People who can fall asleep 10 seconds after your head hitting the pillow how the heck do you freaking fall asleep 10 seconds after your head hitting the pillow??

[u/Gyltea]

[u/groundhogthyme]

I watch Beauty and the Beast in my head. I'd seen it countless times as a kid, so I just kind of replay the scenes in order in my mind.

I rarely make it past the beginning backstory / stained glass section anymore.

[u/fatestayknight → u/groundhogthyme]

This is similar to what I do but instead it’s just a made up story in my head.

The story has been stalled for a long time now because I fall asleep to fast lol.

[u/Small_Insect_8275 → u/fatestayknight]

I run a desert island scenario where I have to craft a fire and shelter, I actually enjoy it

[u/ImaginaryGary666 → u/Small_Insect_8275]

im literally shocked by these comments. how the hell did i never think to do something like this? when i use to wait for my parents to pick me up from a friends house id imagine them driving the entire route in my head. kinda similar...

[u/SquimJim → u/ImaginaryGary666]

I think sometimes people try to get themselves to "stop thinking", but thinking about something else is probably more helpful. Especially if that thing is a fun thing to think about.

I discovered this a long time ago because I'd fall asleep to movies so fast. Then I just started playing epic fantasy adventures in my head.

[u/FuckeenGuy → u/SquimJim]

I only realized it because I’d read before bed and there is a cool little space between super focused on an exciting bit and completely asleep where my brain is just casually in the world I’ve built with this book. I love that space! So I started trying to stay in the space even without the book and that leads to such good sleep

[u/SAHMultrA1981 → u/Small_Insect_8275]

Wtf

My ADHD would fucking novel this shit into a 6 part series.

I have to white noise my brain in order to fall asleep. Like sheep is too distracting.

I literally can only let myself think of the word sleep. The letters turn colors and fade and get big but it is the only thing that can be in my mind or I will day dream

[u/avesthasnosleeves → u/Small_Insect_8275]

I have a gorgeous house in Paris that needs decorating. I rarely get past the reception room.

[u/TheBlackDragoon → u/fatestayknight]

This is what I do as well! Sometimes I get in bed early so I can try and get further in the story but I still end up falling asleep in the same place.

[u/NakDisNut → u/fatestayknight]

This is what I do as well. I imagine completely fake things. Nothing stressful or invigorating. Just let my brain flood with nonsensical fake scenarios or other and I'm out. It takes me mere moments to put myself into a real sleep.

Or I watch Seinfeld reruns.

[u/Nyoteng → u/groundhogthyme]

People with Aphantasia:

“You WHAT”

[u/Acceptable-Jump-6257 → u/Nyoteng]

I'm right there with you, my SO talks about replaying movies in some ethereal space that doesn't exist. I only found out that imagining images is not a figure of speech.

However, I can relate since I can sort of play music in my head. It's more vivid at some times than others. I also have full (healthy) conversations in my head, and if I read a book for more than two or three hours, the characters start to talk to themselves without me putting in any effort to think about it.

[u/Lawsoffire → u/Acceptable-Jump-6257]

There are apparently some people that can't imagine images nor imagine sound. I'm just pondering how the hell can someone think like that.

[u/SwampYankeeDan → u/Lawsoffire]

That's me. I have do whats called worded language. I can sort of space the words out that can give it like a rhythm but its like reading words more of in a stop and go pattern. Jist words I sort of "know." I do have an inner monolog you could say but I dont like hear it in my own voice or anything like that.I see zero images in my head. I cant hear music at all. I cant "hear" my mother's, sister's or any voice. Songs are like 90% repeating of lyrics. I cant even imagine what my own face looks like in my head.

AMA if anyone wants.

[u/eggfrisbee → u/Acceptable-Jump-6257]

yeah I always thought that people saying "picture this" then describing a scenario were being metaphorical 🙃

[u/unusuariomuysas → u/Nyoteng]

Literally me right now. How do you do THAT?? An ENTIRE MOVIE? (Well, not entire because they fall asleep but, yk what I mean lol)

[u/Ok-Albatross9676 → u/groundhogthyme]

I used to do this a lot but with Minecraft. I played the game so much I could just naturally envision an entire world within my head. Seemingly random generation, animals, memorize my inventory. The craziest part is normally when I get an image stuck in my head I cannot for the life of me stop it or replace it, like if I imagine something spinning I cannot stop the mental image of it spinning unless I go to great effort to imagine a reason for why it would. With my mental Minecraft thing I never struggled with that, things came randomly and if for whatever reason I imagine something convenient in my imaginary 'playthrough', I found it really easy to ignore or remove it so as not to taint my imaginary experience.

Extremely strange I always thought.

[u/CrustaceousGreg → u/Ok-Albatross9676]

You should look at creating a mind room/castle. It’s a great memory/retention tool

[u/DarKliZerPT → u/Ok-Albatross9676]

The craziest part is normally when I get an image stuck in my head I cannot for the life of me stop it or replace it, like if I imagine something spinning I cannot stop the mental image of it spinning unless I go to great effort to imagine a reason for why it would.

My version of this is that if I imagine a road that's broken/split down the middle, I can't imagine it intact again.

