I go to bed on time but sometimes I lie there for a while and can't fall asleep. What should I do? Changes in circadian rhythm mean it can be hard for teens to fall asleep sometimes. If you find yourself lying awake in bed thinking about everything from your homework to whether it's your turn to walk the dog in the morning, you may need a sleep reboot.
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Millions of readers rely on HelpGuide for free, evidence-based resources to understand and navigate mental health challenges. Please donate today to help us protect, support, and save lives. Do you struggle to get to sleep no matter how tired you are? Or do you wake up in the middle of the night and lie awake for hours, anxiously watching the clock? Insomnia is the inability to fall asleep or stay asleep at night, resulting in unrefreshing or non-restorative sleep. Chronic insomnia can even contribute to serious health problems. Because different people need different amounts of sleep, insomnia is defined by the quality of your sleep and how you feel after sleeping—not the number of hours you sleep or how quickly you doze off. Although insomnia is the most common sleep complaint, it is not a single sleep disorder. The problem causing the insomnia differs from person to person.
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Just the act of trying too hard can cause or continue a cycle of anxious, nerve-wracking energy that keeps our minds awake. But there are scientific tricks you can try to flip the switch and guide your body into a safe shutdown mode. It usually takes a magic spell to fall asleep this quickly and on cue, but just like spells, with practice you can eventually get to the sweet second spot. Note: The method below takes a full seconds to finish, but the last 10 seconds is said to be truly all it takes to finally snooze. It took pilots about 6 weeks of practice, but it worked — even after drinking coffee and with gunfire noises in the background.
You might remember a time when you could drift off to sleep in an instant and remain in a state of blissful slumber well past lunchtime the next day. Now your sleep is more likely to be lighter and more fitful, and when you wake up in the morning you might not always feel refreshed. A lack of good-quality sleep could be a natural consequence of changing sleep-wake patterns after menopause. It's also likely that the issue is physical—and fixable. Many conditions can disrupt your rest, and they can be treated. It's important to address these issues. A lack of sleep does more than make you drowsy. Chronic insomnia has been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Go through this list to see whether you might have one of these sleep-stealing conditions.
