What to Do When You Can’t Sleep

You’ve gone to bed, but sleep isn’t happening.

Perhaps you have been lying awake for what feels like hours. You might be getting frustrated, checking the time or thinking about how tired you will be tomorrow.

The more you try to make yourself sleep, the more awake you seem to feel.

So what can you actually do?

Stop trying to force yourself to sleep

Sleep isn’t something we can usually make happen on command.

Telling yourself “I have to sleep now” can create pressure, particularly when you know you need to be up early.

Instead, try changing the goal.

Rather than trying to force yourself to sleep, focus on creating an opportunity to rest and allowing sleep to happen naturally.

Try not to keep checking the time

Looking at the clock can quickly turn being awake into a countdown.

“It’s 1am.”

Then:

“It’s 2am. I’ve only got five hours left.”

Before long, you may be calculating exactly how little sleep you are going to get and imagining how difficult tomorrow will be.

If possible, put your phone or clock somewhere you aren’t repeatedly checking it.

You don’t need to know exactly how long you have been awake.

Give your attention something calmer to focus on

If your thoughts are becoming busy, try gently moving your attention towards something neutral.

You could:

take some slow, comfortable breaths
notice the feeling of the bedding around you
listen to quiet sounds
relax different parts of your body
remind yourself that you don’t have to solve anything tonight.

If an important thought keeps returning because you are worried you will forget it, write it down and come back to it tomorrow.

What if I’m still wide awake?

If you have been lying awake and are becoming increasingly restless or frustrated, it may help to get out of bed for a while.

Keep things quiet and low-key.

You might sit somewhere comfortable, read something or do another calm activity until you begin to feel sleepy again.

Then return to bed.

Try to avoid turning this into an opportunity to start working, cleaning, answering emails or scrolling through things that make you more alert.

The aim is still rest.

What about my phone?

Reaching for your phone can be tempting when you cannot sleep.

Five minutes can easily become much longer, particularly if you start checking messages, reading news, watching videos or scrolling through social media.

If you do use your phone, consider whether what you are looking at is helping you become calmer or making you more alert.

We look more closely at screens and other everyday sleep habits in another guide.

What about tomorrow?

After a difficult night, try not to decide that the following day is already ruined.

You may feel more tired than usual, so be realistic about what you expect from yourself.

Where possible, keep to your usual routine rather than making major changes because of one poor night.

Most importantly, don’t spend the entire day worrying about whether the same thing will happen again tonight. That can create anxiety around bedtime before you even get there.

What if this happens regularly?

An occasional bad night is common.

If you regularly struggle to fall asleep, frequently wake and cannot get back to sleep, or poor sleep is affecting your ability to manage everyday life, it is worth looking at the wider picture.

Stress, anxiety, routines, your sleeping environment, health conditions and other factors can all affect sleep.

If sleep problems have continued for some time or are significantly affecting you during the day, consider speaking to your GP.

Why Do I Wake Up Worrying?
For worries that take over after you wake during the night.

Creating a Better Bedtime Routine
Simple ways to make the transition from daytime to sleep easier.

How Screens and Everyday Habits Can Affect Sleep
Explore some of the things that may be making sleep more difficult.

Five-Minute Grounding Exercise
A simple exercise for bringing your attention back to the present.

General information only. This is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional healthcare advice.