If you have ever fallen on the bed after a tiring day and discovered that your body just won’t let you fall asleep, you would know that figuring out how to fall asleep fast is a tedious affair. To top it off, quality sleep can feel more elusive if you’re stressed about something.
You know how the cycle goes – you toss and turn in your bed, doom-scroll through your Instagram feed, and continuously count how many hours it is until you finally get up. Or maybe you fall asleep easily but wake up in the middle of the night and don’t know how to go back to sleep.
Soon, learning how to fall asleep faster becomes an added stress that keeps you up longer at night. It’s a vicious cycle that plagues the lives of one-third of adults in America, as per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
This is exactly why we have rounded up the Internet’s most beloved hacks to fall asleep faster.
Not being able to fall asleep easily can have a string of different reasons – maybe you are not that tired yet, your mind is racing, and much more.
Whatever the reasons – plenty of people on the Internet have found great sleep with genius sleep hacks and tricks.
These sleep hacks are wide-ranging – from something as weird as wearing socks while sleeping to as simple as self-massaging. If you have tried all means and are still struggling to fall asleep, these sleep hacks are the perfect way out for you.
Let’s dive in.
The Best Deep Sleep Hacks To Fall Asleep Faster
1. Wear Socks While Sleeping
What’s the hack?
Wearing socks to bed became an online sensation recently after it went viral on TikTok and for all the good reasons. According to this, wearing socks is a great way to help you fall asleep faster as it opens the blood vessels in your feet, thus decreasing your body temperature and inducing sleep.
The science: The human body regulates its temperature throughout the day depending on every individual’s circadian rhythm. While it is around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, it gets lower as you feel sleepy. This is exactly why wearing socks to bed is one of the best sleeping hacks to fall asleep faster.
Research by Edward C. Harding and team suggests that the optimum room temperature for sleeping is 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit. However, bedroom temperature is just a part of the whole equation.
As your body temperature starts to drop around the night, wearing socks to bed can help a process called distal vasodilation. This infers increased blood circulation in your hands and feet, which reduces your body temperature faster.
Research by Yelin Ko and team found that people who wore socks to bed fell asleep faster and reported staying asleep longer than others.
Does it work?
So, is wearing socks your answer to how to get the best sleep of your life? Most probably. However, if you prefer sleeping with cold feet or have medical conditions that affect your blood circulation, it might not be your preferred deep sleep hack.
2. Commit to a consistent sleep schedule.
What’s the hack?
It is pretty tempting to adjust your sleep in your free time or gaps in your schedule. However, according to our next deep sleep hack, this is a somewhat counterproductive idea.
The Internet believes that committing to a regular sleep schedule and falling asleep and waking up at the same time daily can help you sleep better. This routinizes your sleep habits and is truly one of the best sleeping hacks to fall asleep faster.
The science: How does it do so? Well, our sleep-wake cycle is regulated by a hormone named melatonin. Having a consistent sleep schedule means that your body releases melatonin around the same time daily, which promotes quality sleep.
Moreover, human bodies thrive on habits. Routines make us near automatic in multiple aspects. Therefore, setting a sleep schedule means getting the sleep you require consistently. Having a consistent bedtime schedule is one of the deep sleep hacks to fall asleep faster because it helps you snooze more quickly and keeps you asleep throughout the night.
Does it work?
A resounding yes!
Having a sleep schedule is hands down one of the best sleeping hacks to fall asleep faster for you. It works for the vast majority of people who struggle with sleep issues or simply want to optimize their sleep quality.
3. Read before bed.
What’s the hack?
If you have ever read books for pleasure or learning, know that you have only discovered a part of what books offer.
Books are a great way to help you wind down on days you aren’t ready to sleep on time. So, if your mind is racing or you don’t feel tired, reading books in bed is one of the best deep sleep hacks to fall asleep faster.
The science: There are multiple benefits of reading before sleep. Firstly, if emotional distress or stress keeps you up at night, reading can make a mountain of a difference. As per research published in the Journal of College Teaching & Learning, reading for just half an hour gives you the same benefits as practicing Yoga or watching funny videos for similar durations.
Reading engages your brain without any significant physical stimulation. Therefore, reading while lying down relaxes your body and helps you fall asleep faster. This promotes quality sleep as you insert yourself in a resting state rather than just artificially creating it using your ambiance.
Does it work?
Reading before sleep is one of the best sleeping hacks to fall asleep faster. However, if you read too long into the night, it can obstruct your sleep. Additionally, you need to be mindful of what you are reading. Books that are emotionally invested or highly stimulating might disrupt your sleep.
4. Say goodnight to your phone.
What’s the hack?
Where is your mobile phone when you sleep? Next to you? On the edge of the bed? On the nightstand?