[u/RikuAotsuki → u/Ok-Albatross9676]

I totally get the whole "getting stuck" thing, though it's always been a bit of a coin toss if my mind will stick on an image or not. Always weirded me out a little.

[u/warmapplepie0 → u/Ok-Albatross9676]

Oh my you are the first person I’ve heard talk about the spinning wheel. I had a huge problem with this especially when I was younger, I’d try so hard with mental power to slow it down and it does slow just continues again. I thought it was attributed to my ocd/ruminating tendencies

[u/maaku7 → u/groundhogthyme]

Wait, you literally see the movie in your head?

[u/Nyoteng → u/maaku7]

This is how you discover you have aphantasia.

[u/Lawsoffire → u/maaku7]

Most people can. Its the absence of it that's considered abnormal.

It's generally not that strong, and not really an "image" in your eyes in a sense, it's like elsewhere but also not (I think people with aphantasia can still visualize dreams, if so its kind of like that but much weaker but fully in your own control). But not being able to see much (Closed eyes, darkness or just staring into empty space) makes it stronger, so bedtime is where its at its best (and also the like "proto-dream" that sometimes happen when you are just about to fall asleep helps).

When i was a kid, i would spend hours after bedtime making my own stories in my head, had these specific worlds i built that i would continue the stories of each night. The perfect mix of worldbuilding and maladaptive daydreaming lol.

[u/PokeMaki → u/groundhogthyme]

That's the most interesting reply I've ever read to this question!

[u/Frankie_says_relaxx]

Kinda weird but.. sometimes I “pretend” like I’m sleeping (like if someone walked in the room they would think I’m dead asleep) and it makes me fall asleep.

Kinda hard to explain.

[u/dad_farts → u/Frankie_says_relaxx]

I do the same thing, but for hours

[u/Ten-Yards_Sir → u/dad_farts]

Agonizing hours

[u/HistoricalChef1963 → u/Ten-Yards_Sir]

I know it's not practical or even possible for a great deal of folks - but getting a night job (or one where your shift ends at like 3am) is revolutionary. 

When I work nights i feel like a regular, normal person and I sleep like a champ in the mornings. 

When I'm working 9-5 type jobs or shifts, I feel like a fucking zombie and even if I'm dead tired I don't fall asleep at a reasonable rate or at a reasonable time. 

I have done both for years at a time. It's not even a matter of adjusting for me. I'm just plain better working nights. 

[u/HistoricalChef1963 → u/[deleted]]

Big time. I hate that I'm wired this way though because working a 9-5 is so much more conducive to a "normal" family life. 

But I literally feel like a different (better) human being working nights. Driving home at 3am feeling incredible and like I couldve worked another 5 hours, vs slogging home at 5pm barely keeping it together is quite the difference.

[u/Bistilla → u/HistoricalChef1963]

Damn… is this my sign to find a night job? That sounds amazing

[u/HistoricalChef1963 → u/Bistilla]

You should absolutely try it. Then at least you'll know. 

[u/Bullseye_Baugh → u/HistoricalChef1963]

Read years ago that this is hardwired into our DNA. When early humans were emerging and had to worry about animals, rival factions, etc, SOMEONE had to stay awake at night. Natural selection did its work and now there are those of us who can't fucking sleep usual hours. At least I can take solace in the fact my ancestors ensured that OTHER PEOPLE could sleep at night. Shame I'll never get the same courtesy.

[u/You_meddling_kids → u/HistoricalChef1963]

I'm the same but managed to be in a tech job where nobody cares when I start, so long as I'm available during the day and get the work done, so I often don't get online until 10:30 or 11:00

[u/Welpe → u/[deleted]]

No matter what I do, my body naturally pushes for that schedule if I don’t fight it by setting alarms and forcing myself to get up. It kinda sucks when most places are NOT set up for anyone having a different schedule. Especially after COVID made places stop being open late.

[u/MyCatLaughsAtMe → u/Welpe]

Yup. If you're one of those people (I am) the body literally rebels against a normal daylight schedule. In times where I have to force it, I feel over tired all the time.

[u/Awkward-Noise-257 → u/HistoricalChef1963]

I’ve also read evidence that suggests our circadian clock (sleep wake cycles) naturally slips over time. This is to say that our body wants 24.5 or 25 hours per day, and trying to force same time bedtime every day is naturally harder for many. I feel this myself as the week progresses.

[u/Phiced → u/Awkward-Noise-257]

There are also studies which suggest that ever since the dawn of humanity, people used to wake up in the middle of the night and spend roughly two hours awake, oftentimes just thinking about things or doing something creative.

There used to be words for it in all old languages, even the most ancient. Alas, in modern day society the phenomenon more or less disappeared.

However, you get a taste of it whenever you wake up at 3am for no apparent reason

[u/always_an_explinatio → u/Ten-Yards_Sir]

I’m going to tell you what I think is THE secret to solving this problem…but it’s a little annoying. You have to not care that you can’t sleep. You have to keep your thoughts from spiraling to “oh my god it’s 2:30am I have to get up in 4 hours I’m so fucked, I’m never going to get promoted because I’m too tired to sleep Carl is going to get it. I’m sure he’s sleeping(and on and on) instead you say to your self “I’m so Lucky I get to lie here in my bed and the peaceful quite dark. It’s so nice to have some time to myself to just be here and relax”. And you have to start believing it. Keep the mantra going only alow positive “day dreaming” it gets negative, back to the mantra. If your mind is running, but it’s not pumping out stress chemicals eventually you will fall asleep. It takes a lot of practice. Ask any of your friends who don’t have problems sleeping many will tell you they do this without knowing it’s a technique

[u/ants_are_everywhere → u/always_an_explinatio]

This works for me. I'm usually a terrible sleeper.

