Lemmings who can fall asleep within minutes of their head hitting the pillow, what's your secret?
2026-07-23 00:13 UTC
Replies (40)
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@Elextra@literature.cafe 2026-07-23 00:18
I got old.
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@DrBob@lemmy.ca 2026-07-23 00:21
Always been like that. I fall asleep on planes before take off and wake up when we hit tarmac.
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@EntheoNaut@lemmy.ml 2026-07-23 00:32
Masturbation
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@blackbrook@mander.xyz 2026-07-23 00:32
That’s never particularly been me, except when I’m sleep deprived. But in recent years I’ve been consistent about my sleep and wake times (including not changing them on weekends) and that seems to help a lot. According to my tracker it usually takes me about 10 min to fall asleep.
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@f1error@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 00:40
No secret, I’m hammered before bed.
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@ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 2026-07-23 00:43
I hate sleep, so I get it over with as quickly as possible. I fall asleep quickly and I wake up quickly and spend as little time as possible in between
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@SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 2026-07-23 00:45
Be tired enough. I jave ADHD and my strategy is to stay up until I am literally falling asleep. The next day can be tough sometimes though if I need to get up early. On those nights I just take Melatonin
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@Kongar@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-07-23 00:48
No secret technique. I go to bed when I’m tired, I’m asleep as soon as I hit the pillow. Literally-sometimes I fall asleep on the way down to the pillow. Just how I’ve always been. /shrug
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@pheonixdown@sh.itjust.works 2026-07-23 00:51
I can (mostly intentionally) zonk out pretty quickly in most sitting or laying positions. Clear calm mind helps me. I might use 1 of 2 exercises. The first I started using is for when my mind is too active from the day and thoughts just keep popping up, each time one does, I imagine putting it in a cardboard box, closing it up and tossing it away. The second one I use more when my body is physically tired, but I’m not mentally sleepy, I imagine I’m laying down at the trunk of an impossibly tall tree, looking at a single leaf near the edge that I can just barely make out, then imagine I’m rapidly floating up where I can see the trunk rapidly moving “down” behind my head, but the leaf just only so very barely seems to get any closer, and just keep that up until I fall asleep.
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@monovergent@lemmy.ml 2026-07-23 00:54
Many moons ago I’d struggle to fall asleep quickly, but now I can whenever I want. Even more effective if I think about a task on my todo list I’m dreading. I don’t want to say that it’s due to the pandemic, but it definitely became a thing for me during the pandemic. Side-effects: does not imply that I use this ability to establish a good sleep schedule. Zero productivity on trains and planes; first-class service is wasted due to being conked out.
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@asudox@lemmy.asudox.dev 2026-07-23 01:15
While I am not one to fall asleep in minutes usually, I’ve had a few cases where I was extremely tired and fell asleep the moment I put my head on the pillow and also woke up instantly the next morning. What’s interesting is that I did not feel rested at all but I also were not sleepy.
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@EvilBit@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 01:28
My approach: Get really comfortable, making sure nothing is off balance, applying unneeded pressure, or likely to lead to soreness later. Make sure it’s not too bright, too noisy, too warm or cold. Then from head to toe, take stock of your body state and relax every muscle. Let your shoulders sink, your hands open, neck loosen. Sink into the bed. Exhale and you should feel like a pile of noodles. Then just listen to your own breathing. Don’t breathe deeply, just breathe comfortably. Listen to the sound. The goal is literally to bore yourself to sleep. If you catch yourself thinking, stop. Just go back to the breathing. Don’t count, manage, or time anything. Just relax and breathe, listening to the air moving. Hopefully, the next step is to wake up.
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@BCsven@lemmy.ca 2026-07-23 01:31
I can be out in 30 seconds. My wife hates it, LOL. Especially because I can self check and give her an accurate prediction of when I will be tired enough for sleep. I.e. she might say “what do you want to do tonight? And I’ll say " we can watch a short episode of a show or a quick board game, because I have 45 minutes before I’ll be asleep” Main things are routine: I eat a balanced diet of protein, fats, carbs. And I don’t often snack on sugary foods. I don’t go to bed unless I’m actually tired. I wake up about the same time every day. Usually with the sunrise. I don’t have worry, or anxiety, that would keep my brain busy at night. Everything can be tomorrow’s problem. if my body is tired out, but my mind isn’t, I’ll put in earbuds and listen to a podcast in bed , but with everything set for sleeping. Lights out, eyes shut, comfortable in the covers.
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@Soulphite@reddthat.com 2026-07-23 01:54
I have what I self proclaim a “float switch”. Once my head tilts a 45 degree angle, I fall asleep. I’ve been like this all my 39 years of existence. I cannot go to these new movie theaters labeled “Dream Lounger Ultra XL” with those reclining king size sofas because I can’t justify paying $30 to take a nap. My wife gets made at me how fast I fall asleep. I can’t fucking help it!
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@stormio@lemmy.ca 2026-07-23 01:57
THC. I use it in the form of a vape which is perfect for bedtime because it takes effect quickly and doesn’t stay in my system for too long, unlike an edible.
