Proven Sleep Tips | How To Fall Asleep Faster

Listen to my podcast, @DoctorMikeCheckup here:

It can be difficult to get good, consistent sleep, but as a physician it's one of the things I recommend most strongly to my patients. Getting a good night's sleep every night can provide significant improvements to your health, so today I wanted to go out of my way and give you the inside scoop on some things you can do that should help you get that sweet shut eye. Eating before bed, avoiding spicy foods, cooling down your room, limiting blue light exposure before bed, doing things in bed beside sleeping, acknowledging your sleep chronotype, avoiding caffeine before bed in all its forms, naps, using night shift mode, increasing light exposure early, having a good mattress, keeping pets out of the bed, using blackout curtains, limiting phone alerts, avoid cold air, avoid hot socks, effective exercise, and deciding when to actually get out of bed.

Help us continue the fight against medical misinformation and change the world through charity by becoming a Doctor Mike Resident on Patreon where every month I donate 100% of the proceeds to the charity, organization, or cause of your choice! Residents get access to bonus content, an exclusive discord community, and many other perks for just $10 a month. Become a Resident today:

Let’s connect:

Executive Producer: Doctor Mike
Production Director and Editor: Dan Owens
Managing Editor and Producer: Sam Bowers
Editor and Designer: Caroline Weigum
Editor: Juan Carlos Zuniga

* Select photos/videos provided by Getty Images *

** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional **

[janellevillegas]

POV: You’re watching this instead of sleeping

[OrangeDrinkOfficial]

“Don’t use phones in bed.”

*Me who’s watching at 1am because I can’t sleep:* 👁️👄👁️

[Nomara_n_paw]

I bet more than 50% of people watching this are here instead of sleeping

[addie-eileenpaige]

I love hearing someone on social media promote proven ways to improve health. Too many times, influencers promote meds, supplements, or products that claim to help with sleep, exercise, or whatever. Sometimes, it just takes good ol' fashioned science to improve.

[andiantoro]

Summarizing for all folks here!

1) Don't eat too close to bedtime
2) Avoid spicy food
3) Avoid studying, tv, phone or other activities
4) Avoid blame for not getting a good night sleep (learn about chronotypes)
5) Be careful with naps
6) Be wary of caffeine (consume before lunch for best results)
7) Decrease blue light exposure
8) Lower the thermostat
9) Increase early light exposure
10) Invest in your sleep gear (e.g. mattress)
11) Don't judge your sleep right after waking (sleep inertia is real!)
12) No pets allowed
13) Use white noise, it works!
14) Make your bedroom pitch black
15) Go to sleep when you're tired
16) Customize your phone alerts
17) Avoid cold air blowing directly at you
18) Keep your feet warm, but not sweaty
19) If you can't sleep, get out of bed
20) Get that exercise!
21) Avoid alcohol before bedtime
22) Be careful with sleep aid medications
23) Dim your lights from evening

[elisadaygrey]

I put on an audio book I know by heart and I'm usually out like a light in 15 minutes. Worth sharing, has been working like a charm for me after struggling for decades

[chrisgreek]

Well! That ‘get out of bed after 15 minutes’ would have been so great to have learned a year ago. The past twelve months have seen me dreading bedtime, only to look at the ceiling and walls for hours. Contrary to one of your other suggestions, my cat senses when I am getting in a state and deposits herself on my thighs. I fall asleep so quickly when I am patting her and she is purring profusely. The only times she has woken me in the night is when she has a nightmare; this happens FAR less frequently than I disturb her due to my chronic pain, so I am happy to be able to calm her when she needs me.

[GummyBear]

It’s weirdly validating to hear a medical professional say that everyone gets tired at different times. I have ADHD and my sleep varies wildly but usually I don’t get tired until about 1am and I’ve always been criticised for it

[artchic]

Doctor Mike. You’ll be happy to know that I thanked the nurses for all that they do when I had my colonoscopy a few days ago. They seemed genuinely happy and I think it helped them have a better day.

[Fabricplants]

wow.. tip 19 is what i really needed to hear. i get so much anxiety when i cant sleep and almost every night i get jerks cause my body gets scared or alert even if nothing is happening. it makes me dread going to sleep. thank you mike!

[babowasalwayshere]

As an autistic person, I found it is incredibly important to always have 2 things to aid in falling asleep: sleep mask (like a good actual contoured sleep mask preferably in black satin or some other equally soft nonabrasive material), and white noise (ASMR, soft music or audio of ocean waves or fire crackling and burning, various youtubers who have a steady cadence and volume to their voice etc).
Commonly with autism we end up struggling with sensory overload and tinnitus, and I find without sleep aids it's near impossible to fall asleep, let alone have restful sleep.

[ionamygdalon]

For me what also helped was:

1) Avoiding a HOT shower prior to sleeping.
Instead I start my shower with warm water (as warm water is both soothing & it cleans more effectively) and I then gradually cool the water down to reach a luke warm temperature.

2) Keeping my room clean from dust. Dust will increase allergens present in the room. Some people may even want to consider a hypo allergenic pillow.

3) Writting a list with the tasks I do not want to forget the next day. Sometimes I may even write down a thought so I can process it the next day rather than allowing that thought to occupy my brain while attempting to sleep.

4) Accepting that I am a mere mortal and I ought to forgive myself for not reaching my 100% full potential that day. We often beat ourselves up after watching "self improvement" videos. And that is something to be avoided as it leads to the very opposite of improvement.

[juliewuyts]

POV: You're watching this in bed at 1am

[TBone]

I had an appointment today and casually mentioned to my doctor that I had switched to night shift. She gave me WAY more of a lecture than the one she gave me about vaping (which I've quit doing). This video came at the perfect time!

[TonioDND]

Tip 19 is really important, i've spent so much time in my bed having insomnias that now my brain doesn't recognize the bed as something to sleep on, even when im almost falling asleep on my chair i'll go to bed and instantly stop feeling sleepy.
Most of the time when i give up during insomnias i sleep on the couch and it's way easier to fall asleep

[gracia]

you're a doctor we can learn a lot. Not hiding anything. Keep it up Doc.👍

[castanedagus]

Great info I will apply it all. Thank you greetings from LA

[datVrenschn]

I strongly recommend "The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep: A New Way of Getting Children to Sleep". I am a grown up (sadly) but I had trouble falling asleep even back when I was a teen. I started listening to this story every night back in 2018. The story is about 30 minutes long.

I still don't know how it ends.

[TuanHuynh-wnnv]

I am watching this video before going to bed😅. Is anyone here are same as me?

[__randomness__]

This will definitely help me because I haven't slept in a week and I'm starting to see things beckoning me to come closer in the corner of my eye 😃