17 Weird Bedtime Routines That Help People Fall Asleep

    Turn on the white noise and try one of these tips. H/T Reddit

    Michelle No
    by Michelle No

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Pretend the alarm is going off and you're falling back into a heavy slumber.

    Nickelodeon

    "[I] close my eyes and pretend my alarm is going off and I just want to stay in bed for five more minutes."

    —uncommonsense80

    2. ...Or just pretend it's the morning.

    Disney

    "I imagine that it's morning and instantly I feel more tired."

    —TroutOfOrder

    3. Visualize white light traveling from your toes to the top of your head.

    Francescoch / Getty Images

    "I imagine white light is coming into me, traveling through my veins starting from my toes. Breathe in again. The light has now traveled up to my ankles. Continue on until I make it to the top of my head. I usually fall asleep somewhere around my shoulders."

    —shiguywhy

    By the way, this is called a visualization technique, and it's a popular practice in meditation. You can read more about visualization on Headspace here.

    4. Read a book.

    NBC

    "Reading before bed makes my eyes super heavy. Then I'll just set the book down, turn off the lamp, and I'm out."

    —cnaiurbreaksppl

    Here's a list of 22 classics that you may enjoy.

    5. Imagine you're the protagonist of a fascinating fictional world.

    youtube.com

    "Making up stories is usually what I do when I have a hard time falling asleep.

    The easiest thing to do is set yourself in a TV show or movie you like. For example, I really like the X-Men and The Walking Dead. So, I imagine I have Wolverine's powers and I walk up to the gates of Alexandria. What happens next??

    Best thing you can do when trying to fall asleep is to not think about your Earth self. Don't think about your day, don't think about what tomorrow will bring. Let your imagination run wild."

    —SludgeFactory20

    6. Think up a raunchy story, with lots of steamy scenes.

    CBS

    "You can do what I do and write erotica in my head and then fall asleep when it gets to the good parts. Every. Single. Time."

    —DirtyAngelToes

    7. Do something that will physically tire you out, whether that's going for a walk or hitting the gym.

    Fuji TV

    "Do something physical — many of us will fall asleep from being mentally tired, but the exhaustion from that could take hours. I found for myself that if I am physically tired (from exercise or work) I will fall asleep at a reasonable time and generally with ease."

    —ReadYouShall

    8. Try controlled breathing.

    Netflix

    "Focus on controlling your breath.

    Breathe deep into your sternum through your nose, hold for a beat, then exhale smoothly out your mouth until there is nothing left. Wait a beat then start again.

    Find timing that works well for you. I like to breathe in for 6 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for another 6 then wait for 2 before repeating."

    —sirrockwell

    9. Listen to some soothing ASMR.

    youtube.com

    "I sometimes listen to ASMR Darling on YouTube. Just relaxing stuff that puts me to sleep."

    —thinspaghetti

    10. Use a relaxing, lavender-scented lotion.

    Terri Pous / BuzzFeed

    "I use a lotion from Lush called Sleepy. It smells so good and makes me so relaxed."

    —trgrz

    You can read our review of Lush's Sleepy here.

    11. Bore yourself with details of your own job.

    amazon.com

    "Read a book related to your job."

    —Dickramboner

    The "For Dummies" series of books might help.

    12. Design the perfect sleeping den, complete with cool sheets, an essential oil diffuser, and a white noise machine.

    Katarzynabialasiewicz / Getty Images

    "I use a combo of a diffuser with lavender oil, cool sheets, comfy pillows, sound machine, ZERO light and an eye mask."

    —skeletonkeylove

    13. Imagine yourself walking through familiar spaces, recounting the physical details of each place.

    Hemul75 / Getty Images

    "I'll take mental walkthroughs of places and spaces I've known; picturing the insides and the layouts of childhood friends' houses, old apartments, school buildings, favorite stores from when I was a kid, etc. I'll see how many details I can recall. It's not long until I drift off. "

    —PrimitiveLoaf

    14. Visualize a stick figure (gently) kicking away every unnecessary thought in your head, until you're left with a soothing nothingness.

    Ruhr Games / Via giphy.com

    "I try to imagine a stick figure kicking away everything I’m currently thinking about until there’s nothing but a white, clear area. If any more thoughts come up, I just repeat the process."

    —untitledmanuscript

    15. Listen to the Sleep With Me podcast, in which a soothing voice narrates mildly interesting stories.

    Fox

    "I also recommend the podcast, Sleep With Me. A guy with a soothing voice tells meandering stories that progressively get boring so you’ll drift off. I also have a few other podcasts I do this with. It takes my mind off trying to solve my day-to-day problems that keep me up."

    —m_lines

    16. Try progressive relaxation, a therapist-recommended muscle relaxation technique.

    Studio Ghibli

    "I do progressive relaxation. At least that's what they call it when you sequentially tighten and release each part, working from your feet to your head."

    —gringanomaly

    Find more info on progressive relaxation here.

    17. ... Or just stick with what most of us are inadvertently doing, falling asleep to TV!

    Nickelodeon

    "I watch TV. It has to be just the right show though. It has to be interesting enough to get me to pay attention and stop thinking about what else is going on in my life but not so interesting to prevent me from falling asleep. I tried Star Trek: The Next Generation for a time, but it was just way too interesting so I stayed awake to see how the story resolved. But things like Seinfeld, Friends, The Office, etc. are just interesting enough to get me to fall asleep."

    —gunnbr