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@MoonMelon@lemmy.ml 2026-07-23 02:01
I read fiction that requires almost no brain power. Either print or e-ink (no bright screen). Sherlock Holmes type stuff is like a sleeping pill.
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@Vanth@reddthat.com 2026-07-23 02:29
As long as I’m not anxious about anything, I am. I do all the usual advice. Maintain a consistent sleep schedule, including weekends, and try to hold to it as much as possible even during travel and vacation. General healthy diet and exercise. Turn off screens. Max Richter sleep soundtrack low in the background. The “alphabet game” or whatever, probably learned about it on here or reddit: pick any letter and then think of every word that starts with that letter. It keeps you brain occupied on something inconsequential so no other important thoughts take my attention. Melatonin when I do need to shift away from my normal schedule for some reason. I suspect a genetic predisposition; my dad is like this and most of my siblings. My real super power is my ability to sleep on planes. I’ll be out cold by the time the plane leaves the runway. And sometimes I’ll get my brain knotted up over some dumb problem, worry about it and not sleep for two nights straight. Crash hard. Then be fine.
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@Unlearned9545@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 02:36
Amitriptyline It has been a literal life saver. Struggling to fall asleep and fighting chronic pain for 15 years before someone recommended it. First couple months I was narcoleptic but after my body adjusted I have a regular sleep schedule for once in my life and can be active again instead of all my energy going to fight spinal-cerebral pain.
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@ephrin@sh.itjust.works 2026-07-23 02:38
Constantly exhausted.
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@Nemo@slrpnk.net 2026-07-23 02:50
I fall asleep when my exhaustion overwhelms my anxiety; I get up when my anxiety overwhelms my exhaustion.
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@taiyang@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 03:07
When I stopped doing things from bed, I was able to sleep a lot easier. If the bed equals sleep, the body gets it. But I also only sleep when I’m sleepy, I never try to force myself to sleep early even if I have early morning responsibilities.
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@kibiz0r@midwest.social 2026-07-23 03:10
Oh hey, I just watched something that was full of good info about this! youtube.com/watch?v=-Lv7jmdqTUU ADHD context, but most of it is universal. I hope there’s something useful in there for you!
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@hydrashok@sh.itjust.works 2026-07-23 03:38
Train yourself. Pavlov’s sleep. Every time you go to bed, watch/listen to the same thing. Eventually, your brain associate the thing with “time to sleep”. That’s how it works for me, anyway. I turn on the same movie and pass out in minutes. Don’t do it with one of your favorites, though. And also, don’t do thing like lay in bed watching TV all the time. You want the bed to be mostly mentally associated with sleep
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@chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-07-23 04:05
I do now, but I used to lay in bed for multiple hours most nights before being able to fall asleep. Here’s a list of things I do that I think help: get exercise during the day mostly avoid caffeine and alcohol avoid spending time in my bedroom other than for sleep take 0.5mg melatonin half an hour before bed only take naps occasionally and not as a regular habit sleeping mask + earbuds playing white noise + specific pillow arrangement that keeps my head in one place, basically a whole set of stimuli that is specific to sleeping eat breakfast in the morning
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@electric_nan@lemmy.ml 2026-07-23 04:26
Alcohol.
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@RiverRock@lemmy.ml 2026-07-23 05:16
Idk it’s like I just wake up the next day
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@msrb711@feddit.org 2026-07-23 05:42
The secret ingredient is exhaustion
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@RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 05:49
Dissociation.
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@molten@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 05:53
Zzzquil (This comment was sponsored by zzzquil “zzzquil, when you’re too lazy to fix your own issues try drugs!”)
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@elvith@feddit.org 2026-07-23 06:44
I usually fall asleep very quickly. Yes, having some kind of anxiety about the next day or such can keep me up and sometimes there’s a night where I just don’t seem to fall asleep instantly by myself. Rule number one: Keep your bed the place you sleep in. Don’t do anything else in it. You can’t fall asleep because of anxiety? Get up, go somewhere else, try to deal with it/calm down and then get back to sleep. If you don’t know why you can’t fall asleep, get up, try to wind down a bit. Maybe drink a little bit of water, go to the toilet, whatever then come back and try again. Try to keep the lights off or as dimmed as possible in that time. Sometimes if that doesn’t help, you can use some relaxation techniques to help. My go to: Lay down, find a comfy spot. The easiest: Focus on you I this moment. How does it feel in your bed? Focus on the warm fluffy place you’re in. “Feel” how you sink in more and more into your pillow and mattress with every breath. Usually that’s enough to get me to sleep. If you can’t fall asleep doing this, go a bit further. Imagine you’re in a meadow/on a beach/wherever in nature. Feel the imaginary sun on your skin. The sand/gras/moss/… Under your bare feet. Breathe the fresh air. Focus on your imaginary sensations and observe them. Those imaginations can be hard if you’re not used to them. It’s OK if you’re not focused on them in the beginning and that some random ideas and thoughts cross your mind and keep breaking the illusion. Find a way to deal with them. Accept that it has happened and move on. My preferred way to “block them”: imagine a red heavy curtain falling like in a theater completely blocking your view of those thoughts/images. Acknowledge that you identified and consciously ignored them, “turn around” and return your focus to your imagination.
