People share 10 fast and easy sleeping solutions that worked for them effortlessly

The importance of quality sleep 

Quality sleep is very important for individuals to be productive and ensure their overall well-being. It also helps if they can establish effective sleep techniques that can aid them in being able to fall asleep quickly. It can be incredibly beneficial for individuals if they recognize the importance of sleep and take measures to improve the quality of their sleep. Doing so will ensure improved health and productivity. u/liberkaql asked the community, "People who can fall asleep quickly, how do you do it?" Here are 10 of the most insightful answers that people gave.

1. Becoming exhausted

Exhaustion. u/KeriEatsSouls. I used to always wonder how my dad could just fall asleep sitting upright on the sofa. Then I got older and I realized it’s not intentional, the naps find you. u/FatTortie. When I was in college, I helped my grandfather renovate houses. Pretty much demo and redo all the walls and floors. We would go home for lunch and my grandmother would have lunch waiting for us. Then we would nap for exactly 30 minutes in the recliners and go back to work. It was the most magical and effortless sleep I have ever gotten. My career now is almost 100% cognitive with minimal physical activity unless I just go out of my way to get it. Mental exhaustion is different altogether and I have slept like shit for the last 15 years. u/coachrx

2. Comfy bed and open windows 

A really comfortable bed and a weighted blanket with the windows open. I can fall asleep instantly. I've been thinking about getting a weighted blanket because I have anxiety and insomnia but I'm afraid it'll feel a little claustrophobic lol, isn't it too heavy? the ones I saw were about 10kg. u/raquelss14. Yeah, the right bed for you is super important. I had a double-sized bed with a super soft mattress. Would always wake up all through the night, have headaches in the morning and sometimes body aches too. Always wake up feeling tired and like shit. My feet hung off the end and if the cat decided to join me then I was left with no room between her and my partner. Upgraded to a King size with a very firm mattress and now none of that's an issue, pass out as soon as it's lights out and the next time I wake it's morning. I feel so good I can bounce out of bed immediately. Plus there is loads of room for the cat to sleep without disruption. u/cyb3rpun_k

3. Observe mental images

I shut my eyes and notice whatever mental images pop up first, then just watch as they shift and change. u/Feeling-Lab8217. This is exactly how I do it. If I'm ever having trouble falling asleep I just clear my mind and set the inner imagery to random, basically. I noticed it was what was happening anytime I was falling asleep anyway, so doing it purposefully seemed to help induce it. u/djheat. This. But also no expectations. Just noticing stuff and seeing what happens without trying to control it and also with the mindset that I don’t HAVE to sleep. Sleep will happen or it will not. No expectations. Just resting instead of sleeping is better than nothing at all. If for some reason. I cannot abide by the no expectations, I will concentrate on my breathing and do a sort of laying down meditation. I have suffered from insomnia in my teens. The expectations were always what made me stay awake. I HAVE TO SLEEP or I will be miserable tomorrow etc. I got in a mindset that just resting is fine also. And when you are relaxed and have no expectations, damn it all, I fall asleep. Even when the visuals are getting very interesting and I wanted to see more lol. u/54yroldHOTMOM

4. Make up stories before sleeping 

Make a fantasy story you want to be the main character in and continue writing the story in your head each time you go to sleep, my story doesn't go too far, cause I'm usually passed out debating on details I want to add to the scenes. u/MoTHA_NaTuRE. I do a similar thing, but it's not an ongoing story. It's a different scenario or "story" every night. Also wear a sleep mask, the kind with the deep eye sockets to keep all light out. Helps me focus on my scenarios and eventually I'm asleep. u/Ashley9925. I've done this since I was 10. Right now I'm on some lush moon that orbits a ringed gas giant 18.6 billion years in the future. The lifeforms are intelligent plants and fungi. Humans reached this world on multiple occasions and have varying evolutionary progress. The thing is, none of the other beings know that their ancestors are from Earth. Plants and fungi control the thoughts and memories of animals. u/izovice

