How to Trick Yourself Into Falling Asleep

Figure out how to trick yourself into falling asleep.

Things You'll Need

• Yourself

Instructions

1. Close your eyes. With your eyelids shut, check to see if there are any lights disrupting the darkness. If there is a bright red blob, or if you are straining to keep your eyes closed, try turning the other way. You could also pull some of the fabric from your pillow case or jacket to cover your eyes completely. The idea is to make sure that sight is no longer taking place in your thought process. Be resourceful.

2. Whether you are curled up in your bed, shivering a sleeping bag on the floor of a tent, or sprawled across benches at the airport, try to get as comfortable as you can. Concentrate on your body. Which body parts are hurting? If anything comes to mind, adjust until they are no longer bothering you. Try to get as comfortable as possible, so that your aches are not occupying your background thoughts.

3. Breath deeply, then relax. Think about your lungs each time you breath in. Is the air you are breathing in too cold for your lungs to feel comfortable? Try pulling some fabric loosely over your mouth, or placing your arm closer to your face. Is the air too warm and making you feel suffocated? If so, uncover your mouth, and make sure there is enough air circulation. Once you are comfortable, try not to be conscious of your breath.

4. Now that your body is comfortable, try to get it as relaxed as possible. One method is to tense up all of your muscles for about ten seconds. Then, relax each part of your body one at a time. Once you have relaxed, check again to make sure that no body part is tense. If you find a spot, repeat the exercise again in that area (tighten for ten seconds, then relax).

5. Now that your body is relaxed, it is time to trick your brain.
   Since we have been children, we have been told to count sheep until we fall asleep to push worry-some thoughts out of our minds. While it may work for some, for others, this image is too boring to concentrate on for long. Worrying about tomorrow's chores, or the day's events can keep you awake at night or give you stressful dreams. Forcing yourself to think about something is the perfect way to forget that you are lying in your bed and fall asleep. The technique that works best for this challenges your mind enough to keep it from boredom, yet doesn't require too much energy from your brain. Go through the alphabet, slowly and without pressure, starting with A, and try to think of a boy's name that starts with each letter. If you are awake through Z, then start again, thinking of a girl's name. Each time you get to the end, restart the alphabet, and try to come up with a name you haven't said before. The next morning, you will be shocked at how quickly you were able to fall asleep without even realizing it. The key to falling asleep quickly is to get rid of all distractions, and to forget that you are trying to fall asleep.