How To Fall Asleep Quickly

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By The Empire

Sleep is the key to good health and learning how to fall asleep quickly is equally important. If you aren't sleeping properly, you probably aren't eating well or performing the rest of your life's duties as well as you could. Drugs or fancy mattresses aren't needed to fall asleep. All you need is a period of decompression and calm before laying down for bed. This can certainly be done in bed, but having a separate special place in your house that is designated for relaxation is best. It will become a small place of sanctuary for you.

In this article we'll take a look at things not to do before bed, some are pretty obvious and others are not. How to use meditation and breathing exercises to fall asleep quickly, and relaxation music. These aren't the only methods available to learn how to fall asleep quickly, but they are the methods that I used to get over my insomnia.

It may seem like buying a new mattress or finding sleep aids are the answer to your sleep problems, but these aren't long term solutions. They do little to focus on the root problem at hand and may compound the issue in the long term. Having to buy a new bed every few years or becoming addicted to pills will certainly not help your health or wallet years down the road! Make some small changes around your house and mix up your pre-bed habits to solve this problem forever. Lucky for you, learning ways to fall asleep quickly is a pretty relaxing job!

Using Valerian Root To Fall Asleep Quickly

Valerian root is a natural nutritional substance that I use when I'm having trouble sleeping.  It does a great job calming my body and, most importantly, my mind so that I can fall asleep quickly.  It's also used for treating anxiety and depression, but it works great for sleep problems.

It's actually an herb that you can grow at home called valerian.  While it's cool to grow, it really doesn't do anything unless you get it in pill form.  You can buy valerian root at your local health food store, or online.  I've rounded up some of the best prices on Amazon for you (below), so you don't have to search for yourself.

Great Prices For Valerian Root On Amazon

NATURE'S WAY, Valerian Root - 180 caps
Amazon Price: $5.91
List Price: $12.99
Nature's Way Valerian Root, 530 mg, 100 Capsules,
Amazon Price: $3.78
List Price: $9.19
Spring Valley - Valerian Root Extract, 100 Capsules
Amazon Price: $3.81
Nature's Way Valerian, 90 Capsules
Amazon Price: $4.82
List Price: $11.73
Nature's Answer Valerian Root, 180-Count
Amazon Price: $6.31
List Price: $14.99
Valerian Extract 1 Ounces
Amazon Price: $6.56
List Price: $11.99
Courtesy of photos8.com via Flickr.
Courtesy of photos8.com via Flickr.

Falling Asleep Quickly The Wrong Way

Making some changes around your bedroom and avoiding things before bed may solve your sleeping issue easily. Many of the distractions that we are used to in everyday life contribute to our sleeplessness. Take TV for instance, watching it before bed (or even worse, in bed) may seem like a relaxing pastime, but most TV is very stimulating for the brain and will cause you to think about something else rather than focusing on sleep. Turn the tube off at least an hour before bed. This allows you to have time to relax and decompress before laying down. This is the easiest of all tips to fall asleep quickly.

Take a look at the things you eat and drink before bed. It may seem like common sense to avoid caffeine before going to sleep, but how many people enjoy a cup of coffee after dessert? Food in general should be avoided at least an hour before bed. Food=calories and calories=energy. If you are putting energy into your body, you will have trouble falling asleep.

What are you reading before bed? Suspense? Mystery? Maybe these exciting types of novels are keeping you up. Keeping the motor inside your brain revving while you are relaxing is not going to work. Either move to a boring non-fiction book or don't read before bed until you've established solid sleep patterns.

Some other things to avoid at least an hour before bed are; exercise, sugar, work, intense conversation, and heavy thinking. Designate the final hour of your day solely for relaxation and you will learn how to fall asleep quickly!

Some Stuff To Help You Fall Asleep Quickly

The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep (Harvard Medical School Guides)
A guide from Harvard that I read a few months back. It's full of great info and has a six step program to help you sleep better and stop snoring.
Amazon Price: $8.91
List Price: $16.95
Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health
I haven't read this one yet, but it's received great reviews. It's a four week program to help you sleep better and improve your health.
Amazon Price: $8.93
List Price: $24.95
Sleep Solutions (The Calming Collection)
This is my favorite sleep music! If you have an iPod and a speaker setup, you can download the album for a few bucks and hook it up to sleep like a rock!
Amazon Price: $10.61
List Price: $11.99

How To Fall Asleep Quickly With Deep Sleep Mediation

How To Fall Asleep Quickly With Meditation

Sleep meditation can be the ultimate relaxation tool to learn how to fall asleep quickly. It involves lying down, closing your eyes and focusing on your breathing. You will feel all of the muscles in your body relax and your mind will quickly quiet down. This is a great technique for people who have trouble sleeping because thoughts are continually racing through their head while they are lying down. There are many great podcasts on iTunes that will guide you through the relaxation process. These podcasts are totally free and great for getting started with meditation. My advice though, is to try multiple before you pick a favorite. For me, the sound of the persons voice affects my ability to relax.

