Can’t Sleep at Night? How to Get the Rest You Need

I love to sleep. My family makes fun of me because I am usually the first one to head to bed—but the joke is on them because I am also usually the most well-rested.

Of course, loving sleep and actually getting enough of it are two different things. You may climb into bed exhausted, only to find your brain suddenly wants to review tomorrow’s schedule, replay an awkward conversation from 2014, and solve every unfinished problem in your life.

If you can’t sleep at night, you are not alone. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep, while teens generally need eight to ten. Regularly falling short can affect concentration, memory, emotional regulation, reaction time, and decision-making. You can learn more about the connection between sleep and mental health.

Fortunately, better sleep does not always require a complete overhaul. A few changes to your daytime habits, evening routine, and sleep environment may help you get the rest you need.

Start Before Your Head Hits the Pillow

1) Start With Your Wake-Up Time

When people want to shift their sleep schedule earlier, they often begin by climbing into bed earlier. Unfortunately, going to bed before your body is ready to sleep can lead to an hour of staring at the ceiling and becoming increasingly annoyed that you are still awake.

Instead, begin with the time you want to wake up. Get up at that time consistently—even after a less-than-perfect night—and give yourself some morning light soon afterward. An earlier wake time helps build sleep pressure during the day and reinforces your body’s internal clock, making it more likely that you will naturally feel sleepy earlier over the next several nights.

This can feel counterintuitive, and you may be tired while your body adjusts. If you are making a large change, move your wake time earlier in smaller increments rather than attempting a dramatic overnight reset. Once you find a schedule that works, try to keep your wake time relatively consistent on weekends too.

2) Give Your Screens a Bedtime

Phones, tablets, computers, and televisions can keep your brain engaged when it needs time to wind down. Bright evening light may also interfere with the signals that help regulate sleep.

Try putting screens away about an hour before bed. If that feels impossible, start with 20 or 30 minutes and use nighttime settings to reduce brightness. Moving your phone out of reach can also prevent “one quick check” from becoming a 45-minute tour of the internet.

3) Be Careful What You Feed Your Brain

Even with the screen dimmed, stressful content can follow you into bed. News, work email, social media arguments, and suspenseful shows may leave your mind activated long after you turn them off.

Create a buffer between the demands of your day and sleep. Choose something that helps you slow down: reading, listening to music, stretching, taking a warm shower, or having a quiet conversation.

Build Habits That Support Sleep

4) Create a Bedtime Routine

Most of us have a routine for getting started in the morning—even if it is little more than coffee, a shower, and locating our keys. A bedtime routine works the same way by giving your brain and body cues that it is time to shift gears.

Your routine does not need to involve candles, perfect pajamas, or an elaborate 12-step ritual. You might wash your face, make a cup of caffeine-free tea, read for ten minutes, and turn out the light. Choose something calming that you can realistically repeat.

5) Move Your Body During the Day

Regular physical activity can improve sleep quality and help your body feel ready for rest. A walk, workout, yoga class, or time outside all count. You do not have to exhaust yourself or suddenly become someone who enjoys burpees.

Some people sleep well after evening exercise; others finish a late workout ready to reorganize the garage. Pay attention to how your body responds and adjust the timing accordingly.

6) Make Your Bedroom More Sleep-Friendly

Your bedroom does not need to resemble a luxury spa, but it should feel cool, dark, quiet, and comfortable. Blackout curtains, an eye mask, earplugs, a fan, or white noise may help if light and sound are difficult to control.

If possible, reserve your bed for sleep rather than work, scrolling, or watching television. When your bed doubles as your office, movie theater, and social-media command center, your brain receives some very mixed messages about what is supposed to happen there.

Watch What May Be Keeping You Awake

7) Give Racing Thoughts Somewhere Else to Go

Many people feel exhausted all evening, only to have their brain call an emergency staff meeting the moment their head hits the pillow.

Keep a notebook nearby and write down tomorrow’s tasks, persistent worries, or anything your brain insists must be remembered at 2:00 a.m. You are not trying to solve every problem before bed—just giving those thoughts somewhere else to wait until morning.

Breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery may also help. If you remain wide awake and become increasingly frustrated, get out of bed and do something quiet in dim light. Return when you begin to feel sleepy again.

8) Pay Attention to Caffeine

Caffeine can remain in your system longer than you realize, even if you have no trouble initially falling asleep. Coffee is not the only culprit; tea, soda, energy drinks, chocolate, supplements, and some medications may also contain caffeine.

Rather than relying on a universal cutoff time, notice how afternoon or evening caffeine affects you. If sleep is difficult, try moving your last caffeinated drink earlier and see whether anything changes.

9) Find the Middle Ground With Food

Going to bed overly full can be uncomfortable, but trying to sleep while hungry is not particularly relaxing either. Large, heavy, or spicy meals close to bedtime may disrupt sleep for some people. If you are hungry, have a snack that feels satisfying and sits comfortably.

Your body does not need another set of rigid food rules. The idea is simply to notice what helps you feel settled rather than uncomfortable at bedtime.

10) Do Not Count on Alcohol as a Sleep Aid

Alcohol may make you feel sleepy at first, but it can lead to lighter, more fragmented sleep and cause you to wake earlier. That relaxing nightcap may be borrowing sleep from the second half of your night.

If you regularly use alcohol to fall asleep, consider discussing it with a healthcare professional—especially if you also take sleep, anxiety, pain, or allergy medications.

When Sleep Still Won’t Cooperate

You do not need to adopt all ten strategies tonight. In fact, turning sleep into another project you must perform perfectly can create even more pressure. Choose one or two changes that feel realistic, practice them consistently, and notice what happens.

If sleep problems continue for several weeks, interfere with your ability to function, or come with loud snoring, gasping, restless legs, or significant daytime sleepiness, talk with a healthcare professional. Persistent sleep difficulties may be connected to insomnia, sleep apnea, medications, anxiety, depression, or another condition that deserves attention.

And if your body is tired but your mind refuses to clock out, therapy can help you address the worry, stress, or habits that may be following you into bed.

Pleasant dreams!