If yes, saying goodnight to your phone before bedtime is one of the best ways to fall asleep better. Sleeping with your phone severely disrupts your sleep and might lead to severe and long-term disorders, including insomnia. This is exactly why experts suggest ditching your phone before bed as one of the best sleep hacks.
The science: We are all attached to our cell phones, and it can be pretty daunting to have them around you while you sleep. But there is credible evidence that suggests why you should do it.
For starters, having your phone around means constantly scrolling, clicking, posting, and refreshing through something or other online. It makes you feel good and has endless possibilities of mental stimulation. This leads to reduced bedtime and makes it harder for you to fall asleep.
Additionally, the light emitted by your phone, laptop, or tablet screens affects your circadian rhythm and disrupts your sleep routine. If you do not get enough morning light to counteract this blue night, it might even lead to insomnia.
Does it work?
Avoiding your phone at night and keeping it in a different room is one of the best sleeping hacks to fall asleep faster. It reduces exposure to blue light and decreases mental stimulation, thereby prompting better sleep. However, the efficacy of this sleep hack depends on your discipline and commitment.
5. Brew a cup of herbal tea.
What’s the hack?
Most sleep experts suggest cutting down on alcohol and caffeine right before sleeping. But if there is one drink that can help you sleep faster and better, it’s herbal tea.
Herbal teas have existed for centuries. The newfound interest in the wellness industry means people are slowly discovering the benefits of herbal teas for relaxing and getting good sleep. The basic idea is that the natural compounds in these herbal teas can have calming and sedative effects, making falling asleep easier.
The science: Some natural compounds found in herbal teas have been scientifically proven to enhance your sleep routine. These include the following:
- Chamomile tea: A 2019 research review found that chamomile is extremely efficient in promoting good sleep and can also help deal with generalized anxiety disorder.
- Lemon balm tea: A study by Julien Cases and team found that lemon balm tea can help better manage stress, anxiety, and insomnia.
- Passionflower tea: A 2020 research review found that passionflower has sedative and anti-anxiety properties.
Apart from these scientific benefits, brewing and drinking tea can be a great addition to your bedtime routine. It is also a great hack to sleep better because it can be a safe alternative to prescriptions or other sleep aids.
Does it work?
A resounding yes! Herbal teas are one of the best sleeping hacks to fall asleep faster, especially if you struggle with stress or anxiety around bedtime. However, it is important to note that this is not a quick fix and will take time to show results.
6. Change your lights.
What’s the hack?
Like the light from your phone screen, the light in your bedroom also harms your sleep. Therefore, modifying or changing your bedroom light to something more conducive to sleep is a great deep sleep hack. This usually means dimming the lights in the evening and investing in low-intensity and warm lights.
The science: Your circadian rhythm is regulated by the melatonin hormone. The secretion of melatonin in the body is governed by exposure to light during the day and night. Therefore, exposure to bright, harsh, or blue light can suppress melatonin secretion and disrupt your sleep cycle.
On the contrary, using warm and soft nights can induce melatonin secretion, thereby signaling your body to fall asleep.
Does it work?
Yes, changing your bedroom lights is one of the best sleeping hacks to fall asleep faster for everyone. By aligning lights with the natural progression of the day, you can easily signal your body when it is time to rest and unwind.
7. Stimulating the vagus nerve.
What’s the hack?
This extremely popular Instagram and TikTok trend says activating the vagus nerve (a part of the parasympathetic nervous system that helps you calm down) is the key to good sleep. It says using ice on the vagus nerve (around your neck and abdomen) can induce quality sleep.
The science: Both hot and cold temperatures have a detrimental effect on your sleep quality. However, a body that is too cold will struggle to fall asleep. Therefore, using ice or frozen peas to stimulate your vagus nerve might be pretty counterintuitive to the whole process of trying to fall asleep faster.
Additionally, while the idea of stimulating the vagus nerve might be well-founded, it might not be helpful to your sleep schedule. The vagus nerve does not play a direct role in regulating your sleep. The hypothalamus governs your sleep, which depends mainly on temperature and light.
Does it work?
Stimulating the vagus nerve using ice or other practices might not be the best sleeping hack to fall asleep faster. Snuggling with ice might even make it harder for you to fall asleep.
Read more about stimulating your vagus nerve here.
Conclusion:
Falling asleep is something that is easier said than done. Around a third of the American adult population suffers from a lack of adequate sleep. Since the problem is so common, a variety of deep sleep hacks available on the Internet claim to help you snooze better.
We hope this post on the best sleeping hacks to fall asleep faster will help you determine which ones work best for you.
If you have been struggling with sleep for far too long, it might be a sign of something that hacks can’t fix. To read more about the common signs of sleep disorders, click here.
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