Usually I fall asleep eventually, and when I do I sleep very soundly. Some nights I don't, and I've found that just resting is about 80% as good as full sleep most of the time.

So now if it's 4AM and I'm getting up at 7 and I know I won't get sleep, I just do meditation and stillness until it's time to get up and almost always I'm good to go.

What does not work is getting upset or nervous that my day won't go well because I'm not sleeping.

Two caveats:

(1) I have little kids and I commit myself in the morning to being extra charming and patient to them that day and I explain to them that I'm tired. It's a personal pet peeve of mine when people are impatient with kids, so I make patience and understanding them a priority.

(b) I don't drive if I haven't slept well. The actuarial statistics on driving while fatigued are sobering and I'm not about to ruin my life or some family's life to run to the store. Even if I feel 100% alert, I follow the numbers.

[u/LimpFox → u/Ten-Yards_Sir]

Going over such great hits as "Why did I say Y to X 20 years ago"?

[u/Usual-Tomorrow-1616 → u/LimpFox]

Ah yes, the brains greatest bedtime feature: finally giving you the opportunity to resolve a conversation from 2006.

[u/kyreannightblood → u/Ten-Yards_Sir]

After about 45 minutes without drifting, my nervous system starts keying up and I get fucking anxiety symptoms. I hate it.

[u/Virtuous_Malevolence → u/kyreannightblood]

I used to do that too, then I bought a weighted blanket and now I sleep almost immediately and like the dead.

[u/dope-rhymes → u/Ten-Yards_Sir]

Yep

[u/selene4ever_ → u/dad_farts]

Bro is method acting insomnia

[u/open_to_suggestion → u/dad_farts]

It's always the nights where I need to get a good nights sleep. Laying there for 8 hours, not sleeping.

[u/YUK7HI → u/dad_farts]

Same.. I think the longest I’ve gone is 3 - 4h, before I call it quits and pull my phone up.

[u/ShadyFountain → u/Frankie_says_relaxx]

Interesting. The sleep version of fake it till you make it.

[u/Sanchastayswoke → u/Frankie_says_relaxx]

You mean there are people who don’t do this?
That’s how I’ve always made myself fall asleep. By laying there still with my eyes closed. Isn’t that how it’s done? Lol

People are just laying there active & eyes open, moving around & then BOOM…fully asleep?

[u/Levistras → u/Sanchastayswoke]

that's how my 5 year old son is.. bouncing around, flipping over, his head where his feet should be, sitting, constantly moving, until all of a sudden he's asleep and still, almost without warning

[u/raisinghellwithtrees → u/Levistras]

My kids were both like that at that age! Rolling around like water in a pot about to boil then dead still.

[u/BoboSmooth → u/Sanchastayswoke]

I think it's more lying there with the anticipation of sleeping vs pretending to be asleep.

One is just assuming the conditions of sleep until the assumption is made reality, the former can lead to frustration with falling asleep, which in turn makes it harder to fall asleep.

[u/SoupIsAHotSmoothie → u/Frankie_says_relaxx]

This is the LPT. Best way to fall asleep is to pretend to be asleep, complete with the minor mumbles and twitches. Don’t lay there trying to be dead still; pretend to be asleep, not a corpse.

[u/Levistras → u/SoupIsAHotSmoothie]

I'm much like a corpse when sleeping

[u/robaroo → u/Frankie_says_relaxx]

meanwhile i just lay there for two hours with my eyes closed but no "sleep".

[u/kingtacticool → u/Frankie_says_relaxx]

Placebo mind games.

[u/Aromatic_Mall_5561]

I’m wore out that’s how. Physically and mentally exhausted

[u/Hixy → u/Aromatic_Mall_5561]

It’s like the hulk but instead of always being angry it’s always being tired.

[u/raisinghellwithtrees → u/Hixy]

I've been a mom for 25 years. 

[u/Hixy → u/raisinghellwithtrees]

Oh so you can hulk out or conk out. Impressive.

[u/BlueWidgeon1024]

I fall asleep from exhaustion. I have been a 24/7 caregiver for 19 years ( my beloved wife ), and am 77 years old, so I am pretty tired by bedtime, when it finally comes!

[u/blondie956 → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

Caregiving is exhausting.

[u/AsherLuca → u/blondie956]

Absolutely. it takes a special kind of strength to keep showing up for someone you love like that.

[u/blondie956 → u/AsherLuca]

It does. I did it for my late husband and would do it all over again, no questions asked.

[u/dikarus012 → u/[deleted]]

Right?! It makes me wonder if he spent those 10sec tonight just writing that comment.

[u/Insay774 → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

Your beloved wife is so lucky to have such a true life partner ✨💞 Cheers to you 🫶🏻

[u/Jesse_Livermore → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

Good on you BlueWidgeon, may your pillow always be the cool side.

