What to Do When You Can't Sleep at Night

Having trouble sleeping at night? What can you do to fall asleep faster?Research shows that over 40 million people in North America suffer from sleep disorders, and a further 20 million experience occasional sleep problems. With the right approach, including creating a comfortable environment and treating the underlying condition, you should be able to fall asleep in minutes.

Lack of quality sleep can quickly take a toll on your physical and mental health that it sometimes feels like you're the shadow of yourself. In addition, it can cause extreme fatigue that severely impairs your productivity. Sleeping problems may result from stress, worry, noise, interruptions, or even prolonged screen time at night. Sleep problems usually resolve on their own within a month, but if they go on for long and interfere with your daily life, they may indicate a sleeping disorder.

This article discusses what to do when you can't sleep in the middle of the night.

Types of sleeping disorders

There are several types of sleeping disorders, including insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and sleepwalking. If you regularly have difficulty falling asleep, it may be insomnia, which may last for months or years. You can treat insomnia by simply changing your sleeping habits.

Your sleeping problem may be sleep apnea if you experience difficulty breathing during sleep.

The best treatment for sleep disorders

Depending on your sleep disorder, you may do any of the following to sleep better at night:

• Breathing device or surgery (for sleep apnea)
• Medication for the underlying mental health issue (such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs when suffering from anxiety, depression, or stress)
• Sleeping pills and melatonin supplements
• Allergy medication (if you have problems with allergy)

Lifestyle practices to help you sleep better

Making lifestyle changes can help you sleep better when suffering from insomnia.

Here are super effective tips to help you fall asleep more easily:

• Keep regular sleeping hours

Keeping a regular sleeping routine can help when you can't sleep at night. Going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day fine-tunes your body's internal clock to adapt to that routine. Limit or completely avoid napping.

• Tire your body out with activity

Being active throughout the day can help you sleep better. If you have nowhere to be, exercising at home can help.

• Create a comfortable environment

A messy bedroom can make it harder to fall asleep. Relaxation is key to better sleep, so you want a comfortable mattress and beddings and a dark and quiet environment.

• Avoid caffeine before bed

Tea, coffee, and alcohol may seem like the perfect before-bed routine, but they're anything but that. Caffeine can inhibit sleep, and alcohol can put your senses on high alert, which is the last thing you want at bedtime.

• Journal

If you have difficulty sleeping, keep a journal and write out your nighttime emotions. This can help you identify trends inhibiting your night's rest.

• Avoid late dinners

Eating or snacking just before bed can activate your digestive system and keep you up. Besides, going to sleep just after eating isn't healthy.

• Reduce stress and worry

Stress isn't good for you and could severely impact your life when it interferes with your sleep quality. Perhaps there's something you're anxious about. Life, the future, a relationship, etc. These things can keep you up, leading to insomnia and anxiety disorder.

If it seems like nothing is working, it may be time to talk to a mental health care specialist. At Hope Mental Health, we can help. So give us a call, and we'll evaluate your challenges to design the appropriate treatment plan for you.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.  Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.