How Can I Fall Asleep In 2 Minutes? - MedicineNet

• Health A-Z
  • Diseases & Conditions
  • Procedures & Tests
• Drugs & Medications
  • RX Drugs & Medications
• Health & Living
  • Diet & Weight Management
  • Exercise & Fitness
  • Nutrition and Healthy Living
  • Prevention & Wellness
• Media
  • Slideshows
  • Quizzes
  • Images
• Privacy & Other Trust Info
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertising Policy

• Introduction
  • How much sleep you need by age
• How to Fall Asleep
  • How to fall asleep in 2 minutes
• Foods to Eat
  • Which foods help you sleep faster?

How much sleep you need by age

You may be able to fall asleep within two minutes by practicing a few strategies.

Adequate quantity and quality of sleep are important for you to stay healthy, both mentally and physically. While for a blessed few dozing off is an easy affair, going to sleep can be a struggle for many.

Not sleeping enough may interfere with your ability to focus on daily tasks, thus affecting your performance at work or school. It can also harm health in several ways.

Long-term insomnia (inability to sleep) may lead to various medical conditions, such as:

• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Heart disease
• Mental disorders, including anxiety and depression

The amount of sleep needed may vary with age. In certain special situations, such as women in the first three months of pregnancy, individuals may require more hours of sleep.

Table 1 shows the recommended hours of sleep for people based on age.

Table 1. The Average Hours of Sleep Recommended

Age group	Hours of sleep needed (hours per day)
Infants (0 to 3 months)	14 to 17
Infants (4 to 11 months)	12 to 15
Toddlers (1 to 2 years)	11 to 14
Pre-school aged children (3 to 5 years)	10 to 13
School-aged children (6 to 13 years)	9 to 11
Teenagers (14 to 17 years)	8 to 10
Adults	7 to 9
Older adults (age 65 years and above)	7 to 8

How to fall asleep in 2 minutes

Falling asleep in a short while, such as in two minutes, may be achieved by following certain tips and sleep rituals. However, you need to follow this routine daily to train your brain to fall asleep quickly.

One technique was reportedly practiced by the United States military. The technique, called military technique, was developed to help soldiers get to sleep in stressful situations, such as battlefields. By getting adequate sleep, the soldiers were less vulnerable to daytime fatigue and the probability of making mistakes, which could be dangerous.

The military technique involves:

1. Lying in bed.
2. Start by breathing slowly and deeply.
3. Relax the muscles in your face by releasing all tension in your jaw, forehead, and around the eyes.
4. Relax your body as you drop your shoulders as low as you comfortably can. Relax your neck and upper arms.
5. Breathe in deeply and breathe out slowly. Relax your body, starting from the upper body. Release the stress and tension in your lower body, beginning from the thighs and moving towards the lower legs.
6. Give yourself at least 10 seconds after you relax your entire body. Clear your mind of all thoughts. This can be done by doing any of the following:
   • Repeat the words "don't think" again and again in your mind.
   • Visualize a happy memory in your mind.
   • Imagine you are at a scenic place by the side of a lake with soothing fragrances of flowers around you.

This may help you get relaxed mentally and physically, so that you fall asleep in no time.

QUESTION

Why do we sleep? See Answer

Which foods help you sleep faster?

Certain foods and drinks may help you get a good night's sleep, such as:

• Foods rich in tryptophan
  • Tryptophan is a natural sleep-promoting substance.
    • Tryptophan-rich foods include:
      • Milk
      • Bananas
      • Nuts
      • Honey
      • Chicken
      • Turkey
      • Eggs
• Complex carbs
  • Whole grains, in contrast to refined foods, help you sleep faster and better. Your bedtime snacks should preferably be popcorn, oatmeal, and whole-wheat crackers. To enhance the taste, you can top any of these with nut butter.
• Fish
  • Fish is rich in vitamin B6. The vitamin is needed to make melatonin in the body. Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the sleep/wake cycle.
• A handful of nuts
  • Apart from being rich in healthy fats, nuts like almonds and walnuts contain melatonin. Eating them can help you sleep more soundly.
• Kale
  • This leafy green is high in calcium and puts the sleep hormones to work to ensure you enjoy a good slumber.
• Honey in warm beverages
  • Add some honey to warm beverages like chamomile or peppermint tea, or just plain warm water. The concoction relaxes your mind. Honey lowers the level of orexin, a chemical found in the body that makes you more alert and facilitates falling asleep.
• Fruits
  • Fruits like tart cherries, bananas, pineapple, and oranges reduce the oxidative stress in the body and give a boost to your sleep hormones, making you sleep faster and wake up less frequently at night.
  • Having two kiwis before bed has been found to increase sleep duration by an hour over a month in people who chronically suffer from lack of sleep.