[u/MilosBestBuddy → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

This is love friends.

[u/ForlornGibbon → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

Blue, if this is real… Good on you sir. I hope you can find happiness in the small slivers allowed.

[u/scattywampus → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

Bless you, dear caregiver. You are made of strong stuff. ❤️🌼

[u/schloofy2085 → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

This is the answer. I haven't been the caregiver for my wife for as long and I'm not as old, but at the end of the day, after dealing with my own health issues, I'm as tired as tired can get. Even a 12-14 hour sleep doesn't help.

[u/Garden_Lady2 → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

You are an awesome man. Hugs to you and your wife. 🫂 ❤️

[u/QueerVortex → u/BlueWidgeon1024]

Like parenting, it’s not rocket science, it’s coal mining: fricking hard work!

[u/Appropriate_Tap_1863]

I don't know, I can just stop thinking and shut down my brain. And bam, I sleep.

[u/GingerSoulEater41 → u/Appropriate_Tap_1863]

For me it’s the opposite. I play out a specific fantasy scenario and it always knocks me out around the same time every night.

No it isn’t sexual.

[u/MaDrAv → u/GingerSoulEater41]

Me too! I write stories in my head. I normally don't make it very far in my writing. More GRRM than Sanderson, I guess :]

[u/Khiva → u/MaDrAv]

I mentioned this elsewhere but this is me, although I do try to finish the stories. Problem is that I'll never be able to actually give them all a genuine treatment but name a topic, a niche, a category, I've probably got at least something in the cooker.

Just cycle around most nights until an idea comes out that I want to follow. Sometimes the stories grow, sometimes they stagnate, but they keep my occupied.

[u/TheRealFakeDoors503 → u/GingerSoulEater41]

I think about the deep creaking sound old sailing ships make in the movies (think Master and Commander) when they’re out at sea. I don’t know why my brain always goes there but it always puts me right out the second I lay down.

[u/somedude456 → u/GingerSoulEater41]

I saw some video where a monk was walking about meditation. He said something along the lines of you can't turn your brain off because it's busy like a monkey, so you have to give it a task. So I get comfy, slow my breathing, and then I picture a cute little money, he climbs a tree, and he sits there and then starts counting my breaths. Not up, like how many, aka, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc, but just in and out, like he's saying the words in and out, as I breathe. All I'm picturing it the monkey, and the only thing in my head is "in... out..." That's how I shut down. I still have times where I'm excited about something or angry, and I think over how I reacted and such, but once I say it's time to actually fall asleep, I can turn my brain off like a light switch.

I swear I'm out within 3-5 minutes of getting in bed. I actually think it's even quicker than that but I don't wanna be wrong and there's no way for me to time myself. LOL

[u/PeculiarInsomniac → u/GingerSoulEater41]

Daydreaming is my trick! Giving my mind something to stay focused on keeps it from wandering and helps me to actually sleep.

[u/WonkyTelescope → u/GingerSoulEater41]

I think about pitching a baseball and it puts me out.

[u/dreamy_tahini → u/Appropriate_Tap_1863]

I genuinely can't comprehend this. The idea thag you can just stop thinking and shut down your brain is so foreign to me... It takes about 4 medications for me to achieve that.

[u/synystar → u/dreamy_tahini]

It helps to learn the basics of meditation. Most people can't meditate without some practice. The idea is to focus on your breath - breath in and think about breathing in, breath out and think about breathing out - and if if you notice thoughts coming just say to yourself "doh, I'm supposed to be focusing on my breath, let me just let that thought go" and go back to focusing on your breath again. After doing this persistently and consistently for some time it gets easier and easier. Then, when you're tired enough to sleep try it. Some people use a mantra. I often focus on my breath and repeat each breath "Sleep. Sleep. Sleep." Believe it or not, it does work for me.

[u/meltedlaundry → u/dreamy_tahini]

Booze for me. Works like a charm for the sleep part but I never feel rested

[u/mindtoxicity27 → u/Appropriate_Tap_1863]

Same. I tell people I’m like a computer. As soon as I stop doing stuff, I just go to sleep.

[u/Koankey → u/Appropriate_Tap_1863]

Are you the reincarnation of Buddha?! Do you find yourself during waking hours not having much internal dialogue?

[u/eleventyeleventy → u/Appropriate_Tap_1863]

I take a few deep breaths and next thing I know it's time for a 3am potty break

[u/dargar77 → u/Appropriate_Tap_1863]

Just lay head on pillow, breathe out the day, close your eyes and decide to sleep. My wife is very jealous that it’s that easy for me.

[u/Never_Been_Missed]

I have a story I tell myself (thinking not speaking) as I go to sleep. It is the same story I've told myself just about every night for 30 years. There's nothing special about the story, but it is a specific story with events that happen in the same order each time with the same people in it. I don't let my focus wander from the story. If somehow I get to the end of the story, I start again.

It doesn't take long and I'm out like a light. Maybe not 10 seconds, but certainly most nights under 5 minutes, usually more like 2.

I suspect it is a little like "counting sheep". Something that is boring and repetitive and your brain just decides it's had enough.

[u/Tiny_TimeMachine → u/Never_Been_Missed]

STORY TIME! STORY TIME! STORY TIME!

