How to fall asleep faster: what the evidence supports

The habits with the best evidence for falling asleep faster are a fixed wake-up time, going to bed only when you feel sleepy, and getting up if you're still awake after about 20 minutes. Relaxation techniques, a warm bath an hour or two before bed and a short to-do list written at bedtime also have research behind them. None of them works instantly, but used together for a couple of weeks they can shorten the time you spend lying awake.

What does the research say about falling asleep faster?

The strongest evidence comes from studies of people with insomnia. In its 2021 guideline on behavioral treatments, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the main treatment for chronic insomnia in adults. It also suggests a few single techniques that can be used on their own, including stimulus control and relaxation therapy.

Those studies were in people with insomnia, but the techniques are simple enough for anyone who takes a long time to drop off. Some of the other popular tips, like a warm bath or writing a list, have smaller studies behind them. They're cheap and low risk, which makes them worth trying.

Why should you get out of bed if you can't sleep?

Getting out of bed when you can't sleep sounds backward, but it's one of the best-supported habits. The AASM's healthy sleep habits list says to go to bed only when you're sleepy, and if you don't fall asleep after 20 minutes, to get up and do something quiet without much light. It stresses that this quiet activity shouldn't involve electronics.

The idea, called stimulus control, is to stop your bed from becoming a place where you lie awake and worry. The AASM's 2021 guideline suggests clinicians use stimulus control as a standalone therapy for chronic insomnia. The same list advises using your bed only for sleep and sex.

Does a fixed wake-up time help you fall asleep at night?

A fixed wake-up time helps set the stage for falling asleep at night. The AASM's first tip is to get up at the same time every day, including weekends and holidays, and to set a bedtime early enough to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep. The NHS gives the same advice and adds a point that's easy to ignore after a bad night: don't sleep in, and stick to your usual hours instead.

Can relaxation or slow breathing help?

Relaxation, including slow abdominal breathing, can help you fall asleep. The AASM's 2021 guideline suggests relaxation therapy as a standalone treatment for chronic insomnia. It describes relaxation therapy as structured exercises that reduce physical tension, such as abdominal breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, and exercises that calm a busy mind, such as guided imagery and meditation.

Abdominal breathing is the easiest place to start because it needs no equipment or app. We cover slow breathing techniques in more detail in does slow breathing before bed help you fall asleep?. The NHS also suggests relaxing for at least an hour before bed, for example with a bath or a book.

Does a warm bath or shower before bed help?

A warm bath or shower before bed does seem to help. A 2019 meta-analysis in Sleep Medicine Reviews pooled studies on warm baths and showers before bed. Water at 40 to 42.5°C was linked to better self-rated sleep quality and sleep efficiency. When the bath or shower was taken 1 to 2 hours before bedtime, it shortened the time it took to fall asleep, even when it lasted only 10 minutes.

The authors think this works through body temperature. Warm water sends more blood to the hands and feet, which helps the body shed heat afterward and brings core body temperature down. They also note the research is still fairly thin, especially on the best timing and length.

Does writing a to-do list help you sleep?

Writing a to-do list before bed might help you sleep, according to one well-designed study. Researchers at Baylor University asked 57 healthy young adults to spend 5 minutes writing before bed in a sleep lab. Half wrote a to-do list for the next few days, and half wrote about tasks they had already finished. Sleep was measured with overnight polysomnography.

People who wrote a to-do list fell asleep significantly faster. The more specific their list, the faster they fell asleep, while the opposite trend appeared in the group writing about finished tasks. It's a single study in young adults, but if unfinished tasks keep you awake, getting them onto paper is an easy experiment.

What gets in the way of falling asleep?

Screens and caffeine are two of the usual suspects. In a 2015 study, healthy young adults who read on a light-emitting tablet for about 4 hours before bed took nearly 10 minutes longer to fall asleep than when they read a printed book, and they released less melatonin in the evening. The AASM suggests turning off devices at least 30 minutes before bed. Our article on screens before bed looks at how much this matters in everyday life.

The AASM also advises avoiding caffeine in the afternoon and evening and alcohol before bed. Our caffeine guide, linked below, looks at where your coffee cut-off should be. Many people reach for melatonin next, and our melatonin guide, also linked below, explains what it can and can't do.

Does breathing comfort affect how fast you fall asleep?

Uncomfortable breathing can make settling down harder. The NHS lists snoring and interrupted breathing among the things that keep people from a good night's sleep, and a stuffy nose or a dry mouth is an uncomfortable way to lie in the dark.

Nose breathing has real advantages at night. The Sleep Foundation notes that it filters allergens and warms and humidifies the air you breathe. If your nose feels blocked at bedtime, a nasal strip is a simple thing to try. If your nose is clear but your mouth tends to fall open, some adults use gentle mouth tape to keep their lips closed and stay on nasal breathing through the night. There's no research showing tape helps you fall asleep faster, so treat it as a comfort option. Take the nose test first.

If you want to try mouth tape and nasal strips together, our pick is the Titan Sleep System, which pairs TitanAir Nasal Strips with Titan Mouth Tape.

Snoring deserves a closer look if it comes with other signs. The AASM lists choking or gasping during sleep, silent pauses in breathing and daytime sleepiness as warning signs of sleep apnea. Those need a doctor, not tape or strips.

When is trouble falling asleep a sign of insomnia?

The NHS describes insomnia as regularly finding it hard to sleep, and calls it long-term once it lasts 3 months or more. It suggests seeing a GP if changing your habits hasn't helped, if you've had trouble sleeping for months, or if it's affecting your daily life.

For long-running sleep trouble, CBT-I is the treatment the AASM recommends most strongly. It combines the techniques above with a structured plan. Read more in our guide to CBT for insomnia.

Read next

• Sleep hygiene: the habits with the best evidence
• Melatonin for sleep: what it does and doesn't do
• How late is too late for caffeine?

* This content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Talk to a qualified healthcare provider about your health.