{"id":15074409,"date":"2026-03-27T12:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T16:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/six-science-backed-ways-to-help-you-fall-asleep-faster\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T01:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T05:05:04","slug":"six-science-backed-ways-to-help-you-fall-asleep-faster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/six-science-backed-ways-to-help-you-fall-asleep-faster\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Science Backed-Ways To Help You Fall Asleep Faster"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I struggle with sleep maintenance insomnia<\/a>, which means that I have no problem falling asleep: it\u2019s staying asleep that I struggle with.<\/p>\n

But roughly 15% of adults<\/a> find it hard to nod off to begin with. That can lead to chronic sleep deprivation<\/a>, which is linked to<\/a> worse blood pressure, an increased risk of heart attack, and even a higher chance of getting into a car crash.<\/p>\n

Here, we\u2019ve listed some science-backed ways to speed up your journey to the land of nod:\u00a0<\/p>\n

1) Put your phone away at least half an hour before bed\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I love a late-night scroll as much as any of us, but there\u2019s a reason the NHS says<\/a> we could consider putting our screens away before bed.<\/p>\n

Even having an unused phone near participants\u2019 pillow seemed to increase their sleep latency, or how long it took them to doze off, in one study<\/a>, while those who looked at their phone 30 minutes or less before hitting the hay also had<\/a> a tougher time sleeping.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2) Will yourself awake<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It sounds paradoxical, and that\u2019s because, well, it is. A phenomenon called \u201cparadoxical intention<\/a>,\u201d which involves willing yourself awake at night, can actually help you to fall asleep because it removes some of the pressure that can keep your mind busy.<\/p>\n

A meta-analysis found<\/a> this approach led to \u201cgreat reductions in sleep-related performance anxiety\u201d.<\/p>\n

3) Give the \u201cmilitary method\u201d a go\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Designed to help soldiers fall asleep in minutes, the approach involves lying still on your back and slowly relaxing each muscle, breathing deeply as you do so.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMove from the top of your body to the bottom when relaxing your muscles, picturing yourself sinking into your bed,\u201d the University of Minnesota Medical School<\/a> shared. Visualise something calming,<\/a> if you can.<\/p>\n

Progressive muscle relaxation was found <\/a>to lead to faster sleep onset, while slow, deep breathing<\/a> and \u201cimagery distraction<\/a>\u201d (picturing nice thoughts) can also help you fall asleep sooner.<\/p>\n

4) Check your thermostat<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is a \u201cbest temperature<\/a>\u201d for sleep; around 18-20\u00b0C will do it for most of us.<\/p>\n

Much hotter than that, and our sleep latency, sleep satisfaction, and hours slept all shrink<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And if you feel really cold before you fall asleep, you might be more likely<\/a> to get up in the night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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5) Exercise four to eight hours before bed<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Exercising four to eight hours before bed can improve<\/a> the amount of time it takes to fall asleep and lower our odds of waking back up in the middle of the night, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, a narrative review published in Nature cautioned<\/a>, that timeframe matters: \u201cExercising more than 8\u2009hours before or less than 4\u2009hours before bedtime, however, may have negative effects\u201d.<\/p>\n

6) Stick to a regular sleep routine\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The NHS stressed<\/a> the importance of sticking to a regular sleep routine if you wanted to fall asleep faster.<\/p>\n

Some research<\/a>\u00a0has found that sleep consistency is a better indicator of mortality risk than sleep duration; a wind-down routine, like reading before bed<\/a>, can help to improve your sleep quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a terrible habit of wanting to go-go-go all day long then expect to fall asleep immediately when it is convenient for us \u2013\u00a0it simply doesn\u2019t work that way,\u201d psychologist Dr Leah Kaylor previously told HuffPost UK<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But an hour-long \u201cwind-down\u201d period might help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Related…<\/h3>\n