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Many people have probably experienced lying in bed and being unable to sleep, even when they're tired and should be sleepy. In this article, we'll introduce some easy-to-implement tips and methods for falling asleep that you can try on those sleepless nights.
8 Ways to Fall Asleep Instantly, Right in Bed!
Here are 8 simple sleep induction methods you can try easily in bed:
- Military Sleep Method
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- 4-7-8 Breathing Method
- Alice-style Sleep Method
- Stimulate Acupressure Points
- Cool Your Forehead and Palms
- Don't Try to Fall Asleep Quickly
- Clear Your Mind
Military Sleep Method
This sleep induction method is said to have been developed to improve pilots' sleep. It has been featured in various media, so some of you may already be familiar with it. It requires no special tools and can be practiced immediately, so please give it a try. The steps are as follows:
1: Relax your facial muscles
Lie down on your bed, close your eyes, and slowly relax all your facial muscles while breathing deeply. Start with your forehead muscles, then your eyes, cheeks, mouth, tongue, and jaw. With each breath, try to relax your entire face.
2: Release tension in your neck, shoulders, back, and arms
Continue to breathe slowly and deeply, and let go of the tension in your neck, shoulders, and shoulder blades, feeling as though you're sinking into the bed. Then, relax your right arm, starting from the upper arm, then the biceps, forearm, and hand, in order. Do the same for your left arm.
3: Relax your chest and torso
As you slowly exhale, imagine your chest and torso sinking into the bed due to their weight, and relax them. If your shoulders and arms are properly relaxed, it will be easier to relax the muscles around your chest.
4: Relax your legs
First, relax the muscles at the base of your right leg and thigh, then your calf, ankle, and the sole of your foot, in order, letting them sink into the bed. Do the same for your left leg.
5: Clear your mind completely
Once your entire body is relaxed, clear your mind completely. If you find it difficult to think of nothing, try to imagine a relaxing scene. It is said that images like "being comfortably swayed in a hammock in a dark, warm room" or "lying on a boat floating on a calm lake under a blue sky" are effective.
If that still doesn't work, repeat the phrase "don't think" for 10 seconds. This can help prevent worrying about anxieties or problems that might keep you awake.
The Military Sleep Method is said to require practice, and you might not fall asleep quickly the first few times, but with continued practice, you will become better at letting go of tension and relaxing yourself, making it easier to fall asleep.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation, also known as Jacobson's Progressive Relaxation, was developed by American psychiatrist Edmund Jacobson about 100 years ago. Specifically, it involves tensing muscles in various parts of the body for 10 seconds, then suddenly releasing the tension and relaxing, feeling a warm sensation for 20 seconds.
1: Hands
Extend both arms, make fists with your thumbs bent, and tense for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds.
2: Upper Arms
Bring both fists towards your shoulders as if making a bicep, and tense the entire bent upper arm for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds.
3: Back
Similar to step 2, bring your fists towards your shoulders, spread your bent upper arms outwards, and pull your shoulder blades together for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds.
4: Shoulders
Raise both shoulders and tense them as if shrugging your neck for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds.
5: Neck
Turn your head to the right and tense for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds. Repeat on the left side.
6: Face
Pucker your mouth, clench your back teeth, and tense your entire face towards its center for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds. When relaxed, let your mouth remain open.
7: Abdomen
Place your hand on your stomach and push against it for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds.
8: Lower Legs
Extend your legs to your toes and tense the muscles in your lower legs for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds.
9: Upper Legs
Extend your legs, flex your toes upwards, and tense the muscles in your upper legs for 10 seconds. Release abruptly and hold for 20 seconds.
10: Whole Body
Tense all the body parts from 1 to 9 simultaneously for 10 seconds, then slowly release the tension and feel the sensation for 20 seconds.
It's important to carefully observe the sensation in each body part, both when tensing and relaxing. In particular, savor the warm, tingling sensation when you relax. It's more effective to relax the entire body from 1 to 10 than to do just one part.
4-7-8 Breathing Method
This is a simple breathing technique devised by the world-renowned physician Dr. Andrew Weil. There is a deep connection between breathing and the autonomic nervous system. It is said that when you fully exhale and then slowly inhale through your nose using abdominal breathing, the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and rest, increases.