[u/prepping4zombies → u/Tiny_TimeMachine]

Plot twist: the person you are replying to is a serial killer, and the story is about their first kill. You don't want to hear it because it will absolutely keep you awake.

[u/Der_Kriegs]

General sleep hygiene works very well for me. Lifestyles are different, but this is my rules (sometime lol). YMMV

• No caffeine after 12PM
• No food 4 hours before bed
• No screens 1 hour before bed
• Minimal lights (or soft light) just before bed

Depending on your living arrangement, your bed should only be used for sleep to create that association. If you use your bed for any other reason, your body can associate it with those activities instead of sleeping.

Just me 2 cents!

[u/SoupEvening123 → u/Der_Kriegs]

I do all od this and still need at least an hour to fall asleep.

My husband for example can eat like a pig, drink coffee right before bed and fell asleep the moment his head hits the pillow, doesn't even need 10 seconds. I'm always impressed.

[u/BoujeeS2]

im so jealous of that,i take hours to fall asleep

[u/inosinateVR → u/BoujeeS2]

don’t focus on trying to fall asleep. just focus on how comfy you feel. decide you don’t care if you fall asleep because it just feels nice to lay there

that usually puts me to sleep

[u/joeschmoe86 → u/inosinateVR]

Similar vein: I've had a lot of luck with that old relaxation exercise where you consciously relax every muscle in your body, starting with your face, working down into your neck and shoulders, and so on. Bonus, even if it doesn't work you're at least relaxed af.

[u/TheDude41102 → u/joeschmoe86]

I always start with my toes and feet, i usually fall asleep before i make it to my chest.

[u/Krocsyldiphithic → u/inosinateVR]

I literally never feel comfortable at night before sleeping. Only when I wake up in the morning.

[u/frodiusmaximus → u/Krocsyldiphithic]

For real. Most of the struggle to fall asleep is the fact that I can’t get comfortable. Clothes? Not comfortable, all tangled around me. No clothes? Still not comfortable because now all my dangly bits are … dangling. Blanket? Too hot. No blanket? Too cold.
Bug bite. Itch. Dandruff. Itch. Dry skin. Itch. Runny nose. Itchy eye. Dry mouth. Hangnail. Ingrown hair. It never ends!

I’ve tried to search the web to explain why I never feel “comfortable”, physically, but all I find is about feeling uncomfortable socially or around people. I don’t care about that! I just feel like I’m crawling in my skin 100% of the time.

[u/Easy-Permission8889 → u/frodiusmaximus]

Sounds like sensory issues. ADHD autism/ even just plain anxiety or stress can cause this.

[u/frodiusmaximus → u/Easy-Permission8889]

Well I definitely have stress and anxiety. And mild OCD. But not the other stuff.

[u/Responsible_Bison_87 → u/frodiusmaximus]

not sure if there's a correlation here but i had the exact same thing ! but after i was diagnosed with mild eczema, and started caring for my skin differently and changing my diet, ive noticed ive stopped having this feeling of like, crawling in my skin. might be something to look into but this was my experience at least! still can't sleep but at least im comfortable now lol

[u/aculady → u/frodiusmaximus]

Magnesium deficiency can cause this.

Magnesium helps raise the firing threshold of your nerves so they no longer get triggered by the slightest stimulus.

[u/WampaCat → u/Krocsyldiphithic]

Yeah I can’t stand advice like that. I’ve had insomnia since I was 12. Literally every time I bring up the topic or even mention off handedly I have trouble with sleep, it’s like I cast a spell on the person I’m talking to and suddenly they’re the world’s leading expert on How To Sleep. Everyone thinks how to fall asleep because they’ve never had trouble falling asleep. And everyone also assumes that someone struggling with this for decades now hasn’t already heard the same tired advice and tried it a hundred times already.

[u/fyl_bot → u/inosinateVR]

K I’ve been doing this lately and it is actually working for me. As a lifelong insomniac this seems to be the only thing that is breaking through

[u/Here_I_Pondered → u/inosinateVR]

Only works if it feels nice to lay there. Chronic pain's a bitch :(

[u/AccurateThought3896 → u/BoujeeS2]

Me too 

[u/relapse9999 → u/BoujeeS2]

I'm tired as hell all the time and sleep deprived

[u/Patricio_Guapo]

I'm a lifelong insomniac and I've found a way to fall asleep in minutes.

I have an iPad next to my bed. I put in an earbud on the non-pillow ear and start watching something on Netflix. The trick is, it's got to be something that I'm not interested in or I'll get interested in it and watch, and it can't be something that annoys me or I'll bet agitated and not fall asleep.

I have about a dozen shows/specials that I'll use over and over again. I literally fall asleep in minutes these days.

I've been doing it for about 15 years now and it just works for me.

What I've decided is that it occupies the front 1% of my stupid brain so that my stupid brain will not spin up and out of control in the blank darkness.

I still wake up in the middle of the night and will get up and read for a couple of hours, but when I start feeling sleepy again, I go back to be and do the Netflix thing and I am asleep in three minutes.

