What to do When You Can’t Sleep Avoidi the frustration of struggling to get to sleep.

July 14, 2025

Discover tips to help you fall asleep. Struggling to get to sleep can affect your whole mood the following day.

There are so many factors that affect our ability to get to sleep – too hot, too many thoughts or regretting that coffee or other stimulant.

As we mention in other articles, good sleep hygiene is the best way to get your rest. These include a consistent bedtime, not eating or drinking right before bed and putting your phone away. Insomnia and how to tackle it

If you are still struggling, then consider what sleep experts advise and find whatever works for you.

Tense your toes, flex them for five seconds, then release.

While lying in bed, systematically clench and then relax each muscle group, progressing from your calves to your thighs, abdomen, and beyond. This method, referred to as progressive muscle relaxation, effectively alleviates physical tension and calms the sympathetic nervous system.

Watch a TV show you’ve seen many times before.

For Aric Prather, a sleep specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, it’s the soothing comedy of “The Office,” although some of his patients turn to the cozy nostalgia of “Frasier.” The idea is to find something both comforting and familiar enough that you can doze off without getting invested. Make sure to keep the screen dim.

Read a nutrition label.

Reading the label contains sufficient information to keep your mind occupied, but its repetitive nature may help promote drowsiness. Additionally, this activity encourages you to leave your bed, which can be beneficial. Over time, it is important not to associate your bed with restlessness or anxious thoughts for improved sleep quality.

Try cognitive shuffling.

Select a random word—such as “bedtime” to align with the theme—and list as many words as you can that begin with each letter of the chosen word, starting with B, then progressing through E, D, T, I, M, and E. This exercise aims to redirect mental focus away from anxious thoughts or late-night problem-solving by engaging cognitive resources in a structured activity.

Picture a familiar place.

Visualize a familiar place in as much detail as possible, noting elements such as the colour of the carpet, the pattern of the curtains, and the arrangement of kitchen shelves. This place could be a former residence, a travel destination, or a local park. Mentally guide yourself through this environment step by step. Engaging in this focused and repetitive mental exercise can help occupy the mind and may facilitate falling asleep.

Play white noise.

White noise, a mix of random sound frequencies that sounds like static, can drown out any distracting sounds that are keeping you awake. And while it isn’t for everyone, the consistency of white noise can be calming. There are free apps or YouTube videos that play white noise for hours. The LectroFan Evo is a popular choice  £79.95

Count backward from 100.

The simplicity of a countdown can be soothing. The activity engages your brain, forcing you to focus on the numbers while distracting you from any of the worries that might have kept you up.

Place a cold washcloth on your forehead.

Your body temperature naturally dips at night, as part of your circadian rhythm. A cold washcloth may help cool your body down and trick it into thinking it’s still early in the night and that you’re getting ready to go to sleep, said Dr. Kim Hutchison, a neurologist at Oregon Health and Science University who specializes in sleep medicine.

Inhale for four seconds, hold for four, and exhale slowly for eight.

A simple breathing pattern like this slows your heart rate and your breathing. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, a network of nerves that play a critical role in relaxing the body before sleep. Repeat this five times.

Repeat a Mantra

You don’t have to say this out loud. A repetitive mantra like “I am falling asleep.” often works as it does if you wake up during the night “I am going back to sleep.”

Do some light stretches.

Small, simple exercises can help relax the nervous system and reduce stress hormones. You can do these in bed or another spot in your home as long as you keep the lights dim.

Listen to a familiar audiobook.

If Dr. Neal Walia, a sleep specialist at the University of California at Los Angeles Health, can’t fall asleep, he listens to an audiobook he’s heard many times before, like “Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty. Since it’s familiar, the audio distracts him from his racing thoughts without keeping him awake to hear what happens next.

Sit by a fan.

This accomplishes two goals at the same time. It cools you down, which is important because lower body temperatures are linked to the production of melatonin, a hormone that our brains produce to lull us into feeling sleepy. Plus, this gets you out of bed, so that you do not associate it with the struggle to fall asleep.

If you have a particular trick to help you fall asleep, let us know and we can add it to the list.