How to handle sleep — when your head won't switch off
Practical moves for the nights it won't come.
Lights out, eyes shut, and your brain's still going a hundred miles an hour.
— Right now
- Not asleep in 20 minutes? Get up. Lying there fighting it trains your brain to stay awake.
- Low light, no screens, something boring — a dull page, not a phone.
- Slow the breath right down. Long, quiet exhales.
- Back to bed only when your eyes are actually heavy.
— Don't
- Don't check the clock — it starts the maths.
- Don't try harder to sleep. Trying is the opposite of sleeping.
— Later
- Same wake-up time every day — even after a bad night — is what fixes this over weeks.
Lights out, eyes shut, and your brain's still going a hundred miles an hour.
— Right now
- Not asleep in 20 minutes? Get up. Lying there fighting it trains your brain to stay awake.
- Low light, no screens, something boring — a dull page, not a phone.
- Slow the breath right down. Long, quiet exhales.
- Back to bed only when your eyes are actually heavy.
— Don't
- Don't check the clock — it starts the maths.
- Don't try harder to sleep. Trying is the opposite of sleeping.
— Later
- Same wake-up time every day — even after a bad night — is what fixes this over weeks.
Sleep: the short version
- 1.Not asleep in 20? Get up. Don't fight it in bed.
- 2.Same wake-up time every day. That's the fix.
- 3.No screens in bed — they say 'daytime'.
- 4.Brain-dump the 3am worries onto paper.
- 5.Ease off caffeine after lunch and the nightcap.
Doing it tough?Call Lifeline 13 11 14