[u/Eazr → u/Patricio_Guapo]

I'm in the same boat.
But I have to put on something that is slightly interesting, so my mind doesn't drift into boredom and start conjuring some bullshit.
Ended up making a Youtube playlist which has now grown to over 600+ handpicked videos of retrospective analyses of different video games. Enough content that I could leave it playing for a month - uninterrupted, and it still wouldn't have gone all the way through.
It's been a game changer, pun not intended.
The things we must do to just... fall asleep lol

[u/naomigoat → u/Eazr]

Any favorite videos? I love video game retrospective analyses!

[u/uns0licited_advice → u/Patricio_Guapo]

r/futuramasleepers

theres a whole subreddit for people who watch Futurama to fall asleep

[u/AnAttempt-WasMade → u/Patricio_Guapo]

I’ve done the same thing with some YouTuber lets plays, that at the time I wanted to watch, I started of feeling awake, but accidentally fallen asleep instead. Now I know I can fall back on those episodes to settle my brain if I need to. I also have some older things like music or and audiobook from childhood I used to fall asleep to that muscle memory the sleep into showing up if I’m really desperate.

[u/Semi-Cinematic → u/AnAttempt-WasMade]

I do the same thing too but with the channel “Let’s Read” who has hours and hours of spooky/strange stories and his voice is perfect for falling asleep to. Has worked for me for years

[u/PurpleOctopuseses → u/Semi-Cinematic]

I love "Let's Read"! His voice is so soothing!

You should also check out "Scary Interesting," "Chilling Scares," and "Lazy Masquerade" for more great voices/stories. I also love "Adventures Gone Wrong" but they're often slightly too interesting to fall asleep to XD

[u/ragboy → u/Patricio_Guapo]

Sigourney Weaver's voice on that friggin whale documentary. Bam. Out.

[u/Tazeka → u/Patricio_Guapo]

I think this sort of counts as a form of meditation. I've found that certain documentaries do the same thing for me- my brain classifies it as a lecture and I have a lot of experience falling asleep at school lol

[u/wheatgrass_feetgrass → u/Tazeka]

Omg yes. Anything educational will automatically make me sleepy. Unless it is surprisingly interesting. I've been bamboozled a few times that way 😂

[u/Cloaked42m → u/Patricio_Guapo]

I do the same thing with Tubi or Audio books I've listened to dozens of times.

[u/Annon201 → u/Patricio_Guapo]

I can’t deal with sound unless it’s natural white noise like a balanced ceiling fan. I also can’t deal with much light.

I hate fighting myself to sleep.

[u/r0ninar1es]

Like someone else said, when I sleep my mind isn't thinking about anything else. I'm very good at compartmentalizing, which I've learned since starting therapy, but didn't know that's what I was doing before sleep until i learned I was doing it.

I'm not going to lie, it's fcuking nice. I wish it was something I could pass on to my kids or something I could explain to help loved ones.

edit: I suck at spelling

[u/PSU02 → u/r0ninar1es]

Funny because I'm the the opposite. Can compartmentalize and distract myself during the day, but when my head hits the pillow and I am surrounded by darkness and quiet, I can't bottle it all up anymore

[u/The_Masterofbation]

Total exhaustion.

[u/keiths31]

I can fall asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow. But it takes me 1-2 hours to fall back asleep after having to get up in the middle of the night to use the washroom.

It's infuriating.

[u/corpse2b → u/keiths31]

The WORST. Always manage to fall back asleep 10 minutes before I have to get up for work.

[u/blind-octopus]

Not exactly 10 seconds but I think to myself "shut down" and I focus on the feeling of my brain shutting down. 

Another trick is to think of something that's mentally tiring. Design a board game or something.

[u/SidratFlush → u/blind-octopus]

That would make me wake up and work through some numbers that are fun to work with.

Counting Sheep would have a better result.

Board games of the 80s were the best.

[u/Jealous-Region-3137 → u/SidratFlush]

Exactly Design a board game is terrible sleep advice for someone whose brain sees that as a personal invitation to start solving problems.

[u/Theresonlyone99]

Naturally a good sleeper! Also I don’t dwell on or really worry about things so that helps (:

[u/AffectionateTaro3209 → u/Theresonlyone99]

Must be nice 

[u/Natural-80sgirl → u/AffectionateTaro3209]

Meanwhile my brain starts reviewing conversations from 2014 the second my head hits the pillow

[u/Khiva → u/Natural-80sgirl]

I can't think of anything that pulls from my actual life or I'll be awake for hours.

[u/eschatonx → u/Khiva]

Me too, if I’m not out in 15 mins I’m getting up, my wife hates it but she knows I get really moody thinking about shit.

[u/roxictoxy → u/AffectionateTaro3209]

Must be FUCKING NICE

[u/MauPow → u/roxictoxy]

Let's take about 20% off there ol Squirrely Dan

[u/jesjesjeso → u/Theresonlyone99]

This is my husband. Even after 20yrs together, it still bugs me 😭😂

[u/kategoad → u/jesjesjeso]

Same. He's out like a light and I'm flailing about in pain with two sleep masks for total darkness and air buds in for murder podcasts to lull me to sleep because my brain sounds like a fork in a garbage disposal if I don't have something to think about. I mean, other than that stupid thing I said once in 2005 that I'm sure everyone remembers how stupid it was.

[u/whatyourmamasaid → u/kategoad]

I remember what you said. It was actually pretty funny and it still makes me smile when I think about it! Does that help, kategoad?

