hey guys,

there are some meditations/techniques for falling asleep quickly at night. theres even been one done for the millitary which allows pilots to fall asleep really quickly, on purpose.

Every so often i get back to trying some techniques for falling asleep: bodily sensations, soft eyes, neutral feelings, bare attention etc. i can't seem to make any progress. i know there are people who are able fall asleep quickly with the motivation to do so: i think Daniel Ingram can do it, for instance. 

if there's anyone who can do this and give me some advice, it'll be much appreciated.

love you, 
bye.

From the Mettā Sutta -

“When the liberation of the mind
through Boundless Love is:
Practiced,
Developed,
Cultivated,
Used as vehicle,
Made a foundation,
Consolidated,
Accumulated
and thoroughly undertaken,

Eleven benefits are to be expected.

What Eleven?

(1) One sleeps happily,
(2) One wakes happily,
(3) One is not disturbed by nightmares,
(4) One is loved by all humans,
(5) One is loved by all non-humans,
(6) One is protected by the Devas,
(7) One does not come upon fire or poison or knife,
(8) One’s mind quickly enters into samādhi, [2]
(9) One’s features are bright,
(10) One dies without going astray,
(11) And if one hasn’t gone beyond (Nibbāna),
                          one goes to the Brahmic plane.

When the liberation of the mind
through Boundless Love is:

Practiced,
Developed,
Cultivated,
Used as vehicle,
Made a foundation,
Consolidated,
Accumulated
and thoroughly undertaken,
These eleven benefits are to be expected.

Highly recommended.  

To get started: 

May all sentient beings be happy,
May all sentient beings be free from suffering,
May all sentient beings be well.

I'm sure others can chime in with "better" ones which correspond with the three characteristics etc, and that's fair. Personally though, as long as it develops your empathy and compassion etc it's doing the job. Use whatever resonates for you. I noticeably sleep better when I make it a regular practise before bed (also helpful pretty much any other time). Hope this helps.

this sounds great. i'm gonna try to do it last thing. i can imagine if you're going over stuff in your head, a bit of loving kindness just calms everything down.

   I have a technique. I generally express it as "put your head under your wing."

   We fall asleep at least once a day. You would think we would understand the process better than we do.

   People tend to think that if their thoughts are active, it will be difficult to fall asleep. That our thoughts have to wind down and relax before consciousness is given up. In actual fact we sail into unconsciousness in full fow of thought, and from then on we are dreaming.

   Remember when you were a kid and your parents would tell you to "go to sleep" as if there were some way you could manage that with some effort. You would try but in the end you would fall asleep sometime shortly after you quit making an effort.

   Don't make sleep a problem. Your wakefulness is another opportunity to meditate. Give up trying to fall asleep.

   Put your head under your wing.

   Don't sleep one night and you are tireder the next, sleep better

...and most digestive ills may be alleviated by a little judicious fasting

hunger is the best sauce

​​​​​​​

learning to let be


we "eat when hungry,
sleep when tired"

When I was young, my mom would guide me through a sort of body scan in an attempt to clear the canvas, so to speak. Not sure it was particularly effective, as I would see things in the dark that captivated my imagination moreso than the stuff of the day. It was something though, and calming if nothing else.

Sometimes just laying down and chilling is good enough for me, worrying about sleep as a goal seems distracting.

I usually turn my head the opposite way in the bed. I turn my head where my feet are usually. This makes me fall asleep fast when such nights happen. One can assume why this is ... maybe the Moon cycles? Dunno. But it works for me. 

It really does, in particular after practising it for a while. It works at more subtle levels too, as you develop compassion and empathy for others, you tend to do the same for yourself. That includes simply allowing yourself to be healthy, and to have a good restful sleep whenever possible.