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You are here: Home / Nutrition / How to Fall Asleep Fast: The Ultimate Guide to Getting to Sleep
How to Fall Asleep Fast: The Ultimate Guide to Getting to Sleep

How to Fall Asleep Fast: The Ultimate Guide to Getting to Sleep

October 24, 2020 By Cade Hildreth Leave a Comment

If you can’t remember the last time you had a good night’s sleep, you’re not alone. 11% of Americans say they aren’t getting enough sleep each night and up to 30% of adults complain of occasional insomnia.

Sleeping poorly, unfortunately, has wide-reaching consequences in our daily lives affecting everything from job performance to mood.

Being able to sleep like a baby doesn’t have to be a dream, however. With a little planning, Mr. Sandman will pay you a visit. Here are some tips on how to fall asleep fast.

Start a Winddown Routine

Ease yourself into sleep by starting a bedtime routine an hour or two before you plan on getting into bed. Just as children need some bedtime rituals, adults can reap the benefits as well by having one. Implementing some self-care and sleep-inducing habits can help prepare the body psychologically and help you feel drowsy.

Your winddown routine can include taking a warm (but not super hot) bath or shower, choosing clothes to wear the following day, writing in a journal, or reading a book. It should not include browsing your phone or laptop—the blue light mobile devices emit can disrupt your sleep-wake cycle and trick your body into thinking it’s still daylight.

If you must catch up with your Instagram or Facebook feed, wear blue light blocking glasses. And accept that this decision will have determinantal affects on your sleep cycle.

On that note, you may want to avoid watching TV as well—too much stimulation can make it harder to fall asleep.

Make it Dark

Remember the Al Pacino movie Insomnia where his character couldn’t sleep because of Alaska’s long daylight hours? The darker your bedroom, the better. That’s because darkness helps your body produce more melatonin which will make you drowsy and more likely to fall asleep.

Total darkness is best! This means no light coming anywhere from mobile devices, air purifiers, or other appliances that have buttons or screens that light up, even if you stopped looking at them hours ago. Invest in some blackout curtains if you must to block even the moonlight out.

Shockingly, studies suggest that your body can sense light even when its received by body parts other than your eyes (such as your skin).

Keep the Bedroom Cool

t’s difficult to fall asleep in a hot, muggy room in the summertime that doesn’t have air conditioning. But it can also be hard to get quality sleep if your thermostat is cranked up too high.

Add to this a mattress made with traditional memory foam, which locks in body heat, and you may find yourself tossing and turning all night. So keep the bedroom on the cooler side—between 62 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit—for the most comfortable sleep.

Meditate

Many of us often cannot fall asleep because of the racing thoughts in our head. This is why meditation can be a useful self-development tool to help you relax and fall asleep faster.  In fact, a study found that practicing mindfulness meditation at bedtime helped participants fall asleep more easily.

You don’t have to be a monk or a yoga guru sitting on a mountaintop to know how to meditate. If you can learn to control your breathing and focus your thoughts, you are meditating.

There is no shortage of free guided meditations available on YouTube that can help you visualize pleasant images, quiet your mind, and experience less anxiety and worry so you can ease yourself into sleep.

If you want somewhere concrete to start, then pick up the book Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World. It’s a powerful book and how I first learned about the practice of mindfulness meditation.

Try the Military Method

Did you know that the U.S. army and navy trains its soldiers and pilots on how to fall soundly asleep in about two minutes? This technique works even if they’ve drunk coffee and there’s gunfire blasting away nearby.

As I’ve just mentioned, meditation can help you fall asleep faster. The military method is a variation on it.

All you need to do is completely relax every muscle in your body, starting with your facial muscles first. Relax your jaw and let all tension go.

Then relax your shoulders by letting them drop (if you’re sitting) or just envision your entire body feeling heavy and sinking into your mattress if you’re lying down.

Focus on your breathing. Inhale through your nose while counting to four in your head, then holding your breath for seven seconds. Finally, exhale out your mouth (while making a “whooshing” sound) for eight seconds. This is known as the 4-7-8 method of breathing.

Now you need to clear your mind. Try to let go of all thoughts. If that doesn’t work, start repeating to yourself in your head “don’t think, don’t think” over and over again.

It may take some practice, but soldiers who do this every day usually fall asleep fast within six weeks. If it’s good enough for military personnel who are under a lot of daily stress and pressure when deployed, it can work for you, too!

Listen to Soothing Music or a White Noise Machine

Playing a setlist of your favorite soothing songs can help lull you to sleep, as long as you don’t play them too loudly. Nature sounds such as waves crashing along a shore and a gentle rainfall have also been known to help people fall asleep.

If your neighborhood is a bit noisy or your household has too many distracting sounds, investing in a white noise machine may also do the trick to help you get enough rest.

