How to fall asleep fast: tips backed by research

Daniel Gavalec · Updated October 18, 2026

You fall asleep faster when you calm both mind and body in the evening: five minutes before bed you write a specific to-do list for tomorrow, one to two hours before bed you take a warm shower, in bed you imagine something calm in detail, and if you haven’t fallen asleep after about twenty minutes you get up and come back when you feel sleepy. A consistent wake-up time and less screen light in the evening help too. Tricks like “fall asleep in two minutes” or 4-7-8 breathing have weak evidence. If you have slept badly for weeks, that’s a matter for a doctor, not for tips.

Why you can’t fall asleep

The most common reasons it takes a long time to fall asleep are fairly ordinary: your mind is still processing the day, your body is “revved up” (stress, late exercise, caffeine), your body clock is shifted (different wake-up times, light from screens) or you go to bed before you feel sleepy. Sometimes a fear of not falling asleep again joins in – and that slows sleep down even more.

If it happens only now and then, the tips below usually help. If you sleep badly most nights for several weeks, read the section on when to see a doctor.

8 tips to fall asleep faster

1. A list for tomorrow (5 minutes). In a sleep lab, Michael Scullin and colleagues (2018) had people spend five minutes before bed writing either a list of tasks for the coming days or a list of what they had already done. The to-do list group fell asleep faster – and the more specific the list, the faster.
2. A warm shower 1–2 hours before bed. A meta-analysis by Shahab Haghayegh and colleagues (2019) found that a warm shower or bath at that time shortened the time to fall asleep, even if it lasted only ten minutes. The body then cools down faster, which helps sleep.
3. Calm, concrete imagery. Allison Harvey and Suzanna Payne (2002) showed that imagining something interesting and calm in detail (such as a walk through a favourite place) helped people with insomnia more than the general advice to “think about something else”.
4. If you’re awake for about 20 minutes, get up. Go to another room, do something calm in dim light and come back when you feel sleepy. This is part of what is called stimulus control, which professional guidelines on insomnia include (Edinger et al., 2021). Your bed then becomes linked with sleep, not with tossing and turning.
5. The same wake-up time. Even at weekends, within about an hour. A regular wake-up time anchors your body clock more than a regular bedtime.
6. Less screen time in the evening. Anne-Marie Chang and colleagues (2015) found that reading on a light-emitting device before bed made it take longer to fall asleep and shifted the body clock compared with a paper book. Charge your phone outside the bedroom.
7. Caffeine and alcohol with care. Caffeine works for hours; an afternoon coffee can still interfere in the evening. Alcohol may help you fall asleep but worsens sleep quality in the second half of the night.
8. A cool, dark, quiet bedroom. Curtains, an eye mask or earplugs help.

“Fall asleep in 2 minutes” tricks: what we know

If one of these tricks works for you, by all means use it. Just don’t expect a miracle every night.

When thoughts keep you awake

Racing thoughts are one of the most common reasons for lying awake. Besides a list for tomorrow, it helps to give worries their time in the afternoon or early evening – not in bed. More in how to stop overthinking and shutdown ritual. And if you go to bed late because the evening is your “me time”, read bedtime procrastination.

When to see a doctor

See your doctor when:

• you have trouble falling or staying asleep at least three nights a week for several weeks,
• you are noticeably tired, sleepy or irritable during the day,
• you snore and stop breathing during sleep, or wake up with headaches,
• poor sleep comes with sadness, anxiety or pain.

For long-term insomnia, both American and European guidelines recommend cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the first choice (Edinger et al., 2021; Riemann et al., 2017). Don’t take sleeping pills or supplements without talking to a doctor.

Try it now in CORTEX

In CORTEX (free for everyone) there is a “Better sleep” template for this (More → Templates): for four weeks it sets up an evening wind-down as a routine, the same wake-up time even at weekends, and morning light. You write tomorrow’s list with the Q key in a minute, and in the morning it is already in your plan. With the Energy and health module you can also log your sleep and energy and see after a few weeks what helps you. If you have an account, open the Better sleep template.