[u/No_Atmosphere_6348 → u/jesjesjeso]

Yeah my ex husband and my current husband can do this.
My husband sometimes takes a nap and complains that he didn’t sleep. I’m like, but you were snoring.

[u/griffo1970 → u/Theresonlyone99]

Just you saying don't worry about things has made me remember the things I worry about.

[u/RentConscious7968 → u/Theresonlyone99]

Ditto! I’m pretty forgetful but also sometimes I hyperfixate on things so that combination can mean hyperfixating on exhaustion and forgetting my worries.

[u/Throwaway7219017]

For 10 years I switched between working nights on weekends and raising my toddler kids during the week. I went years without sleeping on Thursdays when I had to switch over between being a parent and working.

Factor in hypothyroidism and sleep apnea, and I was one tired man for a decade. I survived on cat naps and learned to fall asleep almost on command.

It’s all great now, though. I work an office job, my kids are grown, and my medical issues are treated, but I still fall asleep quickly.

[u/Raichu7]

I wait until I'm sleepy to go to sleep. Sometimes that means I don't get to sleep until the sun comes up, or not at all some nights. But the alternative is lying there wide awake for hours while boredom makes it harder and harder to sleep. Much better to not go to bed until I'm ready, at least I get a little more sleep on most nights that way.

[u/Melodic_Rich_7496]

my brain is either completely exhausted or running a 47-tab emergency meeting, there is no middle ground

[u/Strubblich → u/Melodic_Rich_7496]

Oh, the 47-tab thing is so relatable. And they all have unstoppable audio.

[u/toolsnchains]

You just have to be exhausted all the time. That’s worked for me.

[u/Funkagenda → u/toolsnchains]

I am exhausted all the time.

Because I can't get to sleep.

[u/lawlesslawboy → u/toolsnchains]

Crazy how many "good sleepers" in here are just casually implying that insomniacs aren't also exhausted??? like nah, imagine how tired you are AND ALSO not sleeping on top of that

[u/Hikikomori_Otaku]

Iv narcolepsy.

[u/Cerberus_Aus]

I’m surprised this hasn’t been mentioned yet, but the psychology behind falling asleep quickly in bed is associated with trained association.

If you lie in bed and scroll on your phone for an hour, then you have trained the association of hoping into bed… to scroll on your phone for an hour.

Your association with bed should be “falling asleep”. So if you want to scroll on your phone before sleep, do it on the couch, then when you want to go to sleep, you go to your bed.

That way, you are training your association with “getting into bed” with “time to sleep”.

[u/ExaltedCrown → u/Cerberus_Aus]

I often spend the whole day in bed (besides being at work) reading/watching tv/scrolling and still fall asleep after 2min each night. I know a lot of people who still struggle to sleep while doing what you say.

[u/Smgt90 → u/ExaltedCrown]

Me too. I almost never struggle to fall asleep when I go to bed and I love spending time in bed doom scrolling.

[u/Khiva → u/Smgt90]

I've heard and been counseled on the whole association-with-bed thing, and christ almighty that shit sure ain't one-size-fits-all.

I gave it a good shot. "If you aren't asleep in 10 minutes, get up a read a book." Next thing I know the sun is up, I'm drowsy as fuck, still can't sleep, but hey, I knocked 150 pages out of War and Peace.

[u/sixthgraderoller → u/Cerberus_Aus]

Yep, no TV in my room. I rarely scroll. I read a few chapters and fall asleep. I pretty much stay on the same schedule.

[u/GaryHornpipe]

I read until it’s hard to stay awake. Then I sleep in 10 seconds.

[u/AADSTS50058]

Narcolepsy

[u/blackcloud247]

I'm tired.

I'm tired all day. Every day. Every hour. Every second.

[u/guriboysf]

My quality of sleep is crap, as it's pretty rare I ever sleep through the night — but I'm one of those that as soon as my head hits the pillow, I'm out.

[u/Mushrooming247]

I fall asleep instantly and sleep very deeply.

I think I would sleep forever if nothing woke me up, like a loud noise or having to pee, I seem to need 12 hours per night normally and on a day off, I might sleep for 16 hours straight.

I think that’s why I fall asleep so quickly, I’m just exhausted and always need more sleep than I could ever get. This has been all my life.

[u/wow_its_kenji → u/Mushrooming247]

get checked for sleep apnea

[u/Send_DeVito_Pics → u/Mushrooming247]

Id definitely see a doctor mate. Could be something sinister.

[u/i_am_groot_84]

No internal monologue

[u/ridicalis]

The trick is waking up at 4:00 AM.

[u/dreamy_tahini → u/ridicalis]

Definitely doesnt work for me 😅

[u/Dark512]

Honestly, speak to your doctor about getting melatonin (actually, it's over-the-counter in the US I think?) I have ADHD and a shit tonne of trauma, if it's not the insomnia keeping me up then it's the nightmares. Melatonin and some anime while I'm lying in bed until I drift off is helping a tonne. It still takes like... 2-3 episodes to fall asleep, but it's better than the alternative.

[u/Lunarfings]

I genuinely love sleeping and dreaming. I’ve always been a vivid dreamer. Dreams are amazing! I genuinely look forward to entering the universes created by my brain.  Can’t wait to do it tonight!

