Falling asleep quickly used to come easy to me until I hit my late twenties. Then I went from dropping off within 15 minutes to tossing and turning for an hour. Two hours. Longer.
It turned out that stress and anxiety were the two biggest roadblocks stopping me from drifting off. And my elaborate nighttime routine was making things worse, not better.
So I ditched my endless pillow sprays, magnesium creams, and sleep teas, and took things back to basics with a quick and simple bedtime routine focused on mental relaxation. It was a game changer for me.
To mark the end of Sleep Week 2025 I’m sharing the top three tips I swear by for preparing your brain and body to fall asleep quickly, plus the two best ‘sleep fast’ methods I’ve tested and still use to this day.
Preparing to fall asleep quickly: My top 3 tips
Most of us need a little time to prepare for sleep and to go from the insomnia state to the somnolent state (feeling drowsy), with doctors advising that healthy adults should fall asleep within 20 minutes.
But if you’re spending more time trying to fall asleep fast than actually doing it, then the following tips should help…
1. Relax before bed
You have little chance of falling asleep fast if you’re feeling stressed, angry or anxious in bed. Your mind is too busy bubbling away in reaction to all those powerful emotions to think about the process of sleep.
Scheduling some active ‘worry time’ for earlier in your day and away from your bedroom means you keep all those spiralling, triggering thoughts away from the place where you sleep.
Once you’re in bed, try either breathing exercises for sleep, progressive muscle relaxation, or a deep sleep guided meditation. (My tried and tested recommendations are below.) Any of these will relax you quickly so that you have a better chance of falling asleep fast.
2. Create a simple nighttime routine
I used to have the most elaborate and lengthy nighttime routine, filled with pillow sprays, magnesium creams, valerian teas, and positive affirmations. And you know what? It didn’t work.
Long and complex nighttime routines will just leave you feeling drained over time. They also put you at risk of mistakenly thinking you need an army of sleep aids to fall asleep whereas in reality you just need time to properly relax.
A good bedtime routine for adults doesn’t need to be longer than 30 minutes. Give yourself time to secure your home for the night and to physically get ready for bed, then to practice whatever form of relaxation resonates with you. That’s it.
3. Don’t use your phone in bed
If you want to kill your chances of falling asleep quickly once you’re lying in bed, go ahead and pick up your smartphone.
We now have ample research pointing to the link between smartphone addiction and poor sleep, with social media scrolling and doom-scrolling topping the polls for ‘reasons why you can’t fall asleep fast once you’re in bed’.
I recommend leaving your phone on the opposite side of your bedroom so you aren’t tempted to ‘have a quick scroll’ once you’re in bed. Both of the fall asleep quick methods I recommend below can be done without a phone.
Let’s look at them now…
The best methods I’ve tried for falling asleep quickly
According to the CDC as many as one in three Americans experience sleep deprivation which is something I have personal experience with too.
I need around 7.5 hours sleep a night (five full sleep cycles averaging 90 minutes each) to feel at my best the next day. You might need 9 hours. You might need less.
To boost your chances of falling asleep quickly I recommend practicing good sleep hygiene with a regular bedtime and wake time, plus using a form of relaxation. These all work for me…
1. The Military Sleep Method
I’ve been using this army sleep technique for three years. It takes around six to eight weeks of practice for it to become most effective, but I can fall asleep in a few minutes now when using it.
So what is the Military Sleep Method and how does it work? In a nutsell, it uses a triple whammy of guided imagery, deep breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation to calm your nervous system to help you fall asleep quickly.
The army’s sleep technique method was first documented by American track and field coach Lloyd Bud Winter in 1981 and has been a favorite among sleep specialists ever since.
@justin_agustin
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2. The 4 7 8 Sleep Method
If your anxiety gets worse at night then the 4 7 8 sleep method is my top recommendation. This helped me through a period of health anxiety during pregnancy (I had breathing issues after contracting covid).
Dr Andrew Weil, who developed the 4 7 8 method, describes it as “a natural tranquilliser for the nervous system” due to the calming effect deep breathing has.
To perform the 4 7 8 breathing exercise you have to inhale slowly for four seconds, hold your breath for seven, then exhale for eight seconds. You then repeat that three to four times before sleep.
Is your bedroom stopping you from falling asleep?
So clearly stress and anxiety are major culprits behind most peoples’ inability to fall asleep quickly, but what about your bedroom? Is it geared up to help you drop off with ease, or is it a magnet for insomnia?
Keeping your bedroom cool, dark and quiet in the 30 minutes before you want to be asleep will help. That means adjusting your thermostat to the perfect temperature for sleeping (60-68°F)) or opening a window, plus dimming the lights.
Make sure your pillows and bed are clean, comfy and clutter-free. If you’re experiencing pain when lying down or waking up then you might need a new mattress. If you’re wondering which mattress to buy then our best mattress of the year guide contains our top-tested recommendations.