Get Weighed Down

Weighted blankets are all the rage—the gentle pressure is like a hug wrapped around your body, and the added weight can help reduce anxiety and even relieve pain. Their effects are very similar to receiving a type of physical therapy called deep pressure stimulation.

Weighted blankets are being studied for their potential ability to help people with autism, ADHD, and sleep disorders. With available weights that range from five to 30 pounds, you’re sure to find the one that’s right for you.

Melatonin

If all else fails, melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by your body at nighttime and in response to environment cues like darkness. Called the “sleep hormone,” it helps to regulate our circadian rhythms and influence our sleep-wake cycles.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, then trying taking melatonin liquid or capsules.

Usually, 3g is a good place to start if you’re looking to facilitate an already sleepy state, but you might need 5g (or noticeably more) if you’re aiming to induce sleep. Of course, your dosage will depend on your body size, so make sure to check with a nutritionist or your physician to figure out the right dose for you.

Because melatonin is produced by the body, it acts as a calming and natural sleep aid. I commonly use it it during travel and have relied on it during high stress situations (such as competing with the USA Rugby Team).

Knowing How to Fall Asleep Fast

Knowing how to fall asleep fast may require trying several of the above tips, not just one. What works for another person may not work for you, so try out a few of these suggestions to start enjoying better sleep fast.

And remember, regular exercise has many benefits, including better quality sleep, so stay on track with your workout routine.

Join nearly a million readers who are learning Cade’s secrets, like how to budget, increase income, invest for cash flow, increase confidence, and lose 10 pounds, fast. Or, let’s connect on Instagram, where I answers questions daily in my stories.

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Cade Hildreth“As an LGBTQ+ entrepreneur, real estate investor, former USA Rugby Player, and fitness fanatic, I’ll teach you what your parents and teachers should’ve taught you, but didn’t know themselves.” -Cade Hildreth

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Anyone else need to channel a little David in the Anyone else need to channel a little David in the morning? 👀I use this @schittscreek cup, because my wife naturally wakes up at 5:30/6am and I tend to “come to” around 8am... ☕️So, she’s up doing a MILLION THINGS at full speed by the time I emerge and am trying to function ... lol... 😂Can you relate?
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What are 3 keys that can fuel your fitness success What are 3 keys that can fuel your fitness success? 💪🏽🔥🤔1. Having the right “data”:If you’re working toward a fitness goal, you’ll hugely benefit from having programming that you follow each time you hit the gym.Do what’s on the page and don’t overthink (or modify) it!2. Pre/During/Post Workout Nutrition:I consume quickly digestible carbs (the amount varies by workout intensity) and rapidly digestible whey protein (25g) during and immediately after my workout.This keeps you from “bonking” mid-workout and quickly refuels your muscles for the next training cycle.3. Workout partner: I train 4X/week with my wife.She almost never misses a workout, so by extension, neither do I. Before I was married, I trained with friends and teammates too.If at all possible, get a training partner to keep yourself accountable. Choose someone who will be encouraging and celebrate your gains. 🥳This is a huge tip, so take advantage of it!(Of course, it’s also awesome to train simply for the pleasure of moving your body, in which case, be free, be spontaneous and have fun!)Finally, I’ve been training for 10+ years, so if you’re just getting started, enjoy the progress and be patient with yourself.Have you hit a workout yet today? Let me know below... ⬇️💪🏽💥
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When you are strength training, the day becomes br When you are strength training, the day becomes broken up in two periods of time –REST PERIODS (the times when you’re not training) and PERI-WORKOUT PERIODS (pre/during/post workout).Those are the two parts of the day that exist. So, how do these two intervals differ from a nutritional context?Simple. During the REST periods, your body can be properly fueled by high-quality, wholesome, nutrient-dense foods. Meaning, lean proteins, healthy fats, heaps of veggies and a few fruits, and lots of water (likely more than you’re drinking now).However, for the PERI-WORKOUT period, everything changes:....our physiology changes....our biochemistry changes....our signaling pathways change (including which receptors are open on our muscle cells).... even our gene expression changes (meaning, what proteins your body’s DNA decides to create and fold into 3D structures)!So, we need to treat this period of time differently.For this peri-workout period, what you care about is what you can QUICKLY shuttle into your body for a high-performance power boost, allowing you to put more weight overhead than you did yesterday.So, what SHOULD you consume in the peri-workout period? The answer is to...Sip carbs during your workout, and immediately afterward, consume carbs along with whey protein--ideally WHEY ISOLATE OR WHEY HYDROLYSATE.These two types of whey protein are the most rapidly digested, with whey hydrolysate being partially pre-digested by enzymes to allow for particularly fast absorption.Speaking of which, do you know the four main types of protein shakes or would you like me to talk about that next? Let me know below... 👇🏽
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