As you toss and turn for the fifth night in a row, the question plays like a broken record inside your head: why can’t I fall asleep?! There are probably some expletives thrown in, but we’ll leave those to the imagination. Who knew that figuring out how to fall asleep could prove so taxing, especially when sleep itself is built-in to the human life cycle?

We don’t need to pull up the latest study to explain why sleep is so important to both your mental and physical health. That’s because you’ve probably experienced the toll of insufficient sleep firsthand. Your thoughts slow down. Your body slows down. Your view of the world gets impaired, as does your overall drive.

There was probably a time when falling asleep quickly wasn’t necessarily a challenge for most human beings. However, we live in a different world now, where stimulations and distractions lurk behind every corner. That’s not to mention the fact that many of us don’t endure hours of hard labour, which can naturally create a sense of exhaustion at the end of the day.

What, you thought we were joking when we said you’d be sleeping like a soldier? Not even a little! That’s because trained soldiers have figured out how to fall asleep fast and with considerable efficiency. It’s even been said that certain military methods will have you nodding off in a mere 10 seconds flat.

If you’ve been Googling “how to get to sleep,” then odds are you’ve heard of the 4-7-8 method, which invokes mental relaxation by way of a specific breathing pattern. More than a powerful sleeping technique, it’s also an effective way to tackle sudden bouts of stress or anxiety. Here’s how to use it for sleeping purposes:

Just a reminder: these methods are meant to help you learn how to fall asleep quickly. For a rundown of general sleeping tips, check out this article. With that little disclosure out of the way, let’s move on to progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), aka deep muscle relaxation.

We said it before and we’ll say it again (in different words): figuring out how to fall asleep fast can often be your greatest inhibitor, cranking up the voice in your head as opposed to taming it. Practice some reverse psychology by trying to stay awake instead, which allows the mind to let go of certain preoccupations.

We don’t want to sound like an old man waving his fist, but would it kill you to put down the iPad or video game controller and pick up a book every once in a while? You might just be improving your sleep in the process. That’s because digital light sources and other forms of stimuli can provide a proverbial jolt to the brain right before bedtime, making sleep much harder to come by.

It seems like fitness is the answer to everything these days, but that’s because we’re living more sedentary lifestyles. By physically working out in one form or another, you’re maximising the body’s potential and paving the way for a natural state of exhaustion. Furthermore, proper exercise reduces stress and helps clear the mind of internal clutter. Hmmm…we guess fitness is the answer to everything these days.

Developing a consistent routine (or circadian rhythm, if you will) is one of the best ways to fall asleep quickly and effectively. By going to bed and waking up at the same time every single night and day, you’re falling into a natural pattern. The more variation you inject, the more your body and mind will struggle to adjust. It’s just common sense.

Sometimes, figuring out how to fall asleep at all is far more important than figuring out how to fall asleep fast. In a separate article, we uncover the secrets to achieving a better night’s sleep. Read it and weep! Oh wait, we meant to say read it and sleep.