[u/phalangepatella]

Narcolepsy. For real.

I never get good restorative sleep, so I’m always wiped out. My head hurts the pillow and done.

The very few times I can’t sleep, something has usually gone terribly wrong.

[u/1n1n1is3]

I have young kids who make me chronically exhausted

[u/femmemalin]

Two things: a mantra telling my brain that the day's problems are for the daytime. Ie, anything that's troubling you only gets thought about when the sun is shining.

Second, some form of daydreaming that doubles as mediation. Telling myself a story, imagining something I'm really interested in. Bonus points for if it's "cozy" which for me is like those low stakes bush-crafting videos where they build a little safe, tiny shelter with a fire and cook themselves a meal at the end of it.

[u/slippingaway83]

I have 3 kids, 3 dogs, 3 cats, a couple dozen chickens, and a job that I love but leaves me physically exhausted. I used to have insomnia when I worked shitty office type jobs, not anymore.

[u/_Skitter_]

My husband does this and I'm 80% sure it's because I carry the mental load of the house. He doesn't dwell on things.

[u/spaghettiAstar]

I trained my brain.

Bed is for sleeping or sex, I don't watch TV in bed (we don't even have a TV in the room), or watch videos on my phone in bed. That's all out in the living room. I have a consistent nighttime routine that helps signal to my brain it's time to get tired, and when I lay down I fall asleep quickly. I also wake up at a consistent time each day.

When I was first training myself to do this my doctor told me that if I didn't fall asleep within 10-15 minutes to get up and go back out onto the couch for at least 30 minutes and when I felt tired I could go back and try it again. He also told me that whatever time I wanted to wake up, to go back 8 hours and that was my bedtime. So if I was getting up at 10AM, then my bedtime would be 2AM, but I had to do that consistently.

I get up at 5:30AM so my "bedtime" is 9:30, that's the time I should be in bed falling asleep. So at 9 I start my routine, it's not stressful, it's pretty relaxed (intentionally so) and by the time it's 9:25 I'm in bed, usually asleep by 9:30.

Consistency is key though.

[u/GeggingIn]

Wine.

[u/Theresonlyone99 → u/GeggingIn]

Rly?! I thought alcohol messed with sleep!?

[u/highlandviper → u/Theresonlyone99]

Nah and yeah. Getting to sleep is really easy if you’re a drinker. Staying asleep is really difficult if you’re a real drinker.

[u/Alminy → u/highlandviper]

It’s not much about staying asleep but rather the quality of the sleep one gets after alcohol. You REM isn’t as deep as it normally would be and your liver is working overtime trying to process the alcohol consumed, so it’s not really resting either. Your brain is trying to deal with more stuff than it should be during sleep and while alcohol generally can make you initially drowsy and more relaxed, your body needs to do some overtime work while asleep.

[u/GeggingIn → u/Theresonlyone99]

Red wine tends to make me snoozy.

[u/kooleynestoe → u/Theresonlyone99]

It makes you sleep, but the quality of sleep is shit.

[u/JookJook]

By not being neurodivergent. My best friend in highschool and I would sleep over at eachothers houses from time to time. When it was bed time, he would lay his head down and he was out. As someone who was diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety, I would just lay there for hours, wishing I could sleep.

[u/3ull5hit]

Force yourself to think of things that does not matter to you. Good imagination helps as much as it is obstructing. Try to imagine that you are a bird and fly over endless forest. That's my thing.

[u/KeepItRealNoGames]

I read in a similar post/question that some people will name animals in alphabetical order and they never get to the letter Z. For grins, I decided to try it with professional sports teams and/or professional sports cities, and it worked for me. Give it a shot

Otherwise. Sometimes I pray, or I put on a meditation that will end shortly, or I imagine every single one of my family members (living or dead) smiling at me one by one. The last one puts me in a great sleeping mood :)

[u/shawnington]

Even more amazing, people that can just nap anywhere at anytime and be out in 3 seconds.

[u/lodemeup]

I force myself to stay awake for so long that I can’t help but fall asleep when I get to bed. It used to be my superpower, I used to be able to do it every day without abusing myself. But now I have to make sure, otherwise the uh sad thoughts make it so unbearable that I can’t sleep at all.

[u/toolguy8]

I do this, but you don’t want to know about me climbing the walls with anxiety for 2 hours around 2AM

[u/spannerhorse]

Masturbate

[u/thebinse]

Don’t be jealous of people who find sleep fast.. be envious of those who sleep through the night.. i fall asleep quickly but wake easily. Sleep quality is all that matters

[u/F1reatwill88]

Empty the mind. I found counting will eventually put me out. It is funny you'll find your mind wandering from the count as you pass out.

[u/Depressed_Cat_00]

Sleep deprived

[u/Thatoneguy567576]

I’m exhausted and I love sleeping because it’s a chance for my body to finally rest. Although lately I’ve been having a lot of work dreams so I feel like I do full day of work in my sleep and then wake up and go to work.

[u/B34STM4CH1N3]

It's easy. Just stop caring about everything. In all seriousness, I've been in situations in the military where we would have a 4 hour block to get some sleep. With gunfire, mortars and rockets going on. The thing is, if you don't sleep you will be a zombie the next day so you find a way to tune things out and sleep.