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@GaumBeist@lemmy.ml 2026-07-23 07:33
I avoid screens (with one exception mentioned in a bit)—especially social media (including fediverse)—for like an hour ahead of time, read a book, make sure I’m well fed and hydrated without eating too close to bedtime, wear a sleep mask, and put on some soothing music, podcast or (mostly audio-based) video—with the screen off as soon as I hit play. Sometimes I even resort to my noise-cancelling headphones—or earplugs, if the sounds of my own breathing, swallowing, and bloodflow don’t bother me too much that night. It helps to meditate and/or make sure to exercise/work hard enough to wear myself out each day. Comfort helps. Finding the right position, having the right sheets, mattress, pillow, getting the ac/fan/heater so the room feels perfect, maybe cracking a window for fresh air. Feeling secure and safe where I’m sleeping, confident that I’ll make it through the night without rude awakenings. Each isn’t very powerful on its own, bit all together make a big difference in how readily I drift off. Finally, I just try not to worry too much whether I fall asleep or not; if it’s not looking like it’s happening, I’ll try to write a story for myself or draw a masterpiece in my minds eye. If that doesn’t work, I’ll focus on invoking some Wake-Induced Lucid Dreaming instead: forcing myself to lie perfectly still with my eyes closed, not even shifting for comfort nor to scratch itches nor swat flies, letting my mind wander wherever it wants to and just going with the hypnagogic hallucinations (they can get a little uncomfortable at times). This rarely has the intended effect, but I usually do end up waking up later, realizing I fell asleep without knowing it. Disclaimer: my routine won’t solve insomnia, it won’t fix neurological disorders that affect circadian rhythm, it probably won’t work on the first night even if you don’t have the aforementioned issues. But adding any part of it to your routine (if you can) will make it just that much easier to fall sleep, when you can get around to it, even if you do have underlying conditions. Also, at the risk of sounding like a boomer, screens are really bad for sleep. I grew up with them: my family had a habit of watching tv until bedtime, I trained myself to fall asleep while staring at my laptop (which I often have on my bed), or I’ll pick up my phone after I put the laptop down. Nowadays I can feel how awake my brain gets when I check lemmy or read news around bedtime. If I have my phone near me, I’ll have this nagging feeling to do “just one more” check of all my socials. And it always keeps me awake until I will myself to turn it off and close my eyes.
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@TheWolfOfSouthEnd@lemmygrad.ml 2026-07-23 07:42
I used to be able to do this…I’m not saying diabetes stopped it, but I got diabetes and stopped being able to do it.
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@abbadon420@sh.itjust.works 2026-07-23 08:47
It’s a ritual. The secret for me is basically counting sheep. Except, I don’t actually count sheep, but there’s lots of other things. Nowadays I can just clear my mind, but that was not always so. When I was a kid, I had trouble sleeping. I was scared of the dark or something. So I closed my eyes and started focussing on the shapes I saw to take my mind off it. It were basic geometric shapes in different colors that floated to the edge of my vision. Than new ones would pop up. That helped and eventually I was using that methid every day to fall asleep fast. In my teenage years I was into “lucid dreaming”. Never managed to really do that, but they use special methods to fall asleep which also create some kind of ritual. Like looking at your alarm until you fall asleep. And than when it shows weird numbers, you know you’re asleep, but that part is speculative lol. Like that there are a few otger “rituals” you can try. I think tge most important part is a semi regular sleep schedule and a ritual. Also, don’t watch tv or phone in bed. That’s the kind of ritual to prevents you from sleeping.
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@folaht@lemmy.ml 2026-07-23 09:38
Genetics
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@EtnaAtsume@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 10:10
Hey, I can do it in minutes. Just, like, 90-120 of them.
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@paorzz@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 10:27
Vitamin D deficiency
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@king_comrade@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 10:53
Ive always had trouble sleeping, too active an imagination I suppose. So for me the trick was drugs, they work a treat… Maybe too much of a treat.
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@CetaceanNeeded@lemmy.world 2026-07-23 12:04
One year old child.
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@pleasestopasking@reddthat.com 2026-07-23 12:09
Wake up early and exercise at least 30 min. Makes me feel actually tired at the end of the day so it’s easier to fall asleep. Exercising later on the day doesn’t work because it amps me up.
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@bstix@feddit.dk 2026-07-23 12:29
I day dream until I fall asleep, and it takes less than a minute. Doesn’t matter if I just had a coffee, browsing a phone or whatever. I like to think about designing something. What I’d do on a isolated island, designing the cockpit in a space craft or building a self sufficient homestead. Fiction stuff. Everything is possible. It doesn’t work if I think about actual real life problems.