How to Fall Asleep Quickly When You are Stressed

When you are stressed, your body’s fight-or-flight response gets triggered. As a result, cortisol and adrenaline in your body begin to rise.    

Consequently, your heart-rate increases and your brain gets into hyper-alert mode.

Hence, it gets difficult for you to fall asleep when you are stressed.

So, how do you fall asleep quickly when you are stressed?        

Simply trying to sleep doesn’t really work when you are feeling stressed.

You need to send specific physical signals to your nervous system that lets it know that it is safe for you to sleep now. You are in no real danger.              

Given below are a few methods that teach how to relax your mind and sleep fast—

1. Do the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique.

To practice this technique of relaxing your mind and body, inhale quietly through your nose for 4 seconds.

Then, hold your breath for seven seconds. After seven seconds, exhale through your mouth forcefully for eight seconds, making a “whoosh” sound.

Repeat the whole process a few times, for 2-3 minutes.

Doing this helps in stimulating the vagus nerve and slowing down your heart rate. It also forces your body out of fight-or-flight mode.  

2. Perform a 2-Minute Progressive Muscle Relaxation.

Stress causes muscle-tension and makes your muscles tighten-up. The muscles in our jaw, neck, shoulders, upper back, and lower back are the ones that get affected the most.

When stress is keeping you up all night or making it hard for you to fall asleep, you can try this method to relax your body and mind.

Squeeze a muscle group tightly for five seconds while breathing in, then relax those muscles while breathing out.

Start at your toes and work your way up to your face. Do this for atleast two minutes. Soon enough, your muscles will feel relaxed and your body lighter.    

3. Try Cognitive Shuffling to Stop Brain Loops.

Sometimes, when you can’t sleep because of stress and anxiety, the same thoughts keep running through your mind.

Be it about an important project you are working on, a negative event you’ve experienced, or worrying about the future; your brain gets stuck in this loop of thoughts.

And this loop of thoughts can keep you stressed and awake. So, how to clear your mind before bed when stressed?          

Think of a simple word, such as “SLEEP”. Then, for each letter of the word, picture objects, animals, birds, insects or food etc. until you run out of things.

For example- S (Sun, Snail, Soup), L (Lion, Lemon, Lamp), E (Egg, Elephant, Elevator) and so on. Do this for three to five minutes.

This method works because random visual imagery mimics the micro-dreams your brain naturally creates as it transitions into sleep.

This method basically helps your brain to break free from the loop of stressful thoughts. It also helps you in tricking your brain into sleep mode.      

4. Reframe Bedtime Pressure.

When you can’t fall asleep on time and keep worrying about not being able to fall asleep, it makes matters even worse.  

As a result, you get even more stressed and the chances of you falling asleep gets ruined.

So, how to fall asleep fast when stressed?

Instead of focusing on “sleeping”, put your focus on “resting”.

Tell yourself with conviction, “I don't need to sleep right now, I just need to lie down and get some rest.”      

This method works because lying down and getting some rest helps in restoring energy levels and lowering the heart rate.

By taking the pressure off of sleeping, you help your mind and body relax. Eventually, you fall asleep.                  

5. Apply the 20-Minute Rule.

If you are still awake even 20 minutes after going to bed, then try this method.

Get out of bed! Move to a dimly lit room. Engage in some low-stimulation activity such as reading a book (paperback or hardbound, not digital), or listening to some soothing music.

When your eyelids begin to feel heavy, return to bed.

This method works because when you don’t force yourself to sleep, it relieves you of the feeling of frustration you get when you are unable to sleep.  

Quick Rules to Keep in Mind Tonight

When you can’t seem to fall asleep; remember these simple rules and nightly routine for stress relief and sleep—

a. Cool down your room.      

Room temperature is very important for a good night’s sleep. So, keep your bedroom cool when you are trying to sleep, and throughout the night.

Why, you may ask?

Because your core body temperature needs to drop by about 1°C to initiate sleep. Keeping the room cool helps you in achieving this.

b. Never look at the clock.  

When you are unable to sleep for a long time and keep checking the time, it causes additional stress and anxiety. This makes your cortisol levels rise.

