How to fall asleep fast
Lying there exhausted while sleep just will not come? The quickest way to fall asleep is to stop trying so hard. Slow breathing, a gentle body scan and a cool, dark room help your body shift into sleep mode. Below are simple techniques you can try tonight, and the habits that make them work better.
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Why some nights it takes ages
Falling asleep is a gradual slide, not a switch. Your heart rate slows, your muscles soften and your thoughts drift and loosen. Anything that keeps your body alert, like stress, caffeine or a bright screen, slows that slide down.
Lots of people search how to fall asleep in 10 minutes or how to fall asleep instantly. It is an understandable wish when you are tired. In reality bodies vary, and no method works on a timer. What you can do is make the conditions as kind to sleep as possible.
Slow breathing with a longer out-breath
Breathing is one of the quickest ways to calm your body. When your out-breath is longer than your in-breath, it tends to have a settling effect.
Try breathing in gently through your nose for a count of four. Then breathe out slowly for a count of six or seven. Some people like the 4-7-8 pattern, where you hold for seven and breathe out for eight. Keep it soft and comfortable, and stop if you feel light-headed.
A body scan or muscle relaxation
Lie on your back and bring your attention to your face. Let your jaw loosen and your forehead smooth out. Then move slowly down through your neck, shoulders, arms, chest, stomach, legs and feet.
If you find it hard to feel the difference, try progressive muscle relaxation. Tense one area for a few seconds, then let it go and notice the release. Skip any part of your body that is painful.
Quietening a busy mind with the cognitive shuffle
If your thoughts will not settle, give your mind something light to do. The cognitive shuffle was developed by cognitive scientist Luc Beaudoin to copy the random, drifting thoughts we have as we doze off.
Pick a simple word, like garden. Take the first letter and picture as many unconnected things as you can that start with it, such as goat, guitar and grapes. Hold each picture for a few seconds, then move to the next letter. Early tests have been encouraging, though larger studies are still to come.
Set up your room for sleep
Your bedroom does a lot of the work for you. Small changes can make it easier to fall asleep faster most nights.
Light matters most in the hour before bed. Swap bright overhead lights for a lamp and keep screens away. Light from screens can hold back melatonin, the hormone that helps signal it is night.
- Keep the room cool, with breathable bedding
- Make it as dark as you can, or use an eye mask
- Cut noise with earplugs or a steady background sound
- Put your phone out of reach, or in another room
- Save the bed for sleep and intimacy
If you are still awake, and when to get help
If you have been lying awake for what feels like about 20 minutes, get up. Go to another room, keep the light low and do something calm, like reading a book. Go back to bed when you feel sleepy.
Another approach is to lie back with your eyes closed and gently try to stay awake. Mayo Clinic describes this as paradoxical intention. Taking away the pressure to sleep can make sleep easier to reach.
Over the coming weeks, keep a regular wake time and avoid long naps. Steer clear of caffeine and alcohol in the hours before bed. See your GP if trouble falling asleep goes on for 3 months or more, or if it is making life hard to cope with.
If your body will not let go at night
If you go to bed tired and then lie there for an hour, you are not doing it wrong. Plenty of people have all the tiredness they need and a body that has not yet learned to let go.
What helps is a familiar route into sleep. With hypnosis you are guided into deep physical relaxation, with something soothing to follow instead of the day’s worries. You practise that drift into sleep until it feels familiar, and many people find they start to recognise the feeling and can bring it back on their own at night.
I am Adam Cox, a clinical hypnotherapist with 17 years in practice and post-graduate qualifications in clinical hypnotherapy. Sleep sessions are among the most listened to on my podcast, The Hypnotist, which has been downloaded more than 20 million times.
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Questions people ask
How can I fall asleep in 10 minutes?
There is no reliable way to fall asleep on a fixed timer, as everyone is different. Slow breathing, a body scan and a cool, dark room give you the best chance of drifting off sooner.
What is the 4-7-8 breathing method?
You breathe in through your nose for four counts, hold for seven, and breathe out slowly through your mouth for eight. Repeat it a few times. Keep it gentle and stop if you feel dizzy.
Should I stay in bed if I can’t fall asleep?
If you have been awake for a long time, it usually helps to get up and do something quiet in low light. Return to bed when you feel sleepy. This helps your brain link the bed with sleep rather than frustration.
Does the cognitive shuffle really work?
Its creator has reported encouraging results from early pilot tests, but larger studies are still needed. It is free and gentle, so it is worth a try if a busy mind keeps you awake.
What is the best temperature for sleep?
A cool room suits most people better than a warm one. Breathable bedding, such as cotton, can help your body stay comfortable through the night.
Could hypnosis help your sleep?
Take my free sleep hypnosis suitability test. Tell me what keeps you awake, try two quick hypnosis experiments and get an honest answer, with your next step.
Want help falling asleep more easily?
If recordings are not enough on their own, we can work on what is keeping you awake together. Start with a £49 consultation call over Zoom. We talk through your nights and whether hypnotherapy is right for you, and the fee comes off your first session. If poor sleep has lasted 3 months or more, please see your GP too.
Further reading: Sleep Foundation: How to fall asleep fast · BBC Science Focus: The cognitive shuffle · NHS: Insomnia · Mayo Clinic: Insomnia diagnosis and treatment