How to Get to Sleep Fast

A good starting point is developing a routine to tell yourself that your day is ending and now it is time to go to sleep. Try and set yourself a time to go to bed. You do not have to stick to it rigidly, but going to bed at more or less the same time every night is the first step in training your brain that you have a specific time for sleeping. Following on from that it is simply a matter of developing a bedtime ritual - it doesn't really matter what it is provided that you stick to it. So your particular ritual may involve having a milky drink before you start getting ready for bed, getting changed for bed, brushing your teeth, etc. if it helps, you could read a chapter of a book - avoid anything too stimulating though (thrillers should be avoided) and stick rigidly to one chapter (or less if the book has long chapters) otherwise you could find yourself still reading until the early hours of the morning.

The key thing is to have a routine that works for you, and one that you are able to stick to every night.

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One of the most important aspects of how to get to sleep fast is creating the right environment for sleep. Basically, what you need is for the conditions in your bedroom to tell your body that it is time to sleep. The key things you need here are darkness and a lack of sound. A good pair of curtains to block out the outside world is a good starting point here. However, a ticking clock in your bedroom can be somewhat distracting so should be avoided. Likewise, electronic devices that have lights on them in standby mode (TVs for example) can also cause problems.

There are most definitely some issues that can get in the way of how to get to sleep fast. Particular thoughts can create anxiety and stress and will quickly get in the way of finding the right conditions for sleep. The first of these is worrying about if you are getting enough sleep! However, much this may be worrying you try not to let this thought enter your mind whilst in bed. It may help to turn your alarm clock where you cannot easily see it, so that if you are still awake at 3am you are not fretting about what time it is.

If you have a particularly stressful job, then lying in bed mulling over how your day has gone, or indeed what you have to do the next day will not help you sleep. If this becomes a problem then you need to find alternative thoughts to replace them with.

Exercise during the day can be helpful for sleep. However, exercising immediately before you go to bed is not. The raising of adrenalin and heartrate just before going to bed will positively impede your ability to sleep.

There are a number of relaxation techniques which are effective for getting to sleep fast. One of the simplest and most effective is a visualisation technique where you imagine you are somewhere relaxing, away from your normal life. You then need to imagine all of your senses experiencing this place - think of the breeze on your skin, the smells you would experience, the sounds you would hear. It is important that it is a whole body experience and that you concentrate your mind on individual aspects of this experience. Sometimes, it helps to start at the extremities (your fingers and toes) first, before moving on to the rest of your body.

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