How to Fall Asleep When You Can’t Seem to

This is a post on how to fall asleep when you can’t seem to.

Failing to fall asleep is one of the most annoying things to experience. Nighttime is for sleeping, and if you don’t accomplish that, you’re probably going to have a not so great day the next day.

Remember that the minimum requirement for healthy sleep is 8 hours. 10 hours is ideal.

Now, if you aren’t getting a wink of sleep, there is a problem.

Here are 10 ways to try to get yourself to fall asleep:

1 . Guided meditation

One of the best ways to fall asleep when you can’t seem to is to listen to a guided meditation video on youtube.

In these videos, a narrator gives you gentle prompts to follow. These can include deep breaths, relaxation of your muscles, and guided thoughts to think.

They help a lot when your mind is experiencing incessant chatter and needs to calm down.

Here is a video on guided meditation that you can try out:

2 . Sleeping tea

If you really can’t fall asleep at night, I suggest a tea blend dedicated to giving you a good night’s sleep.

There are so many varieties of tea lends out there, but if you need a specific tea, I would recommend chamomile or lavender tea.

Drink a warm cup of tea to soothe you and help you to sink into a deep sleep.

3 . Listen to audiobooks

Listening to audiobooks can help you to fall asleep when you can’t seem to.

It gives you a break from your incessant thoughts and helps you to relax. As you focus on the story being woven, you might find yourself falling into a deep slumber.

4 . Listen to podcasts

Listening to podcasts is one way to fall asleep when you can’t seem to.

There are millions of free podcasts out there, and if you find something you like, save it for when you need to sleep but can’t!

I’d also suggest long youtube videos on topics that interest you. I like to listen to Teal Swan on youtube, and here is a video that you can check out:

5 . Read a book

You can read a book if you want to fall asleep but you can’t seem to.

I’d suggest a boring book that won’t keep you up.

Also, it’s a lot more effective to read an actual physical book and not a book on your phone or anything.

You can check out The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene. It has the ability to knock me out.

6 . Observe your thoughts

Observe your thoughts if they are the culprit stopping you from falling asleep.

This is an awesome mental exercise that I learnt recently from Kyle Cease. He says that all you need to do is to observe your thoughts as they come and go.

All you have to do is provide them with love and acceptance. Honor them, and let them go.

These thoughts only come up because they want to leave. They want to be seen and pass through.

If you want to check out Kyle Cease, here is a video:

7 . Record your thoughts

Recording your thoughts is one way to organize the thoughts that are stopping you from falling asleep.

You can record your thoughts by using the recording app on your phone. You can also record your thoughts by writing in a journal.

Recording your thoughts has this great ability to help you understand yourself better.

8 . Talk to yourself

This might seem a bit weird, but if your thoughts are stopping you from falling asleep, it can help to say them out loud.

Turn off the lights, get cozy in your bed and just talk about what’s going on in your life.

I know this can be a bit difficult if you don’t sleep alone. In this case, you can do whisper in front of a mirror in the bathroom.

9 . Practice qi gong

A favorite qi gong move of mine is called “shake the tree”.

It is very good for anxiety and can calm you down. All you have to do is shake your arms and legs one by one.

From there, you can also lightly jump up and down while jiggling your entire body.

It can help you to put a stopper to bothersome thoughts while you try to sleep.

Here is a video of qi gong move shake the tree:

10 . Stay still for 7 minutes

This is a trick I found on youtube a long time ago and it works like a charm.

All you have to do is not to move any part of your body for 7 minutes and you will fall asleep.

I have found that if I lay on my back and tuck my hands slightly under my body, I can almost always fall asleep.

Additional Helpful Posts:

• How to Sleep Well at Night and Wake Up Feeling Refreshed
• 10 Healthy Ways to Fall Asleep Easier
• How to Get Rid of Anxiety at Night