Experts have shared their top tips to help you get to sleep straight away, with one saying you can nod off in just 60 seconds with a simple breathing technique.
Dr Andrew Weil, a specialist in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona, believes people can fall asleep in just one minute using what's known as the '4-7-8' method, which is also known as 'relaxing breath'.
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Weil says the yoga breathing technique is the 'single best method' for sleep, explaining: "You try to keep your tongue in the yogic position, touching the tip of the tongue to the ridge of tissue behind your upper front teeth.
"You breathe in quietly through your nose to a count of four and you hold your breath for a count of seven, and then blow air out forcefully through your mouth.
"It helps if you purse your lips out, and you make a 'whoosh' sound when you do that."
Weil recommends repeating this routine for four breath cycles, saying it's a great way to help you get to sleep easily - not least because it's 'time and cost effective' and requires no equipment.
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He also added that, as you get more experienced with the technique, it can also be used to help relax yourself in other moments, such as 'if someone pushes your button' or for 'cravings'.
Similarly, there's another method known as Jacobson's Relaxation Technique, which is a type of therapy that focuses on tightening and relaxing muscle groups in sequence.
Also known as progressive relaxation therapy, it was invented by Dr Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s as a way of helping people deal with anxiety, believing that, if patients relaxed muscles, they could relax their minds as well.
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According to Healthline, there are two different approaches you can try, with a whole-body technique and a localised technique.
For the first, Joy Rains - author of Meditation Illuminated: Simple Ways to Manage Your Busy Mind - recommends beginning with a breathing exercise then moving upwards from the feet.
Healthline says Rains advises you to start by pointing your feet downwards and curling your toes under, tightening your toe muscles gently without straining.
Notice the tension for a few moments and release, before repeating - becoming aware of the difference in how the muscles feel when tensed and when relaxed.
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Moving upwards, repeat the same exercise with the muscles in your abdomen, before concluding with those in your shoulders and neck - shrugging towards your ears and releasing.
Recently, we also reported on a military sleep secret that helps you fall asleep in two minutes.
The trick, which was used by the US army, was originally published in the book Relax and Win: Championship Performance back in 1981.
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The technique is said to work for 96 percent of people who use it after six weeks of practice.
So what is it? It's simply following these steps:
- Relax the muscles in your face, including tongue, jaw and the muscles around the eyes.
- Drop your shoulders as far down as they'll go, followed by your upper and lower arm, one side at a time.
- Breathe out, relaxing your chest followed by your legs, starting from the thighs and working down.
You should then spend 10 seconds trying to clear your mind before thinking about one of the three following images:
- You're lying in a canoe on a calm lake with nothing but a clear blue sky above you.
- You're lying in a black velvet hammock in a pitch-black room.
- You say 'don't think, don't think, don't think' to yourself over and over for about 10 seconds.
And that's it.
Then there's another sleeping hack we covered earlier this month, which comes from a TikTok doctor called Josh Hanson (@doctorhanson).
In a video, Hanson guides people to an area located behind the ear known as the 'anmian', which should be rubbed between 100 and 200 times to help relax the nervous system.
Hanson, who is a doctor of acupuncture based in Tampa, Florida, says in the clip: "If you're having trouble sleeping, you want to rub the spot right here - it's called 'anmian'. Anmian means peaceful sleep.
"What you want to do is come to your ear, slide your finger back. You're going to find a little ridge, a little notch right here. It's going to be tender and sore.
"Rub in a circular motion 100-200 times, and that's going to help relax your nervous system, calm things down and make sleep easier."
Sweet dreams!
Featured Image Credit: PA
Topics: World News, News, Sleep, Health