Apart from these foods and exercises, a proper sleep environment is paramount. The room where you sleep must be cool and dark with no disturbing noises. The bed must be firm, and the pillow must provide proper support to the neck.

Health News

• Tween Screen Addiction Linked to Mental Health Problems, Substance Use
• Child Poisonings Spur Oregon to Weigh New Limits for Cannabis Edibles
• Measles Cases Rise in North Carolina as Public Exposures Are Reported
• Your Cat's Purr May Say More Than Its Meow
• Mental Health Risk Doubled for Women Who Quit Antidepressants During Pregnancy
• More Health News »

Medically Reviewed on 11/12/2025 References Medscape Medical Reference American Sleep Association: https://www.sleepassociation.org/about-sleep/top-10-foods-help-sleep/ SleepFoundation.org: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/food-and-drink-promote-good-nights-sleep The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/national-napping-day-2019-fall-asleep-fast-military-trick-sleep-a8817826.html

Top How Can I Fall Asleep in 2 Minutes Related Articles

• Insomnia SlideshowWhat is insomnia? Insomnia by definition is trouble falling or staying asleep. Insomnia causes are varied. Learn 10 tips on how to get a good night's sleep and avoid sleep disorders such as insomnia.
• Bed Basics and SleepSleep. It seems like the easiest thing in the world. Until it's not. See tips on how to get your best sleep. Our gallery shows you how to get plenty of it.
• Can You Recover from Years of Sleep Deprivation?Learn what medical treatments can ease symptoms of sleep deprivation and help you recover from years of sleeping badly.
• How Does Sleep Affect Your Heart?Sleep is an important part of your body's functions. Getting too little or too much sleep can have a negative impact on your heart.
• InsomniaInsomnia is the perception or complaint of inadequate or poor-quality sleep because of difficulty falling asleep; waking up frequently during the night with difficulty returning to sleep; waking up...
• Suffer From Insomnia QuizInsomnia affects all age groups, and is the most common sleep disorder in the world. There also seems to be a link between depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Learn more about insomnia with this quiz.
• Is Drinking Water at Night Before Bed Bad for You?You need to drink water and you need sleep, but when and how much are equally disputed. Drinking too much water before bed can override this programming, causing potential problems with your sleep....
• SleepSeveral vital tasks carried out during sleep help maintain good health and enable people to function at their best. Sleep needs vary from individual to individual and change throughout your life. The...
• Insomnia Treatment (Sleep Aids and Stimulants)Insomnia is difficulty in falling or staying asleep, the absence of restful sleep, or poor quality of sleep. Insomnia is a symptom and not a disease. The most common causes of insomnia are...
• Sleep Disorders in Children and TeenagersSleep needs in children and teenagers depend on the age of the child. Sleep disorders in children such as: sleep apnea, parasomnias, confusional arousals, night terrors, nightmares, narcolepsy, and...
• Sleep ApneaSleep apnea is defined as a reduction or cessation of breathing during sleep. The three types of sleep apnea are central apnea, obstructive apnea (OSA), and a mixture of central and obstructive...
• Sleep Cycle: What Happens When You Sleep?Sleep is a mystery to many of us, but scientists know quite a bit about how it affects us. Here's what happens to your body when you fall asleep.
• Sleep Disorders: Insomnia, Sleep Apnea, and More Learn about the different types of sleep/wake disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy, and sleep apnea. Explore the symptoms, causes, tests and treatments of sleep disorders.
• Sleep QuizTake our Sleeping Quiz to learn which sleep disorders, causes, and symptoms rule the night. Trouble falling or staying asleep? Find out which medical treatments fight sleep deprivation, apnea,...
• What Causes Insomnia?Insomnia is defined as repeated difficulty with sleep initiation, maintenance, consolidation, or quality that occurs despite adequate time and opportunity for sleep and results in some form of...
• Which Way Should You Face Your Bed? Rules for a Better SleepThere is a lack of convincing scientific evidence to say that you should face your bed in a “particular” way or direction. However, as per the ancient Chinese practice, feng shui, you should face...