Top 10 Things To Do if You Can't Sleep

Insomnia affects everyone at some point, and sometimes it can be so frustrating trying to get back to sleep. This happened to me last night, so today seemed like a good day to post some pearls of wisdom.

So, what should you do if you can’t fall asleep?

1. Optimize your environment.

Sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how many people want a medication before giving this a try.

Get that sleep hygiene on point. Turn off the lights, make sure your room is comfortable (I had to crank up the air conditioner), reduce extraneous noises, etc. Do whatever you have to do. Sounds obvious, but sometimes a simple fix is what it takes.

2. Get out of bed: the bed is just for sleep. And sex.

Get out of bed if it’s taking over 30 minutes to fall asleep.

Go to another room and once you feel that you are dosing off, go back into bed. This seriously works.

Like a lot of other things that we do, such as eating, sleep is a conditioned behavior, so you don’t want your body to get used to not sleeping in bed.

3. Calm your Mind

A stressful day or anticipating something the next morning can keep your mind activated.

Some calming techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or even journaling can be helpful. There are all sorts of apps out there as well that can be helpful.

One (of many) app that seems to be useful is the “Calm” app. https://www.calm.com/

4. Get out of bed and do something boring

Do something that is not very mentally stimulating.

Some examples of boring things are folding socks, or reading a magazine fluff article. Something not involving a screen is preferable. Watching TV infomercials, Netflix chick flick etc. is okay as long as you are in a dimly lit or dark room and not spending too much time looking at a screen and exposing your eyes to light.

If you’re looking at a screen, dim the brightness, and preferably use a blue light filter. Too much light exposure can be wake promoting!

You do you. But make sure it doesn't keep you up.

5. Don’t get frustrated!

Getting frustrated about not being able to fall asleep and watching the clock can lead to even more insomnia. This can lead ultimately to insomnia with (jargon alert) psychophysiologic features.

6. Address any medical problems

Seriously. Things like untreated pain, heartburn, restless legs syndrome can make it really hard to sleep.

7. Nip it in the bud.

Get your zeitgeber’s (“time keepers” which are cues that tell your body what time of day it is) in check and don’t eat too late, or stare at a screen the next night.

Bedtime and Rise time should be consistent if possible.

8. Figure out when to intervene

If this becomes a problem 3 days a week for 3 months, this is chronic insomnia, and you should visit your doctor/sleep specialist.

9. If you have chronic insomnia, look into Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI)

This is best done by a sleep psychologist or other sleep specialist.

For chronic insomnia, CBTI is the first line choice. There is a great app called CBTI-coach made by the VA which is free, and awesome. Check it out. https://mobile.va.gov/app/cbt-i-coach

10. Medications used as last line therapy.

Common strategies like popping a Benadryl or drinking before bedtime do not lead to good quality sleep and are not good long-term strategies for treating insomnia. These strategies can also be quite unsafe. So avoid these strategies.

#insomnia #sleepwell #health #sleepless #bettersleep