[psychometry]

I'm always amazed at the people who can just close their eyes and fall asleep in minutes, even in a sitting position. All of these articles about napping completely neglect the question of how to fall asleep quickly in an unideal environment.

I should take a 20-minute nap every afternoon? Well, how am I supposed to manage that if it would take over an hour for me to fall asleep, assuming I'm able to do that at all?

[rtpg]

In regards to having difficulty sleeping (I assume for you this is what you experience at night):

I asked my doctor about how I can stop feeling tired all the time, and I had some problems falling asleep. He said that one of the biggest things about sleeping well is always waking around the same time. Basically, don't sleep in on weekends.

For a month or so I set an alarm every day, even on weekends (something like 7:30 on weekdays and 9:00 on weekends). After a while I would wake a bit before the alarm, and even on weekends I would wake normally around 8. It's been about 6 months since I reached this point and I do not need an alarm anymore, because I always wake up around the right time.

I do have a hard time staying up until 4 AM like I used to, but I feel well rested when I wake up (even if , due to going out, I stayed up exceptionally late), and I always wake up around the same time. I'm also now able to sleep on command, both at night, and in the middle of the afternoon I sometimes nap outside for 15 minutes or so.

your results may vary, but I've gotten a lot more control over my sleeping habits thanks to always waking up around the same time.

[Sonthun]

I read this week that the average person falls asleep in 7 minutes. 7 minutes!!! If I could fall asleep in 7 minutes I would get a lot more sleep.

[njoglekar]

Great point. To give you a look into the future: Version 1 helps you wake up, Version 2 will help you fall asleep too. Stay tuned.

[bjchrist]

Can't wait for version 2 :-) What's your opinion on melatonin?

[njoglekar]

It's generally okay in small amounts but if you plan on taking it longer term you should consult a physician.

[DigitalJack]

My wife is like that, takes a long time to fall asleep even when she is tired.

It's rare for me to take long to fall asleep. I can't say for sure how long it is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was 10 minutes or less.

My problem with naps is that once I'm down, it's 3 hours. I used to be able to take 20 minute naps, but not anymore. If I take a nap, it's just about guaranteed to be 3 hours on the dot.

[virmundi]

You might want to try an old Edison trick. Hold a heavy pen in your hand. Place a hard object below it like a plate. Try to fall asleep. Just when you start to transition to deep sleep (the kind that takes 3 hours), your muscles will relax. Then pen will drop, causing the object to ring out. You'll be startled awake. Now you've got a nap and you've got a shot of adrenaline.

[blakestein]

This is my situation as well. I can't just decide to go take a nap, and when I do nap it's sort of spontaneous while I'm watching sports or reading a book. My wife on the other hand can pretty much just choose to go to sleep.

[ggiaco]

From personal experience, it helps to actually get to a point that you're physically exhausted in order to fall asleep easily. Exercise really helps!

[mareofnight]

This is my problem too. I've mostly given up trying to nap because falling asleep takes so long that it's not worth it.