Falling Asleep in Two Minutes

Written by Dr. Joseph Mercola

• An estimated 70 million American adults have a sleep disorder, the most common of which is insomnia — the inability to fall asleep, or waking up one or more times during the night

• Even if you’re doing everything else right, if you’re not sleeping enough, or not sleeping well, many of the benefits of your healthy lifestyle will be lost

• Middle-aged men who sleep five hours or less per night have twice the risk of having a major cardiovascular event compared to men who sleep at least seven to eight hours per night

• A sleep-induction method developed by the U.S. military claims to have a 96 percent success rate after six weeks of consistent implementation. The method centers around preparing your mind and body for sleep by deeply relaxing for about two minutes

• There’s evidence showing EMF exposure reduces melatonin production just like blue light from cellphones, tablets and computers do, making it particularly important to eliminate EMFs in your bedroom

An estimated 70 million American adults have a sleep disorder, the most common of which is insomnia1 — the inability to fall asleep, or waking up one or more times during the night. If you’re in this category, despair not, because the list of strategies to improve your sleep is long.

While most sleep problems are tied to lifestyle choices such as spending too much time indoors during daylight hours, and/or excessive use of technology and chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which will require you to make (perhaps significant) changes to your lifestyle, a number of tips and tricks can be useful in the short term.

A method developed by the U.S. military, revealed in the 1981 book, “Relax and Win: Championship Performance,” claims to have a 96 percent success rate after six weeks of consistent implementation.

Military Method Preps Your Body for Sleep

The method centers around preparing your mind and body for sleep by deeply relaxing for about two minutes. The following summary of the process was recently published in the Evening Standard:2

1.Relax your whole face, including your tongue, jaw and the muscles around your eyes

2.Drop your shoulders and relax your arms

3.Relax your chest as you breathe out

4.Relax your legs, from your thighs to your feet

5.Relax and clear your mind, then picture yourself in one of the following scenarios:

a.You’re lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but blue sky above you

b.You’re snuggled in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room

c.Simply repeat “Don’t think, don’t think, don’t think” for 10 seconds

21 Additional Strategies to Help You Fall Asleep Faster

I’ve written numerous articles over the years, detailing all sorts of tips and tricks to help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep. For an extensive listing of suggestions, see “Sleep — Why You Need It and 50 Ways to Improve It.”

Medical News Today also recently published a list of “21 Ways to Fall Asleep Naturally,” which included the following:3

1. Create a consistent sleeping pattern by going to bed and getting up at the same time throughout the week, including on weekends

2. Make sure your bedroom is as dark as possible. If you don’t have blackout shades, use an eye mask

3. Avoid taking naps during the day or too close to bedtime

4. Exercise regularly

5. Minimize cellphone use and use of other blue light-emitting devices

6. Read a book to relax before bed

7. Avoid caffeine and other stimulants at least four hours before bed

8. Meditate or practice mindfulness on a daily basis

9. “Count sheep” by slowly counting downward from 100 to zero

10. Avoid eating at least three hours before bedtime

11. Lower the temperature in your bedroom; an ideal temperature for sleeping is around 65 degrees F.

12. Use aromatherapy; lavender is relaxing and may help induce sleep

13. Find your most comfortable sleeping position. While the article suggests side sleeping, I would suggest you try sleeping in a neutral position — on your back with a pillow supporting your neck, not your head. For more information, see Dr. Peter Martone’s article on “The Best Position for Sleep”

14. Listen to relaxing music before bed

15. Don’t wait to use the bathroom; while it may seem distracting to get out of bed to pee, trying to hold it will simply disrupt your sleep later

16. Take a hot shower or bath before bed

17. Avoid e-books, as the blue light from the screen will impede melatonin release

18. Try a melatonin supplement. Another, perhaps even more effective alternative is 5-HTP, which is a precursor to both serotonin and melatonin. I believe this is a superior approach to using melatonin. In one study, an amino acid preparation containing both GABA (a calming neurotransmitter) and 5-HTP reduced time to fall asleep, increased the duration of sleep and improved sleep quality4

19. Invest in a comfortable mattress. To this, I would add the suggestion to look for a chemical-free mattress to avoid exposure to flame retardant chemicals

20. Minimize noise; use ear plugs if environmental noise is unavoidable

21. Avoid alcohol.