Allow yourself to just be physically present in bed at your sleep time, whether or not you actually fall asleep. Once you set that rule for yourself, it will be way easier for you to fall asleep deeply for the majority of your sleep time because you allowed yourself to not fall asleep at all even if that meant you stay awake for the whole time. You will fall asleep easily when the right time comes and when your body really needs it, feels like it, and was able to do it, simply because you allowed yourself to do the exact opposite of deep sleep the whole time, with no shame or guilt whatsoever.

Wanting to fall asleep deeply right from the start as soon as your head hits the pillow puts you under too much unnecessary pressure and stress, which triggers stress or survival mode, or your stress response, which will certainly make it impossible for you to fall asleep, and will only ensure that you keep tossing and turning in bed for the whole time you’ve designated or allotted for your sleep.

Forcing yourself to sleep does not work.

Allow yourself to just lie in bed, with disregard to what happens, or whether or not you fall asleep deeply.

Allow yourself to just be physically present in bed for the whole duration, even if you don’t fall asleep at all the whole time you were lying in bed.

Give yourself the permission that indicates that it is totally okay to just lie in bed for the whole time doing nothing and accomplishing nothing at all and not falling asleep for a second the whole time you were lying in bed. Make sure you understand that there’s nothing wrong with that, and that this still counts as sleep. Because the whole point of sleep is rest and recovery and being ready for the next day well-rested with full energy.

You don’t have to fall asleep. You just need to lie in bed for eight hours every day.

Your body knows what it wants and needs. It will fall asleep deeply if that is what it really needs at the moment. You just need to give it the space to do so uninterrupted and unchecked, with no pressure whatsoever, and it will happily do so, like a baby.