1: Exhale completely
Lie on your back and exhale all the air, emptying your lungs.
2: Inhale through your nose while counting to 4
Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds.
3: Hold your breath while counting to 7
Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
4: Slowly exhale while counting to 8
Exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat steps 1-4 four times. Counting the seconds helps you clear your mind, making it recommended for those who can't sleep due to overthinking.
Furthermore, it is said that consistently practicing this breathing technique can not only improve sleep but also help alleviate anxiety and control anger.
Alice-style Sleep Method
This sleep method has become very popular on social media.
1: Sit on the bed and relax
Sit cross-legged on the bed, keeping your body still. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing as if you were asleep.
2: Continue watching the images that appear in your mind
Clear your mind completely and passively observe any images that spontaneously appear in your mind.
3: Lie down when you start to feel drowsy
Once you're in a half-asleep state, slowly get into bed. If you still can't sleep after lying down, repeat steps 1-3. Its popularity comes from the ease of "not thinking about anything and just observing the images that appear in your mind unconsciously."
Stimulate Acupressure Points
By stimulating acupressure points effective for good sleep, you can alleviate symptoms that cause insomnia. Generally, "Laogong" and "Shimmen" are said to be good acupressure points for insomnia.
1: Laogong
The "Laogong" acupressure point is located in the palm of your hand, in the middle of the tips of your index and middle fingers when you lightly clench your hand. It is said to govern mental functions, helping to relax the whole body and promote a calm mood. Press it rather firmly.
2: Shimmen
The acupressure point in the center of the heel on the sole of your foot is called "Shimmen," and it is said to be effective for insomnia caused by minor worries. In addition to pressing, it is also recommended to warm and stimulate it with moxibustion or a hot water bottle.
For insomnia relief, dim the lights 30 minutes to 1 hour before bed and practice this while taking deep breaths. Exhale slowly and deeply as you press the acupoint, and release the pressure as you slowly inhale. Repeat each point about 10 times.
Good sleep requires relaxing the brain, so don't get too caught up in finding the exact spot. Just stimulate areas that feel good when pressed.
Cool Your Forehead and Palms
Difficulty falling asleep or light sleep might be due to a high internal body temperature (core body temperature) in the brain and body. Conversely, cooling the head can sometimes lead to falling asleep without realizing it. Effectively lowering the brain's temperature at the beginning of sleep can lead to deep sleep without waking up in the middle of the night.
1: Cool the brain (head)
Prepare a soft gel ice pack or a pre-frozen towel, and place it on the upper half of your pillow when you sleep. Alternatively, using a pillow that is breathable and helps lower your head temperature is also recommended.
Be careful not to cool below the ears, as cooling the neck, where vital functions like the respiratory center are located, can cause the brain to awaken, perceiving it as a "life-threatening situation."
2: Cool your palms
The palms of your hands and soles of your feet have blood vessels called "arteriovenous anastomoses," which connect arteries and veins directly through large connecting vessels without passing through capillaries. Cooling these vessels is effective for lowering core body temperature.
Looking at screens like TVs and smartphones can raise core body temperature, so try to cool your head and palms when you go to sleep.
Don't Try to Fall Asleep Quickly
If you keep thinking about falling asleep quickly, your brain will try hard to do so. It's difficult to fall asleep when your brain is active, leading to difficulty drifting off. Therefore, it's important to give up on trying to sleep quickly and allow your brain to rest.
If you take an optimistic approach, such as "It's okay if I don't sleep quickly tonight, I'll just sleep a lot tomorrow night," your brain will relax and you'll find it easier to fall asleep.
Clear Your Mind
To fall asleep quickly, it's also effective to create a state where your brain isn't thinking, preventing sleep disruption caused by "memories."
Making the room completely dark and silent shuts down sensory stimulation, preventing your brain from being disturbed during sleep.
However, when the brain loses sensory input, it has a tendency to recall memories. This can lead to some people remembering various events, becoming excited, and being unable to fall asleep.