The Best Books to Learn Meditation

8 Minute Meditation:  Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.
This is the ultimate guide to meditation. I loved every word of this book! It makes meditation understandable for normal people like you and me.
Amazon Price: $7.92
List Price: $13.95
Meditation For Dummies (Book and CD edition)
Meditation For Dummies is great if you know nothing at all about meditation. It's not extremely detailed, but one of the best resources for beginners.
Amazon Price: $9.90
List Price: $24.99

Great Example of How to Fall Asleep Quickly With Music

How To Fall Asleep Quickly With Sleep Music

While it might be obvious that I'm going to advise against listening to Slayer before going to bed, but music that may seem calming to you, isn't necessarily the best for falling asleep quickly. This technique goes hand in hand with meditation and can be used an additional relaxation tool. Pick music with a slow tempo, no lyrics, and no dynamic swings. The music must be calmer than you want to be for it to work properly. Some suggestions are Gregorian Chant, soft classical, and soothing sound effects.

When you wake up refreshed the next morning, you'll know that you properly learned how to fall asleep quickly!  You will be much sharper and ready to rock as soon as you get off of the pillow.  Your overall feeling of stress will plummet and you will perform better in many different aspects of your life.

Comments

Lady_E profile image

Lady_E Level 7 Commenter 3 years ago

Very useful tips. I leave the Radio on Classical FM before I sleep and find it easy to drift off.

The Empire profile image

The Empire Hub Author 3 years ago

Lady_E - That's a great idea. The commercials would throw me off though. If it works for you that's awesome!

Lady_E profile image

Lady_E Level 7 Commenter 3 years ago

At night they tend to cut out commercials. So from about midnight its just soft classical music.

deltaforce 2 years ago

u rock. that vedio almost made me fall asllep watching it

jamesmspacey profile image

jamesmspacey 2 years ago

I learned a great meditation technique a few years ago for relaxing from the toes to the nose and now I usually fall asleep before I get past my knees!! It works.

papachino profile image

papachino 2 years ago

Great information. I'll try out some out the techniques you described.

Sleep coach 2 years ago

good tips...but I personally like something a bit more efficient. You can learn two simple to do methods that allows you to bring down your beta brainwaves and kick up your alpha brainwaves. You will be asleep in minutes.

see my profile for more information.

The Empire profile image

The Empire Hub Author 2 years ago

@Sleep coach - Thanks! I like your ideas too, as well as your low-key spam!

Lucky621 profile image

Lucky621 2 years ago

Great information - I sometimes listen to relaxation audios when I can't fall asleep.

taganisted profile image

taganisted 2 years ago

Thanks for the tips, i'll give these a go.

PaperNotes profile image

PaperNotes 23 months ago

Very helpful tips. Thanks!

judididibop 20 months ago

what i do is since i like cooking i like to think of me cooking a delicious meal or maybe i'll desighn something for a photoshoot...think of happy thoughts...it always works...you'll drift off sooner then you ever did before!!

yenajeon profile image

yenajeon 16 months ago

Thank you so much for the tips. I have major insomnia issues so I've been searching around for non-medicine ideas. I think I'm going to invest in a sleeping sound machine.

Rated up!

EncinitasDental profile image

EncinitasDental 15 months ago

Are you fond of books?If not, then try to read books before sleeping.Take a book to the bed and start reading. I think it will work.Remember,we often fall asleep while study,but kept awake watching TV.Take that way to resolve your problem.It has no side effects,but is quite effective.

Jake 11 months ago

I read books before bed,I think it works great!

cash 9 months ago

hi! its like 3am... i fell asleep reading the first paragraph...

someone;) 7 months ago

nopee i still need help:( ive been in bed for 3hours on my ipod and now im too awake:(

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