5. Getting lost in scenarios 

I get lost in my mind thinking of random scenarios. u/bogjaevel. Same, but I can't really fall asleep until I start hearing voices and seeing images very vividly, it's almost like I'm not controlling them any more. It's actually a really soothing feeling because I know I'm gonna fall asleep soon. But the people who I told about it thought I was crazy. u/pof0ft. This is what I do, but total flights of fancy. If I had a superpower, what would it be and how would I use it? What is the most remote location I can think of? How would I get there? What would I do when I arrived? Where would the perfect place for a nap be and what would it be like? Once I start letting my left brain relax and just think creatively, I wander off into sleep. Also, breathing is important. Breathe like you're asleep and you soon will be. u/Great_Horny_Toads

6. Creating a sleep routine 

At least I have created a sleep routine. When I want to go to sleep, I always drink water, lie down, stretch my muscles and close my eyes, and after a few minutes, I fall asleep. u/im29andilikeit. This sounds like how you sleep-train a baby. We drink a cup of milk, brush our teeth and walk the kid around the house to turn off all the lights. It's his signal to wind down. Works like a charm, he rarely fights bedtime and falls asleep quickly. u/Gingerbreaddoggie. That's what worked for me too. Started exercising more and going to bed/waking up always at the same time. Boring but it's what usually works for most people: better sleep hygiene. u/Evil_Lollipop

7. Only go to bed if tired

I’ve made a point of not going to bed until I’m actually tired, even if it means I’m going to bed 7 hours before I need to get up instead of 9. Huge increase in the quality of my sleep. I’ve gone from being tortured every night lying awake to asleep in minutes. u/starfihgter. Sleep hygiene is very important and probably the main thing most people having trouble sleeping can look into to sleep better/easier. One of the main tips I learned when I first learned about it is that you should avoid just hanging out in bed. Get in bed to fall asleep, and if you're having trouble sleeping get out of bed and go do something for like ten to fifteen minutes, then try again. u/djheat

8. Waking up early 

Wake up early. u/PaciFIST123321. I think this is one of the most important factors. u/MehwishPAK. I've been trying this for a year now. Doesn't make falling asleep earlier any easier. I've been getting 4-6 hours of sleep most nights when I need 8ish. Some people just can't maintain a sleep pattern like that (early to bed early to rise). And no I don't take naps either. u/Ruuhkatukka. Agree! And get out of bed when you first wake up. Don’t hit snooze. u/bundleton_mcmanus. Wake up at the same time every day even on weekends. u/weigojmi

9. Mental relaxation techniques 

On your back, repeat mental relaxation techniques starting at the extremities and moving towards the torso. Then just just repeat to yourself 'Don't think, don't think, don't think.' The military teaches this method to soldiers who may only get a short window for sleep when in combat. u/stoptheloveyousave. To me, it's basically a meditative technique. The relaxation things (where you focus on relaxing each part of your body one by one) do not do it for me. It's more about getting into a specific mindset, where your mind meanders without you intentionally thinking of anything. My thoughts become a confused blurb, and I fall asleep. Obviously very difficult to describe, but it's the same feeling you get when you're so tired you're falling asleep against your will, listening to a presentation or watching TV. This is another way to fall asleep: concentrate on the fact that you are tired. Imagine that feeling when you're fighting against sleep: what is it you're fighting against? Well instead of fighting that feeling, let it go. u/Gusdai

10. Not obsessing over it too much 

I used to have a very hard time falling asleep. I’m 47(M), and for 45ish years, my mind would race and dwell on anything and everything. Then my grandmother died and I had to deliver a Eulogy for her at her funeral. The process of writing it was very, very hard as I was raised mostly by her. I wrote and spoke about what a huge influence she was in my life and about how she used to always tell me these parables about life. The main lesson in the two that stuck out the most was that, “You can get used to anything except not eating (or drinking)" and that “If your problem has a solution, then why worry? And if it doesn’t have a solution, then why worry?” Call it an epiphany, a revelation, or just my grandma soothing me from beyond the grave, but my anxiety levels have been reduced significantly since the night I wrote that eulogy and have remained under control most nights since. It used to take me 45-60 minutes to fall asleep, now I’m asleep within 1-2 minutes. u/AnonUserAccount