth, slip into your cozy Zelda-themed pajamas, snuggle up in bed, switch off the lights and then… …nothing. crickets And I’m not talking about the good kind of nothing. It’s more like the “literally 10 seconds ago I felt like I would die if I didn’t get into my bed and now I’m perfectly awake” kind of nothing. So you try squeezing your eyes tighter, or maybe shifting into a more comfortable position? Yeah, that’ll surely do the trick! But nope. The clock ticks away, and you become increasingly aware of every single second of sleep time slipping away, making tomorrow seem increasingly daunting.
Ever wished you could just doze off at school or work like it was nothing? It felt so easy back then. But now, in the solitude of night, all you have are your deepest, darkest thoughts and that darn clock that — Oh my goodness, has it seriously been three hours already?
If this scenario sounds all too familiar, then you’re in luck! We’ve put together some of the best advice and practices to increase your chances of falling asleep in mere minutes. And hey, we’re not just starting at bedtime; we’ve got a trick straight from the U.S. Navy to help you drift off in two minutes flat when you’re stuck there wide awake.
But first, let’s talk about seven things you should do before hitting the hay:
- Sleep in a colder environment:
Your thermal environment, especially surrounding your head and body, is perhaps the most underappreciated factor determining not only the ease with which you’ll fall asleep tonight but also your sleep quality. Whether you’re overheating because of heavy blankets, pajamas, or just a hot room, it’s been shown to decrease slow-wave sleep and REM sleep. Even just to initiate sleep, your body has to drop 2–3°F or 1.5°C and so being colder actually helps bring your temperature down faster. It might shock you but the recommended temperature is around 65°F or 18.3°C for your room. Going too cold isn’t great either, but it doesn’t have the same disruptive effects on falling asleep or your sleep quality as a hot room does.
2. Take a hot shower or bath before bed:
You might think being all warm and fuzzy is what makes you sleep but it’s actually kind of the opposite. When you’re exposed to hot temperature, the body can’t hold on to the heat and sends blood to the surface of your skin, giving you that flushed red appearance. Once you step out of the warmth, the dilated blood vessels radiate out the inner heat to your environment and your core body temperature plummets. This triggers the body and brain to think it’s sleepy time.
3. Put away the clock:
Simply having the ability to look at and see the time and find out how much you haven’t slept is not helpful and will honestly only stress you out. In fact, time monitoring is strongly linked to stress and waking arousal.
4. Minimize or avoid caffeine and nicotine:
Coffee, colas, some tea, and even chocolate can take as long as eight hours to wear out fully and nicotine is a stimulant. So avoid them too late in the day. It’s also worth avoiding eating too close to bed. While some studies show avoiding diets that are excessively biased towards carbs will help, it’s better to just avoid being too hungry or too full before bed.
5. Exercise and being physically tired can help you fall asleep faster, but working out 2–3 hours before bed can keep you up longer:
So earlier in the day is better and the same goes with naps actually, they’re great but don’t take them after 3 p.m. or it’ll be harder to fall asleep at night.
6. Make sure you’re actually relaxing before bed:
If you try to sleep and you’re wired or on, your brain just won’t be ready. A relaxing activity within the hour before bed like reading, is the perfect ritual to put you in the right mindset.
7. Make sure you’re getting sun exposure during the day and minimizing your light exposure during the evening:
You’ve probably been told not to use your screen before bed, which is true, but it’s equally as important to get natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes a day if you have problems falling asleep. This helps to condition your body’s schedule and trigger tiredness at the right times.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room — you’re still wide awake, right? No worries, we’ve got a technique straight from the Navy (allegedly) that could have you snoozing in two minutes flat.
First, systematically relax each part of your body, starting from your face all the way down to your feet. Then, focus on clearing your mind into a meditative state. Sounds simple, right? With practice, it could be the key to unlocking instant sleepiness.
And here’s the golden rule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends! Consistency is key when it comes to training your body to sleep like clockwork.
And hey, if all else fails, don’t toss and turn in bed. Get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy again.
Hope these tips help you sleep well!