So, turn the wall/table clock in your room to face away from your bed.

Also, if possible, put your phone down across the room in a way that you can’t see the time on its screen either.    

Fall Sleep Quickly FAQs

What is the Japanese trick to sleep?

There’s a sleeping method that is called the Shikibuton method, which is a “Japanese trick to sleep”.

It is not exactly a trick. But more like an alternate sleeping arrangement that helps a person sleep better.

According to this method, a thin and firm mattress is placed directly on the floor. And that is where a person sleeps. No fluffy mattress, no giant bed frames are used.

Sleeping in this manner is great for the spine as it promotes proper spinal alignment, keeps the body naturally cool, and eases the pressure points on your body.

As a result, you get a more deep and restful sleep every night.      

What is the 3-3-3 rule for anxiety sleep?

The 3-3-3 rule is an important mindfulness grounding technique to stop anxious thoughts from spiraling at bedtime. It helps in calming down your mind.

When you find yourself struggling to sleep, simply identify 3 things you see, 3 sounds you hear, and move 3 body parts (like wiggling your toes).

Doing this would help you in shifting the focus to the present from any past events and calming your nervous system.

How to trick the brain to fall asleep?

There are some things you can do to “tell” your brain that it is time for it to fall asleep.

a. Keep your bedroom as cool as you can without making it uncomfortable. Also, make sure that the room remains dark and quiet at bedtime, and throughout the night.

Use blackout curtains if you need to.

b. Try deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation.

c. Listen to calming music or guided meditation to aid in “shutting down your mind” .

d. Avoid screens before bed, for atleast two hours before bedtime.

e. Get out of bed if you're unable to sleep after 20 minutes.

f. Maintain a strict sleep schedule. Stick to specific bedtimes and wakeup times.

What drink calms anxiety?

There are a number of beverages made with natural ingredients that soothes your mind and helps in getting rid of anxiety.      

You can brew herbal teas using matcha, lemon balm or chamomile. These herbs reduce tension and help a person to relax. Green tea also has the same effect.

A glass of warm milk can also make you feel calm.    

Why is anxiety worse at 3am?

If you have experienced multiple sleepless nights, you might have noticed that the anxiety gets worse around 3 am.

This happens because Cortisol (the stress hormone) begins to rise between 2-3 am in preparation for the body to wake up.

And if you are already anxious or stressed about something but have managed to fall asleep, this natural rise of cortisol can make you wake up suddenly; and fully aware.
 

Which finger to press for sleep?

In accordance with acupressure, you can press the spot right below the pinky finger to activate the nerves associated with sleep.

Apply firm and steady pressure on this spot moving your thumb in circular motion. You can also move your thumb in an up and down motion.

Doing this for about three minutes should be enough to get the desired results.

What is the #1 worst habit for anxiety?

People who suffer from anxiety try to avoid the things that make them anxious. But, in most cases, avoidance backfires and makes the anxiety even worse.

So, avoidance is thought to be the worst habit when it comes to managing anxiety.

Common things that can trigger anxiety in people are certain social situations, uncomfortable emotions, and hard conversations.    

Is 2 hours of sleep better than 0?

When it comes to sleep, something is better than nothing. So, yes. Getting two hours of sleep is better than getting zero hours of sleep.      

Sleeping for 2 hours lets your brain complete atleast one sleep cycle. It is helpful in restoring some cognitive functions.          

How to survive on 4 hours of sleep?

No matter how hard we try, getting a full 7-8 hours of sleep every night is not always possible. Sometimes, you get only 3-4 hours of sleep at night.

When you have a full day ahead, how do you survive with such little sleep?

The best thing you can do is step into the sunlight the moment you wake up, this would give you some energy.      

Then, eat a proper breakfast. Sip on a steaming cup of coffee before early afternoon. Keep yourself well-hydrated throughout the day.

Take a short power nap (15-20 minutes) to beat the afternoon slump.

Doing these things would give you the energy to carry out the tasks of the day.      

Also, make sure that you schedule your most demanding tasks in the morning slot. This is when your mental clarity is highest, even after improper sleep.