If you lead a hectic or stressful life, falling asleep can be rough. Your brain is running a mile a minute and you can't seem to slow it down. It seems you could lay there for hours and ruminate about the day's events. Eventually, you look over at the alarm clock that reads 2:36AM and you stress even more because there's only 4 more hours to try and get at least some sleep. Sounds familiar, right? It doesn't have to be this way. You can put off all of the day's ills and relax yourself into a peaceful night's sleep without using over-the-counter sleep aids or supplements. Here are five tricks that have helped many folks fall asleep fast:



1. Make sure you're comfortable. Your mattress and pillow have a lot to do with comfort, but clothing (or lack thereof) can also contribute to the quickness in which you fall asleep. Don't make it too tight - it's wise to keep your blood circulating. Conversely, your clothing shouldn't be too loose. Changing sleep positions at night can cause loose clothing to twist around you and make you uncomfortable.

2. Relax. A good trick to get you into a relaxed state? Try not to think about how you're going to get to sleep. Think about trying to keep awake instead. This reverse psychology does wonders to put you in the right frame of mind for sleep - soon enough you'll be snoozing. You can also try other relaxation techniques such as slow muscle stretches or massage. After all, that's what spouses are for!

3. Doing mental exercises is a great way to ensure you'll be asleep quickly. There are lots of things you can do, too. Try writing an outline for a book in your head. Or count by threes to 999 (you probably won't get that far). You could try putting yourself into the storyline of your favorite book or TV show - follow the storyline as far as you can, scene by scene. Mental exercises can help in preparting your mind for sleep and help you release the stress that has built from the day.

4. Try some ambient noise. The sound of rain falling or that spacey music that they play during a massage really helps you to feel relaxed and sleepy.

Falling asleep fast is possible. Using these tips will help get your brain assimilated to the idea of sleep. Practice these techniques and see how easy it is to relax and fall asleep naturally.