Fall Asleep Fast: 25 Ways to Fall Asleep As Quickly As Possible

There are 2 types of people in this world:

• Who sleep too much
• Who can’t fall asleep fast

In this article, we’ll focus on the second kind of people.

Falling Asleep Fast: What’s The Problem?

The majority of the population who struggle with stress issues, personal dilemmas, and unsuitable living conditions have a tough time falling asleep. But 90 percent of these situations are related to poor mind-body functionality and sleeping disorders such as insomnia and a faulty circadian rhythm.

Some issues are caused due to medications that alter certain hormonal levels responsible for sending sleep and wake signals. These neurotransmitters or hormones can include norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin.

During times where you are unable to sleep, there is an uncontrollable amount of twisting and turning in bed which leads to even more restlessness and irritation.

We have curated 25 different methods, techniques, and hacks to help you fall asleep quickly.

First, let’s give you a list of 8 habits that you must get rid of to normalize your body conditions.

Bad Habits Affecting Your Sleep

1. Smoking

Stop smoking right away, the innumerable negative effects of smoking will strike you like lightning and take your life in a moment. The nicotine present in cigarettes behaves as a stimulant that increases heart rate and alertness due to its dopamine secreting properties.

2. Alcohol

Drinking copious amounts of alcohol just before bedtime can cause insomnia due to its intoxicating effects. Alcohol interferes and disrupts a process known as sleep homeostasis, the human body’s sleep-regulating mechanism. This leads to insomnia.

3. Marijuana

People often say ‘Smoke a joint of Marijuana and you will sleep like a baby’. Well, sorry to say, but that occurs only for experienced pot smokers. On the contrary, marijuana produces euphoric effects and makes you stay awake with a thousand thoughts shooting within your brain (due to firing brain cells).

4. Amphetamines

This can be consumed as illegal or legal drugs. Either way, they stimulate the central nervous system via the excitation of wake-promoting hormones. Amphetamines are used to increase concentration and stay awake. Getting rid of this habit will help your brain hormones re-establish their original levels.

5. Caffeine Intake

Drinking 4 cups of coffee a day (each with 150 to 300 mg of caffeine) can cause its effects to last into the night. This is when people pick up their smartphones or a book to read because the caffeine they had in the day is yet showcasing its effects.

6. Keep Your Phone Away

Smartphones and laptops excite your iris (in the eye). The amount of light entering your eyes in a dark room via the phone makes it difficult to keep your eyes shut for a long period. Refrain from using smart devices and the internet once in bed.

7. Addiction Towards TV Shows & Sitcoms

With the amount of content out there, people simply binge-watch shows overnight. This leads to adverse effects in the future.

8. Stressing About The Upcoming Day

This produces no positive effects and only makes handling the next day a much harder task.

Secondly, let’s give you a list of 9 hacks that you can use to fall asleep quickly.

Good Habits For A Quality Sleep

9. Classical or Instrumental Music

The frequency that these tunes resonate, induces a sense of calmness. If you lay in the dark in one spot, you are assured to fall asleep under 7-8 minutes.

10. Focus On Your Breathing

You will get lost in the process and the next thing you know is that morning has arrived and it’s time to start your new day.

11. Read A Storybook

If you are very exhausted and not falling asleep. Begin reading a book, you will naturally doze off. This isn’t because you aren’t interested, this occurs because you are trying to focus while already fatigued.

12. Breathe Through Your Left Nostril

This produces surprisingly effective results. Your parasympathetic responses get activated making you comfortably fall asleep. Read more about the Ida and Pingala energies to understand this art.

13. Acupressure

There are strategic points all over the body that induce a sleepy vibe when particular amounts of pressure are applied. The spirit gate, located under the pinky finger line of your wrist when circularly massaged for 2-3 minutes, calls for sleep.

14. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Begin by tensing your muscles while in bed and then slowly relax the tension. A sense of tranquillity seeps into your body and helps with insomnia.

15. Visualize An Empty & Beautiful Place

Shut your eyes and think of a secluded place you’ve always wanted to go. You’ll gradually find out you are dreaming and at the place.

16. Declutter Your Thoughts

Forget all that has happened on that day, take a deep breath, think about nothing. You will wake up fresh in the morning with a surge of motivation.

17. Embrace White Noise

Any random sounds, be it rainfall, dogs barking, or even footsteps. Don’t get irritated, rather embrace the noise. This helps get over background noise and fall asleep quickly.

Thirdly, a list of medications for inducing sleep quickly with minimal or no side effects, also coming into effect much quicker than other sleep-inducing medicines.

Best Medicines to Fall Asleep Fast

18. Zolpidem

Its effects come into play quickly and are perfect for patients suffering from insomnia, hyper insomnia, and unstable circadian rhythms.

19. Propofol

It’s used as a sedative during surgery and as anesthesia. People are known to consume it for falling asleep in under 5-7 minutes.

20. Hydroxyzine

This is a sedating antihistamine (SA-H) and reduces the production of histamine, thus putting you to sleep much faster than naturally attempting to get sleep.

21. Promethazine

Another SA-H, the ingredients of this medicine are focussed on producing a reaction in the brain and body that directly mixes with histamine and drastically cuts down its sleep-promoting effects.

22. Melatonin

Also present in the brain in abundance, melatonin is important for sleep. It is secreted in the brain and controls the sleep-wake cycle by sending nerve-signals to the mind and body that it’s time to get some rest. This is now present in the form of pills containing up to 1.5 mg of Melatonin.

23. Valerian Root

This is the root of a plant that has majestic medicinal properties. It can be used to relieve anxiety and stress, to promote relaxation, and induce sleep. These supplements can be purchased in the form of pills liquids and tea sachets.

24. Hypnotics

These medicines can only be sold if the patient has a valid prescription. Zaleplon, ramelteon, and eszopiclone are some of the medicines. However, they can have side effects and are known to produce really deep sleep instantly. This is why doctors shall prescribe these only in case of bother-some and severe insomnia.

25. Ketotifen

This is under the class of a classic H1 histamine receptor antagonist (H1R). Considering all antihistamines, this medicine is a more desirable option due to its prolonged effect and quicker reaction time.

Wrap Up

Knowing of hacks and techniques to quickly fall asleep while in bed can prove to be beneficial and helpful in this fast-paced environment we live in.

People come home from work at midnight and need to assemble at 8 am again.

Students study till midnight and need to attend exams or presentations the next morning at 8 am.

Businessmen and entrepreneurs need to be awake early to start attending calls and meetings along with intense presentation preparations.

The above-mentioned solutions can do wonders in the lives of such hard-working individuals.