Many of us are sleep deprived, which can lead to:
Taking a while to fall asleep may contribute to this. While we can’t promise you’ll be able to fall asleep in seconds, there are science-backed steps you can take to fall asleep faster, helping you get the sleep you need.
Below, we’ll go over ways to fall asleep fast and how the RISE app can help you get better sleep night after night.
“You can’t really fall asleep in 10 seconds," says Dr. Chester Wu. "But you can fall asleep faster by focusing on calming your body and mind when you get into bed. Breathing and relaxation exercises are useful here.”
Dr. Chester Wu is double board certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, and provides sleep medicine services, medication management, and psychotherapy to adults at his private sleep medicine and psychiatry practice.
Falling asleep instantly would be useful, but it’s not actually possible. You can’t really fall asleep in 10, 40, or 60 seconds, and if you are, it’s actually a sign of being sleep deprived.
In reality, it’s normal to take about 10 to 20 minutes to fall asleep.
If it takes you longer than 30 minutes to fall asleep, and this happens at least three times a week for three months, consider speaking to a healthcare provider to discuss insomnia and ways to improve sleep.
That said, there are techniques you can do when you get into bed to fall asleep faster. These involve calming down your mind and body to prepare for sleep and distracting yourself from any anxiety you might feel about taking a while to drift off.
There are also behaviors you can do during the day to help you fall asleep quickly once bedtime rolls around.
Here’s what to do.
Try to keep a regular sleep schedule, even on weekends. This helps keep your circadian rhythm, or body clock, in check, so you can fall asleep faster at bedtime.
Check RISE to see when your body naturally wants to go to sleep and wake up. Try heading to bed during your Melatonin Window, which is when your body’s rate of melatonin production (the sleep hormone) is at its highest. You’ll fall asleep faster if you head to bed at the right time for you.
As a general rule of thumb:
FYI, having some alcohol may make you feel sleepy and fall asleep faster, but it can disrupt the rest of your night’s sleep. of alcohol can also keep you awake for longer.
These tips are part of good sleep hygiene, the set of behaviors proven to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. RISE can tell you the most effective time to do 20+ sleep hygiene habits based on your own circadian rhythm.
Avoid screens about an hour or so before bed. Studies are mixed on whether this can help you fall asleep faster, but there’s some research showing screens can keep you up.
For example, found smartphone use in bed led to an increase in sleep latency (taking longer to fall asleep).
Screens can keep you up due to:
If you want to use screens before bed, try:
Learn more about how to use screens before bed the right way here.
To fall asleep faster, make sure your bedroom is:
Sex with a partner ending in an orgasm is linked to .
Orgasms from could help too. They’ve been associated with falling asleep faster and better sleep quality.
As well as having sex, consider other activities you can do as part of a relaxing routine before bed. That could include taking a warm shower or bath, reading, or drinking a caffeine-free hot drink.
We’ve shared more ways to make yourself tired here.
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There’s not much science behind it, but many swear by the military method to fall asleep quickly.
As the name suggests, the military method was designed to help people in the military fall asleep as fast as possible.
Here’s what to do:
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Again, falling asleep in 40 seconds is a sign of sleep deprivation. But the 4-7-8 method can help you fall asleep much faster than usual.
The 4-7-8 breathing exercise can help reduce anxiety and promote relaxation before sleep. A found it effective in reducing anxiety, which RISE users say is one of their biggest barriers to getting a good night’s sleep, alongside stress.
Here’s how to do it:
Stop if you feel lightheaded and try doing the exercise fewer times next time you try.
Heads-up: Check with your doctor before trying the 4-7-8 method if you have a respiratory condition, as it may worsen your symptoms.
This technique, developed by integrative medicine doctor Dr. Andrew Weil, is particularly useful for unwinding when you’re lying in bed and can’t sleep.
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Progressive muscle relaxation may not guarantee you fall asleep in 60 seconds, but there’s research showing it can improve your mental health and sleep quality.
A found PMR can help you feel more relaxed and another found it can help those in hospital feel less anxiety and get better quality sleep. Plus, a found it can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, which could help you drift off faster.
If you can’t sleep, exercises like PMR can provide a distraction, so you don't get too anxious about being awake.
Check out RISE’s guided progressive muscle relaxation session to get started.
Here’s how to do the technique:
It may be impossible to fall asleep in 10 seconds — and if you are, you’re probably sleep deprived. But it is possible to fall asleep within 10 to 20 minutes, making it easier to get the sleep you need.
The first step to getting enough sleep is finding out how much of it you need. We all need a different amount, and RISE can work out how much sleep you personally need.
It can vary quite a bit from person to person. For example, among 1.95 million RISE users, we found people needed five hours to 11 hours 30 minutes of sleep.
To help you drift off, RISE can guide you through 20+ good sleep hygiene habits and relaxation exercises to help you unwind and fall asleep quickly.
Users say RISE helps them get more energy, which is probably why you want to improve your sleep to begin with:
“I’ve tried a few other sleep apps, but this one doesn’t just track your sleep, it helps you improve your sleep! And it’s very accurate. After a few days, I felt rested, energized, and refreshed and didn’t need an energy drink to get going.” .
Plus, it happens fast, too — 80% of RISE users get more sleep within five days of using the app.
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RISE makes it easy to improve your sleep and daily energy to reach your potential