Evolve > Sleep >How To Sleep Fast in 5 Minutes
The need for sleep is real. But there’s an even bigger need. A need to sleep fast. You would love if you fell asleep the moment your head hit the pillow, wouldn’t you? When feeling sleepy, it’s ideal if you could sleep fast without any worry rather than constantly twisting and turning in your bed. However, there are certain tips and tricks you can try to sleep fast in 5 minutes. They help quieten your body and mind, switch off for the day and get faster sleep. You may not always fall asleep in 5 minutes, but it’ll give you a much better chance of sleeping fast.
Table of Contents
Here are some ways you can use to fall asleep in 5 minutes or less
- Breathing exercises for sleep
- Guided meditation
- Body scan
- No screen time at night
- Listen to calming music
Breathing exercises for sleep
Breathing exercises are a great way to regulate heart rate, muscle tension, blood pressure and other aspects relaxation and controlling your breath helps you getting sleep fast. As a result, your body starts to feel sleepy and ready to switch off for the day. There are a couple of breathing exercises that you can try every night. They are 4-7-8 breathing, box breathing and another called belly breathing. In fact, all of Evolve’s sleep audios include a breathing exercise to help you sleep fast.
4-7-8 Breathing Technique
Here’s how to do the 4-7-8 breathing technique that helps you fall asleep in less than 5 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Step 1
Close your mouth and inhale through your nose while mentally counting till 4
Step 2
Hold your breath for 7 counts
Step 3
Exhale through our mouth while counting till 8
Step 4
Repeat the process for at least 4 times.
As per an article by Brydie, here is how the 4-7-8 breathing technique can help you relax and get sleep in under 120 seconds:
The technique will effectively slow your heart rate and increase oxygen in your bloodstream, and may even make you feel slightly lightheaded which contributes to the mild sedative-like effect
Guided Meditation
Meditation is a natural and proven way to fall asleep faster. It helps you switch off for the day, reduce stress and allow your mind to relax. It’s a simple way to balance and allow yourself to get some good sleep. Meditation has a lot of benefits and can even help insomnia and other sleep disorders. If you are starting with meditation, you should try out guided meditation where-in meditation is performed as a response to guidance provided by a trained individual either in person or through recordings. Guided meditation helps you clear your mind and helps control the running stream of thoughts and hence create the perfect state to get some sleep. Evolve’s guided sleep meditations help you switch off for the day, sleep fast and get good quality sleep.
Body Scan
A body scan is a great way to release any tension to feel lighter and relaxed. To initiate body scan, you have to lie down in a comfortable position and start focusing on the feet while taking deep breaths and gently moving attention from toes to the head. Pay attention to each body part while you move up to ensure they are not holding any tension. As you breathe out, visualize the tension easing out. This technique will ensure that your body is well relaxed and comfortable which is necessary to get sleep.
No screen time at night.
Stay away from the TV and mobile phones late at night. Binge-watching content late at night stimulates your brain and the blue light emission keeps you awake and alert. You end up processing what you’ve watched or seen on Instagram, keeping your mind awake. As a result, your body and mind does not switch off but stays up. You are unable to get a sound sleep. By avoiding TV and watching content at night, you allow yourself to wind down for the night without a worry and enjoy deep sleep.
Calming music
One of the best ways to sleep fast in 5 minutes. This is because listening to calming deep sleep music helps you relax, wind down and allows your brain to switch off. Put on sounds of the rain, waves of the ocean or a soothing breeze. These sounds are known to create restful sleep and hence, help you sleep better. You will feel relaxed, happy and ready to drift into your dreams.
Other tips that will help you sleep fast:
- Avoid caffeine or caffeine-infused drinks at least 6 hours before bedtime
- Maintain a cool room that is preferably quiet and dark
- Try humming to yourself as a way to keep distractions away
- Try not to skip dinner, it is harder to get sleep on an empty stomach
Check out this mini explainer on YouTube to help you sleep fast in 5 minutes.
However, these tips alone won’t help you sleep fast in 5 minutes. You need to follow a proper sleep routine, sleep at the same time every day, eat the right food and follow a good lifestyle to allow yourself to sleep on time and get good sleep.
You can also watch our Webstory
Evolve’s joyful guided audios are free and help you sleep faster and better every night. Try a joyful visualisation with ‘sunset on a beach‘; ‘sleep with a smile‘ and enjoy happy thoughts; relax and drift off into your dreams ‘after a netflix binge‘ or ‘switch off for the day‘ when you’re tired and stressed Whatever you need to sleep fast, we have it. Download the app today!
Read More:
5 Habits to Sleep Fast and Improve Sleep Quality
Here’s How Meditation for Sleep Helps You Sleep Faster & Better
Deep Sleep Music: How it helps You Sleep Faster
Trouble sleeping? Here Are 5 Ways To Sleep Faster
Unable to Sleep? Here’s How Evolve Helps You Sleep Fast
6 Meditation Techniques on Evolve to Sleep Faster, Stress Less
Popular FAQ’s on Sleeping Fast
How do you fall asleep in 5 minutes?
In order to sleep fast in 5 minutes, you should try breathing exercises or sleep meditations. These will help you switch off for the day, rest your mind and body, and fall into a deep and restful sleep. Try the 4-7-8 breathing or belly breathing exercise and you’ll be able to slow down your heart rate, relax your mind and sleep fast.
Why I cannot sleep at night?
The reason you may be unable to sleep at night is due to a variety of reasons. From bad eating habits at night to a racing anxious mind because of a bad workday, it could be anything. Your stress, anxiety and everyday habits stop you from being able to sleep fast and sleeping well at night. Try to incorporate a bedtime routine, eat healthily and exercise every day to sleep better at night.
How can I sleep in 2 minutes?
You can sleep fast in 5 minutes or 2 minutes with a bunch of simple tricks. Lower your room temperature to something ideal, have a comfortable mattress and blanket and play some calming music. You could even try the military method This involves relaxing your entire body from head to toe, starting at your face, dropping your shoulders, your belly and relaxing your calves as you breathe deeply for 30 seconds. Then you focus on clearing your mind for 10 seconds with calm and happy thoughts. This will help you sleep fast in 2 minutes.
What to drink to sleep faster?
Herbal tea, turmeric milk or regular warm milk are great options for bedtime. They help you feel comfortable, reduce stress and feel good. Warm milk is comforting, has the childhood nostalgia factor and most importantly contains melatonin, vitamin D and calcium which promote better sleep and give your body rest. Herbal teas such as chamomile or ginger tea have a calming effect on your nervous system and can help soothe your stomach before sleeping. Consider drinking these to sleep fast in 5 minutes every night.
With over 300 articles published on Evolve. Jash is one of the most viewed writers on topics such as Sleep, Mindfulness and Stress. Drop a mail at Jash@evolveinc.in to connect with him.