How To Make Someone Fall Asleep

Knowing how to make someone fall asleep can be an especially useful skill for parents and caregivers who need a good night’s rest themselves. While it isn’t technically possible to force someone to fall asleep, it is possible to create conditions that are most favorable for sleeping.

A sleep sound machine can help.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, a temperature between 54 and 75 degrees is most conducive to sleeping, though no specific temperature is recommended. If the room is especially cool, blankets will help keep the sleeping person comfortable. Body temperature drops during sleep; so, a room that is comfortable for a person who is awake is often a bit chilly for sleeping.

A slight breeze or a fan set on low can provide refreshing air circulation, but too much wind may cause the sleeping person’s lips and mouth to become dry and can cause early morning nasal congestion. To avoid this, point any fans away from the sleeper and avoid placing beds directly in front of a window.

A room that is too bright makes sleeping difficult, so it’s best to darken the room as much as possible. This not only includes keeping out natural light, but minimizing artificial light as well. Keeping a TV on may seem like a relaxing amount of light, but the blue light of the screen and the constantly flickering images can unfortunately stimulate the mind and body rather than relax it.

When daytime sleep is necessary, room-darkening shades can block out the sunlight and create a kind of artificial night. Shades or blinds can also keep out bright streetlights or headlights during the night.

While absolute silence may seem like the best noise level for deep sleep, it can actually cause sleep to be interrupted more frequently by very small noises. A small amount of constant background noise, referred to as “white noise” by sleep experts, actually provides a screen of sound that blocks out noises that can wake a sleeping person.

White noise machines are also helpful for parents who would like their children to sleep soundly during the night or daytime naps. Some white noise machines also offer other ambient sound options, such as the sound of waves on a beach or the babbling of a brook or stream.

Although most adults do not sleep on moving beds, parents commonly rock children to sleep. The smooth, repetitive motion recalls the soothing motion babies experience in the womb, and produces a feeling of deep relaxation. Adults can create this type of soothing motion with a hammock that sways gently. Hammocks with a frame can be used indoors, and can be rocked with very slight motions either by the person in the hammock or a spouse, partner, or caregiver.

Food intake before bed can affect how easy it is to fall and stay asleep. A heavy meal just before bed can cause a stomach ache, and the difficulty of digesting the large amount of food may keep the body stimulated and not relaxed. It’s best to eat a light supper or small snack, and avoid acidic foods and drinks. Although it may seem counterintuitive, drinking alcohol to excess can actually make it more difficult to fall asleep and may leave the sleeper feeling fatigued the next day.

Any gentle food such as slightly warm milk or a mild fruit such as a banana can make a good bedtime snack, and provide a feeling of fullness without indigestion.

It isn’t possible to "make" someone fall asleep without sleep medications, but it does help to create prime sleeping conditions. It also helps to provide a gradual winding down in activity levels before sleeping times, and to make bed and nap times roughly the same each day. Even adults benefit from consistency and routine in sleep habits, and everyone needs a deep and restful night’s sleep to have adequate energy for living life each day.

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