3 ways to fall asleep faster, backed by decades of research

Struggling to fall asleep is irritating. Struggling to get enough sleep is at least partially debilitating.

Research shows:

• People who sleep five to six hours are almost 20 percent less productive than people who sleep seven to eight hours per night.
  
• People who only get six hours of sleep per night have greater difficulty performing any task that requires focus, deep thinking, or problem-solving. 
  
• People chronically sleep-deprived (think six hours or less) have a much harder time performing complicated tasks.

So, yeah: Performing at your best requires getting enough sleep. But what if you struggle to fall asleep?

Here are three techniques sleep science says you should definitely try.

The 4-7-8 method 

Here’s how it works. First, place the tip of your tongue against your two upper front teeth, and keep it there. (The goal is to inhale and exhale around your tongue.) Then:

• Breathe in through your nose while you count to four.
• Hold your breath while you count to seven.
• Purse your lips and exhale—you should make a “whooshing” sound—while you count to eight.
• Repeat up to four times.

While inhaling and exhaling deeply—and worse yet, holding your breath in between—sounds like it will make you less sleepy, that pattern activates your parasympathetic nervous system and helps switch your body to rest mode.

That’s especially important if you feel stressed, since anxiety shifts your sympathetic nervous system (think fight or flight) into overdrive. Kick-starting your parasympathetic nervous system helps counteract that effect.

And gives you something else to think about in the process.
Keep in mind practice is the key. The 4-7-8 method may not help you fall asleep faster the first few times. But the more you use it, the more you’ll train yourself to relax.

And even if you don’t fall asleep quicker, you will feel a little less stressed and anxious. A 2022 study published in Physiological Reports found that 4-7-8 breathing reduced heart rate and blood pressure for several minutes. You’ll feel calmer, more grounded, and better able to relax and let go.

So, as with using the physiological sigh, you can also use the 4-7-8 method to regain focus when you feel anxious.

The military method

The military method is a two-minute routine created by the Navy Pre-Flight School to help pilots fall asleep. Within six weeks, 96 percent of the pilots could fall asleep within two minutes or less, even if they were sitting in a chair, listening to a recording of machine-gun fire, and had just drunk coffee.

Here’s how it works:

1. Relax your entire face. Close your eyes. Breathe slowly and deeply. Then slowly relax all of your face muscles. (If it helps, start with your forehead muscles and work your way down.) Relax your jaw, your cheeks, your mouth, your tongue, everything. Including your eyes; let them go.
   
2. Drop your shoulders and hands. Let go of any tension. Relax your neck, your traps; feel yourself sinking into the chair or bed. Then start at the top of your right arm, and slowly relax your biceps, forearms, and hands. Repeat on the other side. And don’t forget to keep breathing slowly and deeply.
   
3. Exhale and relax your chest. With your shoulders and arms relaxed, that should be easy.
   
4. Relax your legs. Start with your right thigh; let it sink into the chair or bed. Then do the same with your calf, ankle, and foot. Repeat the process with your left leg.
   
5. Now clear your mind. Granted, it’s hard to not think about anything. (I end up thinking about not thinking about anything.) If that’s you, try holding an image in your mind. Choose something relaxing. Picture yourself lying comfortably in darkness. But if that doesn’t work—
   
6. Try repeating the words “Don’t think” for 10 seconds. If nothing else, that should help distract you from thinking about whatever it is that might otherwise keep you awake.

Like the 4-7-8 method, the military method may take practice. Remember, it took pilots up to six weeks to regularly fall asleep within two minutes. But once you’ve gained the skill . . .

The 10-3-2-1 method

This routine takes a little longer to execute; think of it as daylong sleep prep. As Jess Andrade describes: 

• 10: Stop drinking caffeine 10 hours before you plan to go to sleep to clear the stimulatory effect from your bloodstream.
  
• 3: Eat your last big meal (or last drink of alcohol) three hours prior to reduce reflux and ensure alcohol doesn’t impair your natural sleep cycle.
  
• 2: Create a to-do list for the next day two hours prior; as Getting Things Done author David Allen says, “Your head is for having ideas, not holding ideas. Without exception, you will feel better if you get stuff out of your head.”
  
• 1: Stop using screens one hour before you go to sleep, both to reduce exposure to blue light and to disengage.

Granted, this technique takes more time and effort. Then again, combining the 10-3-2-1 method with the military or 4-7-8 method can only increase your odds of falling asleep quickly.

Which increases the odds you’ll get sleep better and hopefully longer tonight.

And be able to perform at your best tomorrow.

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