Conversely, the brain finds it harder to recall memories when there is sensory stimulation. Therefore, to create a state of not thinking about anything, "playing monotonous music" is recommended. Monotonous stimulation gradually becomes unnoticeable due to a physiological phenomenon called "habituation."
What are the causes of sleeplessness in the first place?
While it's important to tweak your sleep methods to fall asleep faster, it's also effective to understand and avoid the causes of sleeplessness.
There are various reasons for sleeplessness, broadly categorized into three: "physical reasons," "mental reasons," and "lifestyle reasons." Specific examples include:
- Hyperarousal
- Stress and autonomic nervous system imbalance
- Disrupted daily rhythm and body clock
- Excessive caffeine intake
- Using smartphones or computers before bed
- Lack of exercise
- Alcohol consumption before bed
- Smoking before bed, etc.
The article below explains the causes of feeling sleepy but unable to sleep, as well as measures and tips for improving sleep quality. Please take a look.
What causes sleepiness but inability to sleep? 10 ways to deal with insomnia
6 Tips for Falling Asleep You Should Always Keep in Mind
Here are some tips you can consciously integrate into your daily habits to promote smoother sleep, divided into three categories: "mental," "lifestyle," and "environment."
Mental
Sleep is significantly influenced by mental factors. By being mindful of the following two points, your brain can more easily prepare for sleep:
- Recognize your bed as a place for sleeping
- Prepare relaxing aromatherapy
Recognize your bed as a place for sleeping
Humans have conditioned reflexes, so if watching TV or using a smartphone in bed becomes a habit, the brain will perceive the bed not as a "place to sleep" but as a "place to lounge around" like a sofa.
Conversely, by creating the image that "the bed is a place where nothing happens except sleeping," the brain will consider it a "sleep space."
When your bed becomes an environment solely for sleeping, your body gets used to sleeping, and the time it takes to enter non-REM sleep shortens. For this, it is important not to bring anything into the bedroom. In addition to refraining from TV and using your phone in bed, also stop eating and drinking, and make it a habit to enter the bedroom just before bed.
If your sleeping room is the same as your living room, make sure to cover your futon with a bedspread during the day so it's not visible. Similarly, if you use a futon, fold it away during the day, and if you have a sofa bed, convert it into a sofa in the morning. The key is to separate your daytime space from your sleeping space.
Prepare relaxing aromatherapy
Aroma scents can help calm the mind and have a relaxing effect. There are many types of aromas, but here are five popular scents said to improve sleep quality:
1: Lavender
A well-known and popular floral and elegant scent. It soothes tension and stress, calming the mood.
2: Orange
A faintly sweet, fresh scent. It brightens a down mood, relieves tension, and provides a sense of relaxation.
3: Bergamot
A citrusy, fruity scent somewhat similar to orange, also popular as a tea aroma (Earl Grey). It is said to have both relaxing and refreshing effects.
4: Neroli
Extracted from bitter orange blossoms, neroli has an elegant and floral scent. It brightens a low mood and has a healing effect.
5: Sandalwood
Characterized by an exotic scent, often used in incense, it's a familiar aroma to Japanese people. It dispels anxiety, bringing a sense of peace to the mind.
Lifestyle
By paying attention to the following two aspects of your lifestyle, you can expect to experience natural drowsiness and good quality sleep:
- Be mindful of eating and caffeine intake before bed
- Bathe 90 minutes before bedtime
Be mindful of eating and caffeine intake before bed
Caffeine, found in coffee and green tea, stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and has a wake-up effect. Since the awakening effect of caffeine is said to last for several hours, caution is needed when consuming caffeine before sleep.
Furthermore, while moderate alcohol consumption can have a relaxing effect and tend to shorten the time it takes to fall asleep, it is said that the production of acetaldehyde, which occurs when alcohol is broken down in the body, can lead to shallower sleep, causing more frequent awakenings during the night or in the early morning.
Bathe 90 minutes before bedtime
Before bedtime, raising your "core body temperature" once and then allowing it to return to its original temperature can promote natural drowsiness and deep sleep. Although there are individual differences, in most cases, core body temperature rises by about 0.5 degrees after a 15-minute bath at 40 degrees Celsius, and it takes about 90 minutes to return to its original temperature.
