Wouldn't sleep be a more enjoyable activity if only it could happen more quickly?

For many people, the biggest challenge is the tedious and, often, lengthy time it takes to get to sleep. Spending hours lying awake at night can create a severe deficit in your sleep time. Thankfully, there are methods for falling asleep fast besides counting sheep. Try out these five scientifically proven and surprisingly fun hacks for getting to sleep quickly.

Warm Your Feet and Hands Before Falling Asleep

Snuggling your hands in the blanket and warming your feet with socks isn't unusual in cold weather. But did you know that shows that blood vessel dilation from warmth in the feet and hands is related to how quickly you fall asleep? blood vessel dilation

So cozy up your hands and feet by placing lightly warmed-up heat packs against them or put socks on your feet, and you might drift off sooner.

Think Happy Thoughts to Sleep

One of the most common things keeping people up at night is the nagging thoughts about what they need to accomplish the next day. According to the University of Oxford, if you aren’t thinking of pleasant thoughts before you fall asleep, you aren’t going to be falling asleep anytime soon. In their study on 41 people who have insomnia, they proved that guided visualization that distracted participants from worries and concerns helped them to fall asleep more peacefully and quickly.

So if preoccupying thoughts keep you awake, try a guided meditation on BetterSleep to help put your worries to bed and find your happy place.

Try Not to Fall Asleep

We dare you to try and stay awake. Stretch those arms and keep your eyes wide open.

One study demonstrated that using reverse psychology helped reduce sleep effort and sleep performance anxiety. As crazy as it sounds, participants told themselves they needed to stay awake...and it worked. Their minds relaxed about the need for sleep, allowing them to fall into the sweet embrace of slumber.

Listen to Classical Music Before Bed

Mozart or Bach may or may not be your favorite artists during the day, but one study found they may help at bedtime. In the study, three groups totaling 94 students ages 19 to 28 listened to classical music, an audiobook, or nothing for 45 minutes before bed. The group listening to classical music experienced an improvement in sleep quality and depression symptoms.

You don't have to be a classical music enthusiast to find serene tunes to fall asleep to. Let the BetterSleep app play a selection of soothing sounds for you at bedtime.

Drift Off to Sleep by Blowing Bubbles

Can those little bottles of bubbles that brought you so much joy as a kid help you sleep?

Well, Rachel Marie E. Salas, MD, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, thinks so. She says it works like a deep breathing exercise that calms the body and the mind. It's also so engaging and silly that it helps distract the mind from sleep-thwarting thoughts.

So even if you don't want to blow bubbles in your bed, you can always try a breathing exercise that produces the same calming effects instead.

With these uplifting tips, you might find that the time you spend falling asleep is not only faster but more enjoyable as well.