STRATEGIES WHEN YOU JUST CAN’T SLEEP

Healthy from the Start Resources for Shiftworkers

Sometimes you might feel like you’ve done everything right, and you still can’t drift off to sleep or stay asleep. Or perhaps you haven’t been able to implement as many strategies to improve your sleep as you’d like, and you’re experiencing the difficulties in real-time. If you’re lying in bed unable to sleep, it’s important to get up, do something relaxing in a quiet, dimly lit environment, and only go back to bed once you’re feeling sleepy again.

Sometimes you might feel like you’re doing everything right, and you still can’t fall asleep or stay asleep. If this is occurring frequently, it’s important that you talk to a healthcare professional, because you may be experiencing a sleep disorder.

If you find yourself tossing and turning, here are a couple of strategies to keep in mind (111):

  • Avoid lying in bed when you’re not feeling sleepy or using your bed for anything other than sleep and intimacy. This helps your brain to make a connection with being in bed and going to sleep.

  • Don’t put pressure on yourself to fall asleep immediately. It’s normal to take up to 20 minutes to fall asleep once you’re actively trying. Putting pressure on yourself to fall asleep and stay asleep can contribute to negative thought patterns around your sleep, which can worsen sleep problems, creating a nasty cycle.

  • If you’ve spent more than 20 minutes trying to fall asleep, or you’ve woken up and can’t get back to sleep, get out of bed and do something relaxing in another room that’s dimly lit, cool, and quiet. Once you start to feel sleepy, head back to bed and try again.