How to Fall Asleep Fast

Tips for falling asleep

Chronic insomnia affects up to 20% of adults, of which many don’t seek any treatment. If you cannot fall asleep within 20-30 minutes of getting into bed or stay wide awake even after being extremely tired, then here are some tips for you to fall asleep instantly:

• Relax your mind and body before going to bed. Try doing simple exercises or some unwinding activities such as reading books or listening to soothing music. Deep breathing or meditation can calm your mind.
• Dim the lights of your house an hour before sleeping to induce sleep. Keep the sleeping room lights to dim. Dark rooms result in better quality sleep.
• Turn-off electronic gadgets such as mobile, laptop, tablets, and television one hour before sleeping. The lights emitted via these gadgets disturbs the sleep cycle. This includes e-books as well.
• Try to fix a time for sleeping to adjust your body’s clock. Follow this every day (weekends included) and even on days when it’s hard to get up in the morning due to lack of sleep.
• Have an early dinner before 7 p.m. or two hours before sleeping. Have a glass of milk while sleeping to reduce hunger and induce sleep. Milk contains an amino acid (L-tryptophan) which helps in inducing sleep.
• Stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine (coffee, cola, tea, and chocolate) should be avoided four to six hours before bedtime. Stimulants may interfere with sleep. If you are addicted to caffeine, try to reduce the amount of caffeine gradually to prevent unpleasant reactions such as headaches caused because of the withdrawal of caffeine at once (withdrawal symptoms).
• Consuming liquor during bedtime is not advisable because it may lead to nightmares and sweating. Although alcohol is a depressant and helps in falling asleep, the body tends to clear it, leading to night awakenings (withdrawal symptoms).
• Avoid long afternoon naps; however, take a power nap off 15-20 minutes about eight hours after you wake up.
• Discontinue any tasks one hour before sleeping to reduce anxiety and worry. Do not discuss any emotional issues during bedtime.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: This involves relaxation of various muscle groups by first tensing muscle and then relaxing them, starting from the feet and slowly moving upwards.
• Keep a record of your sleep pattern: The number of times you woke up during the night, how much caffeine or alcohol you had during the day. Mention it down in a diary.
• The bed should be used only for sleeping and intimacy. Avoid eating or working on the bed. 
• Refrain from watching the clock as it can lead to unnecessary stress and in turn cause less sleep.
• Make your sleeping time and environment comfortable by maintaining the room temperature at optimum. The mattress and pillow should be comfortable too. The bedroom should be painted in mellow colors. 
• Avoid drinking too much water during night time to avoid trips to the bathroom during sleep.
• Pets shouldn’t be allowed on the bed as they can bring allergy triggers like fleas, fur, and pollen.

A scientific method is developed to help the pilots fall asleep by the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School. It involves:

• Relax every muscle of the face by breathing slowly and taking deep breaths.
• Relax your shoulders to release tension and drop your hands to the side of your body.
• Relax your thigh, calf, ankle, and foot of both legs one by one.
• Remove your worries and clear your mind by paying attention to your breaths.
• Once your body is relaxed, you should fall asleep within seconds.

These are some effective tips that might help in falling asleep. However, if these techniques don’t work out, talking to a doctor would be an ideal option.