4 Ways I Started Falling Asleep Faster and Sleeping Better

If I had to pick one activity which is, by and large, the biggest contributor to better time-efficiency and productivity, sleep would be number one, two, and three.

And, yet, sleep is often one of the first things us busy people sacrifice, both in quality and quantity.

During the last several years, I’ve optimized my sleeping environment, in order to fall asleep faster and sleep much better during the night. These changes include:

1. At least 10 minutes of meditation right before I go to sleep
2. Putting my phone in grayscale mode to minimize mental stimulation
3. Not doing anything else in my bed, except for sleeping
4. Sleeping with ear plugs and a face mask

Let’s dive into each aspect more specifically.

1. At least 10 minutes of meditation right before I go to sleep

By meditating right before I go to sleep, I’m able to quiet my mind and develop an intoxicating feeling of peace and serenity.

However, I used to think meditation was the biggest waste of time. Seriously. I’d just sit or lay there, wondering what the hack I was doing, and when it was going to end.

Over time, I’ve learned meditation is a skill, which means it’s not-so-fun and oh-so-annoying until you become somewhat good at it. And, once you do become good at meditation, like any other skill, you actually you look forward to doing it, and you improve with each attempt.

Start by searching for “sleep guided meditation” on YouTube, and find a video which seems interesting. Then, lay in your bed, body fully elongated, hands together on your chest or by your side, eyes closed, and focus on the guided meditation. When your mind starts to wander — it’s natural for the mind to wander, don’t get discouraged by it — simply return to focusing on your breath.

And, on the nights when your mind really goes wild, and focusing on your breath isn’t enough, try continuously describing your real-time senses to yourself. For example, say things like:

• I feel the sheet rubbing up against my lower inner thigh.
• I hear people on the street talking.
• I smell the detergent from my bed sheets.
• I have an itch on the bottom of my left foot, near my big toe.

2. Not doing anything else in my bed, except for sleeping

According to accelerated learning expert Jim Kwik, our minds associate different places with different emotions. Creating a space exclusively reserved for work, for example, will train your brain to be more productive and creative in this space.

The same can be said about your bed: When you only use your bed to sleep — and not for other activities like work, phone calls, reading, or even just sitting and relaxing — your brain exclusively associates it with sleep, which makes it easier to fall asleep at night.

3. Putting my phone in grayscale mode to minimize mental stimulation

In a perfect world, I wouldn’t use my phone at all after I get into bed. But we all know the world isn’t perfect, so the next-best thing is activating grayscale mode on my phone.

Sleep experts have long claimed exposure to bright, vibrant lights are the antithesis of a good night’s sleep, which makes grayscale mode a great option (at least if you’re not perfect like me).

4. Sleeping with ear plugs and a face mask

If you’re a light sleeper, you probably already know about the benefits of ear plugs, so I don’t want to spend too much time on this topic.

A face mask, on the other hand, gets me a little bit more excited, because it creates a pitch-black environment. There’s a ton of research which shows light (even ultra-dimmed light) has direct implications on our sleep quality, as well as depression, immune response, and even cancer.

As neurologist George Brainard puts it:

“Light works as if it’s a drug, except it’s not a drug at all.”

So, if you don’t have black-out curtains in your bedroom, and/or if you travel relatively often, consider buying a face mask.

Article Recap

To optimize your sleeping environment, so you can fall asleep faster and sleep much better during the night, consider these four practices:

1. Do at least 10 minutes of meditation right before you go to sleep.
2. Put your phone in grayscale mode to minimize mental stimulation.
3. Don’t do anything else in your bed, except for sleeping.
4. Sleep with ear plugs (if you’re a light sleeper) and a face mask.

There’s more where that came from at Hack My Time.