1. Military method (95 % success rate)
Relax face → drop shoulders → exhale fully → picture a calm lake or black velvet. U.S. Army pilots fall asleep in 2 minutes using this.
2. 4-7-8 breathing (Dr. Andrew Weil)
Inhale 4 sec, hold 7 sec, exhale 8 sec. Lowers heart rate and activates parasympathetic system.
3. Cool your room to 18–20 °C
Core body temperature must drop 1 °C to initiate sleep. Even a cheap fan helps.
4. 10-minute magnesium “sleep cocktail”
300–400 mg magnesium glycinate + warm herbal tea (chamomile or ashwagandha) 30 minutes before bed.
5. No screens 60 minutes pre-bed
Blue light suppresses melatonin by up to 50 %. Use red night-light mode if you must scroll.
6. Cognitive shuffling
Think of random non-stressful words (apple, candle, river, pillow) to interrupt racing thoughts.
7. Feet-out-of-blanket trick
Exposing feet cools the body fastest because of arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs).
8. Progressive body scan
Mentally travel from toes to scalp, relaxing each part. Stanford Sleep Center uses this with insomnia patients.
Bangalore techie Sneha went from taking 90 minutes to fall asleep to under 6 minutes nightly after combining 4-7-8 breathing + magnesium + cool room. Eight months later, her daytime anxiety vanished.
Pick any three tonight. Your brain will thank you tomorrow.
