How to Fall Asleep in a Few Minutes
I live in France, and recently, we had a little heatwave episode that completely ruined my sleep. I had to do some research to find tips for getting a good night’s sleep and falling asleep quickly, which I will share here.
Falling Asleep in 10 Seconds?
While searching for techniques to fall asleep, I came across the “Military Method” that claims to make you fall asleep in 10 seconds. First of all, the title is misleading because the entire method takes 2 minutes; it’s only the last 10 seconds that make you fall asleep. Moreover, this method works because, in the context of its use, the military personnel were sleep-deprived. Of course, if I sleep 5 hours per night, regardless of the method, I fall asleep in 2 minutes.
So, I won’t even talk about it because even though sleeping less does help you fall asleep faster, you can probably guess that it’s not a solution. In fact, I won’t explain any method for falling asleep, whether it’s this one or another. There is no universal method, just basic principles to apply. You are free to develop your own method based on these principles later on.
Preparation
The first step to falling asleep quickly is to be prepared to sleep when you lay in your bed. By preparation, I mean preparing your mind and your body.
Preparing your Mind to Fall Asleep
You should be calm when you prepare to go to bed. So avoid activities that make you agitated, such as playing video games or even exercising.
Prioritize activities like reading or meditation. Personally, I combine both by starting with reading and then meditating just before sleep.
Preparing your Body to Fall Asleep
The goal is to bring your body as close as possible to the state it is in when you are asleep. I’m thinking of things like having a low heart rate, a low body temperature, an increase in melatonin production (the sleep hormone), etc.
To lower your heart rate, it aligns with the previous point: engage in calm activities and avoid exercise. Also, avoid certain drinks like coffee or tea.
As for body temperature, an effective way to lower it is to cool down your room. The ideal sleeping temperature is between 16 and 18°C, but usually, it’s a bit higher. Alternatively, another method, a bit more drastic but tremendously effective, is taking a cold shower.
One might think the opposite, that a cold shower wakes you up, but it does both. In the morning, a cold shower energizes you to start the day, and in the evening, it cools down your body temperature, helping you fall asleep. Test it for yourself, and you’ll see. Personally, I can confidently say that cold showers have greatly improved my sleep.
Let’s also talk about melatonin. It’s the sleep hormone, and the more of it you have in your body, the better you sleep, theoretically. It starts being produced when light decreases, so normally in the late afternoon.
To promote its production, you should darken your environment before going to sleep (ideally 1 to 2 hours before). You should also avoid screens just before bedtime because they inhibit melatonin production.
Also, avoid eating right before bed. It activates your body, and digestion can potentially disrupt your sleep.
Lastly, relax before sleep. When you sleep, your body is completely relaxed, and muscle atonia sets in. To get your body in the right condition, relax your muscles. I really enjoy meditation just before sleep, as it perfectly fulfills this need for relaxation.
The Body Battery Principle
Let’s imagine you could recharge and discharge yourself, much like a phone. Your goal is to always start the day with a full 100% battery to be fully energized and always end it at 0% to fall asleep quickly.
If you start at 90%, it’s good but not optimal; you should have slept a bit more. If you end at 10%, it’s not optimal either; you have unused energy that will slow down your ability to fall asleep.
In short, the principle is simple: your days should be tiring, and you should feel the need to sleep. Your phone doesn’t need to be charged if it still has 30% battery, the alarm to recharge it only goes off at 10%. Well, it’s the same for you; you don’t need to sleep when you still have 30% of energy, but when you have only 10% left, your internal alarm goes off, telling you it’s time to sleep.
Once in the Bed
Okay, so now you’re in your bed, with your mind and body prepared to sleep. All that’s left to do is to conclude and fall asleep.
Some people say it’s better to clear your mind. I don’t find that effective; it doesn’t work for me. Instead, I suggest you imagine something positive, play scenes in your head. For example, imagine yourself as Superman saving people. Of course, don’t think about the tasks you have to do tomorrow or anything like that.
The goal is to divert your mind so that you don’t focus on falling asleep, and it happens naturally. If you keep repeating to yourself, “I need to fall asleep,” it won’t work.
An Example of a Routine
I will finish by explaining the routine I use to fall asleep quickly. I can’t say I fall asleep in 2 minutes, but I fall asleep faster than before, maybe in 10 minutes, by applying the principles I’ve talked about.
My routine starts about 1 hour before going to bed, with a little bit of reading in a dark room. Sometimes, that alone is enough to start making me fall asleep because my eyes naturally close as I read (even though I read interesting books!).
While reading, I have my evening snack (I don’t follow the advice of not eating before sleep, but it’s challenging when trying to gain muscular mass…).
Then, I take a cold shower and finish with 10 minutes of meditation.
Afterward, on average, I fall asleep in 15 minutes, compared to 30–45 minutes before (I know this thanks to my watch).
Final Note
Falling asleep quickly may seem difficult, but it actually happens quite naturally. You just need to be tired enough and bring your body closer to the state it’s in when you sleep. Sleep is a very interesting topic, so I’m curious to know what tips you have for falling asleep quickly if you have any to share!
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