How I Fall Asleep Faster
If you’ve been following my year on social media, you know it’s been a doozy for me. There’s all the obvious stuff (racism, COVID, election— 2020 has been a firey hellscape), plus my journey through PPD and new motherhood with a very high needs baby. It’s been ROUGH and my sleep has suffered tremendously. Even once Theo was reliably sleeping 11 hours a night, I’ve never been able to string together more than 4 hours at a time, and that was on a good night.
My days were so stressful, hectic, and draining that I never felt sleepy no matter how late it got. It’s like my nervous system didn’t know how to come down. I’d eventually pass out from sheer exhaustion around 2am only to start my day again a few hours later. This went on for months until I really started to feel the physical toll it was taking.
A couple months ago, I started seriously prioritizing my sleep and I’m a better mom, partner, and business owner for it. Here’s what changed the game for me:
- Doing the New York Times Crossword
…as soon as I get in bed INSTEAD of scrolling social media. Yes, for real! My brain starts looking for something to work on as soon as my head hits the pillow and this always turns into anxiety about something I can’t control. It’s like the moment I have some down time, my brain says, “alright so here’s a list of problems and worries I’ve been saving for you…” Doing this crossword every day gives my brain what I call a dead end problem to fix. It’s not a real world “problem” or anything relavent to my actual life, it’s just something to wear it out. Like when you give your dog one of those toys with a treat stick inside. It’s pointless but it’s just stimulating enough to satisfy their need to be active. So it sounds lame but the daily crossword has been SO helpful in controlling the anxiety that crops up at night. It’s a healthy and challenging distraction that leads me right to that sleepy state I want to be in before dozing off.
2. Get to bed early.
I know this sounds obvious, but I never did it! I truly was NOT tired before 2am so going to bed at 9:30 felt like torture! Plus, after T goes to bed around 7:30pm is the best time I get with my husband to just hang out and relax. I didn’t want to sacrifice a minute of that. But if I wanted to start feeling better, it was necessary. Now we get into bed by 10:15 at the latest and usually fall asleep by 11/11:15.
3. Counting breaths.
I might not feel *sleepy* but I know my body and mind need and want to sleep. I started trying to quiet my mind with deep belly breaths fully believing it would do nothing, but lo and behold, it WORKED. Once the lights are out and I’ve worked my brain on my crossword (😜🤓), I start to feel tired. Then I put down my phone and take fulllll, slowwww, breaths in and out through my nose. I focus on feeling my belly rise fully and gently fall. I basically hypnotize myself 😂 With each exhale I visualize my body getting heavier, my thoughts evaporating, and everything relaxing into the comfort of my bed. I really lean into “the tired” and try to go with it instead of thinking in circles. Most nights, I don’t even make it to 10 breaths before I fall asleep and I don’t even remember when it happens.
It’s a very fine balance for me. I made the mistake of staying on IG the other night instead of crosswording, ended up reading a heartbreaking story about someone’s 3-year-old with leukemia, and then I was awake til 3am alternating between pictures of Theo and watching him sleep on the baby monitor. I was so sad for this family and then so afraid for my own, I couldn’t bring my nerves down… See, you must know yourself! Know what triggers your anxiety and be mindful enough to stay away from it before bed… or always, actually! Shielding your mind and protecting your mental health is the ultimate form of self-care.
With my new habits, a good night usually gets me 7 hours of sleep and falling asleep within 30-45 minutes, but I get a minimum of 6 every night… and last night I got 8.5!!! It’s a work in progress but progress is all I’m after. Find what works for you and then STAY ON IT!
Over to you: what’s your sleep secret? I tried melatonin and felt so drugged by it, it actually freaked me out!
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36 Comments
Erin
September 9, 2020 at 5:04 pmI’ve found the sleep stories on the Calm app to be very helpful in turning my mind off. I’ll often wake up at 2 or 3 am with my mind going at full tilt and can’t go back to sleep until I give it something to focus on!