Therefore, by taking a bath 90 minutes before bedtime, you can expect natural sleep onset and quality sleep.
Also, if you want to go to bed as soon as possible after bathing, taking a shower is recommended. While it may not have the same sleep-inducing effect as a bath, drowsiness will set in more quickly than 90 minutes.
The article below explains bathing methods that enhance sleep quality and ways to make them even more effective. If you're interested, please take a look.
Rule 7: Finish bathing 90 minutes before bed / Take a shower if you're going to sleep soon
Reset your body clock
The human body has an internal clock that switches between active during the day and restful at night. This body clock is reset by exposure to bright light in the morning, and about 14-16 hours later, melatonin, the sleep hormone that governs sleep, is secreted.
Therefore, by resetting your body clock in the morning, you will naturally feel sleepy at night and can establish a regular sleep rhythm.
It's recommended to open the curtains and expose yourself to sunlight for about 15 seconds as soon as you wake up. Sunlight has very high illuminance, so it's effective even on cloudy or rainy days.
Environment
Sleeping tools such as pillows and mattresses can also affect sleep, so using ones that suit you can improve your sleep. Here's how to create an optimal sleeping environment:
Optimize Your Sleep Environment
For smooth sleep induction, it's crucial to use bedding that suits you. An ill-fitting pillow can lead to difficulty falling asleep and overthinking. Beyond adjusting height and firmness, choose a pillow that is breathable and keeps your head cool. Eliminating the vicious cycle caused by your sleep environment is vital for good sleep.
Sleep, which is said to occupy one-third of our lives, is a crucial time for resting the body and mind and recovering from daily fatigue. Therefore, it's important to be particular about bedding, which significantly affects sleep quality. We'll introduce how to choose the most important items: pillows and mattresses.
For pillows, height and firmness are key.
The most important thing for a pillow is whether its height matches the curve of your neck. Since you rest your head on it for extended periods, an ill-fitting pillow can strain your neck and shoulders, causing neck pain and stiffness. Also, because cooling the head improves sleep quality, choose a pillow that maintains high heat dissipation and doesn't trap heat or moisture.
For those who want to improve their sleep quality or have severe sleep problems, custom-made pillows that are tailored to your neck curve and preferred firmness are also recommended, though they may be a bit more expensive.
For mattresses, check for body sinking and ease of tossing and turning.
When choosing a mattress, it's important to lie on it and assess its comfort: is it firm, soft, does your body feel at ease, or does it hurt? Does your lower back feel stiff, do you feel pressure, or is it easy to sleep on? Don't just check immediately after lying down; also ensure that your body doesn't feel strained after a while, and that there's no discomfort with how much your lower back sinks or how closely it conforms to your body.
Also, how easily you can toss and turn is a key point. While on the mattress, toss and turn, lie on your side and stomach, and check for stability and pressure points. Sleeping on a mattress that suits your body can improve blood circulation and waste removal that accumulated during the day, which can help reduce fatigue and swelling. The compatibility between your pillow and mattress is also important, so when trying either one in a store, it's recommended to consider the differences in height of your pillow and firmness of your mattress at home before making a purchase.
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What to do if it's morning and you still can't sleep
If you've had trouble sleeping and it's already morning, first, try to relax and don't panic. Since getting a good night's sleep is important, focus on the following three points from morning to daytime, and try to get into bed earlier at night:
- Drink caffeine in the morning to control strong drowsiness
- Avoid long naps; keep them to about 30 minutes
- Incorporate moderate exercise during the day
By tiring your body with moderate exercise during the day, you can support natural sleep onset at night. Creating a relaxing environment before bed will be even more effective.
Also, the article below explains the overview and improvement methods for insomnia, as well as three other recognizable sleep disorders. If you're interested, please take a look.
It's morning and I couldn't sleep... Could it be insomnia?
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Get a good night's sleep by trying these instant sleep methods
If you can master the tips for falling asleep, you'll no longer experience those frustrating nights where you lie in bed but can't seem to drift off, and you'll achieve more efficient sleep. These are all simple methods, so if you're having sleepless nights, give them a try.
【Reference】Coping with Stress