Katie
September 10, 2020 at 8:42 amI like to listen to a story on Audible, but it has to be one I already know otherwise I’m eager to find out what happens next! I basically listen to the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness on repeat!
Sasha
September 12, 2020 at 5:49 pmFalling asleep around 10-10:30 PM hasn’t been a problem for me for a while, guess I’m fortunate in that regard ; it’s getting back to sleep during the middle of night and get enough to be rested that continues to be a challenge! things I try :
1) Less caffeine during the day, no alcohol
2) Don’t look at the time ; then you think about how soon you might have to get up!
3) Journal your thoughts, especially work-related
4) Short yoga sequence: this is better when I can sleep in
Amy
September 29, 2020 at 10:15 pmWhen I have difficulty falling asleep, I try turning off all my electronics and pick up a book. Then when my eyes get tired, I set my Pandora to nature sounds and set a 30 minute turn off. It is hard to turn off the brain with all the things going on in the world right now. I don’t have kids so can only imaging what that adds to the equation.
Stacy Mizrahi
October 2, 2020 at 9:08 pmI have been using a few hypnosis apps with great success. They work using the same principles as a guided meditation, and I think when I’m fighting sleep, sometimes having an outside voice to follow just works better than my own internal monologue.
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lisa
December 4, 2020 at 1:32 pmWhen I have difficulty falling asleep, I try turning off all my electronics and pick up a book. Then when my eyes get tired, I set my Pandora to nature sounds and set a 30 minute turn off. It is hard to turn off the brain with all the things going on in the world right now. I don’t have kids so can only imaging what that adds to the equation.diabetes hospital in Chennai
Varzeshblog
January 1, 2021 at 10:20 amI believe that yoga is really perfect for sleeping. I’ve tried it for several years…
thank you for the post. <3
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Palm Organix
March 19, 2021 at 8:01 amI am very grateful to you for such advice. For a long time, I have not been able to fall asleep in time. The exception is those moments when I am very tired physically. Then of course I can only touch the pillow with my head and immediately fall asleep. But this happens extremely rarely. More often than not, I just lie in my comfortable bed and stare at the ceiling. Previously, I could use another method, this is to open the windows in cold weather to make it cooler and it helps. But now I understand that I have several options for the warm season.
Hannah Stone
March 19, 2021 at 8:36 amIt helps me to give up using electronics 2-3 hours before I go to sleep. In our modern world, that’s a big restriction, but if I don’t do it, I struggle with insomnia. Perhaps I should turn my attention to crossword puzzles.
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April 9, 2021 at 4:23 pmty for info
Sheila Benasayag
April 15, 2021 at 3:01 pmDefinitely with all the stress it’s very difficult to get a good night’s sleep. I’m trying to aim for at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Sometimes I’m getting 5 or 6 hours. I try relaxing all my face muscles and body but haven’t thought about counting my breaths. I’m really interesting in trying this out. Thanks so much for sharing!
Bran
May 18, 2021 at 10:06 amty for the info, i have some trouble to sleep sometimes, I will use your advice !
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Kenneth
June 16, 2021 at 3:51 pmI have been struggling with the same issue for a long while after trying a lot of things, from breathing to fast blinking and even tiring the brain with some brain activity. In the end, piano music is what worked for me.
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February 18, 2022 at 4:11 pmProper amounts of sleep are important. This is a great article with helpful information. -Ryan
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May 6, 2022 at 3:46 amJust love your daily routine with yoga. Impress with your workout and Sleep suggestion. A perfect sleep impact lot on our daily life.
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Simon C.
September 28, 2022 at 3:18 pmIt helps me to fall asleep with a night light, the main thing is to find a soothing light for yourself. The other day my night light is broken, a couple of days puzzled over what to take, came across an article https://myhomelamps.com/best-night-lights/ which helped me out, maybe you and it will help in the choice.
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December 19, 2022 at 2:51 pmGreat way to fall asleep faster.
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December 22, 2022 at 6:35 pmEspecially not working out or eating late!
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