If you clicked on this post, you’re probably thinking, “I’m tired but I can’t sleep.”
Well, I write a lot about sleep on this blog.
Mainly because I’ve struggled with my fair share of mild insomnia.
Falling asleep usually takes me more than 30 minutes each night. Sometimes, I’m up until 4 in the morning, tossing and turning.
Sleeping can be a big problem for those with depression or anxiety.
On top of overthinking being a big culprit to my lack of sleep, I’m also a pretty picky sleeper. I need things the way I need them, or I can’t seem to fall asleep.
Throughout my nights of general insomnia, I’ve found these 7 surefire ways to fall asleep when you can’t.
1. TAKE PANTS OFF
First things first. Clothes can feel really restricting.
So just take some of your clothes off.
Plus, your skin will feel amazing next to the sheets. Trust.
2. PUT ON A FAN
It’s usually easier to sleep when you’re not uncomfortably hot.
If your body is too hot, the room starts to feel very heavy and suffocating. If you have a fan where you sleep, try putting it on to see if it helps you.
Plus, the buzz of the fan is white noise. White noise can usually help people fall asleep.
3. MEDITATION MUSIC
Speaking of white noise, I love listening to meditation music as I fall asleep.
There’s so many fantastic videos on YouTube, and I try to listen to a new one every night.
The trick is to listen to it at a low volume and make sure the video has no ads in the middle of it. That might feel like your alarm waking you up!
It’s best to listen to with headphones, but I prefer to not have the distraction and to be able to move freely.
4. REMOVE EVERYONE
If you usually sleep in the same bed as your kids or pets, try removing them for the night.
They toss and turn. They take too much space. And they constantly wake you up and disrupt your sleep.
If you share a bed with your significant other, give yourself plenty of space.
You can start the night close by but eventually move into a position that you’re most comfortable in.
Oh yeah, don’t forget to kiss them goodnight.
5. IMAGINE A SCENE
Usually envisioning a beautiful scenery in my head, like waterfalls or the beach, does nothing to help me fall asleep sleep.
For me, reenacting a scene from my favorite movie or TV show in my head has been way more effective.
I also like to envision video games too. For some reason, if I envision playing RollerCoaster Tycoon, I can almost always fall asleep instantly.
I usually use thinking of video games in dire situations, because I don’t want my mind to get too accustomed to it. Then I might not be able fall asleep!
6. SWITCH SIDES OF BED
Sometimes your body just isn’t physically comfortable.
Maybe your mattress hasn’t been flipped in a while, and your body is used to every characteristic of it.
Try bringing your pillow to the opposite side of the bed where your feet usually go. Other times, I completely remove the pillows from my bed.
I’ve fallen asleep in less than 5 minutes almost every time I do this.
Weird but effective.
7. GO TO A DIFFERENT ROOM
If switching to a different side of the bed doesn’t work, sometimes you need different scenery.
If you usually sleep in the bed in your room, try taking a pillow and blanket out to the couch in the living room.
If for some reason I don’t fall asleep this way, it makes me much more sleepy to the point where I can go back to my bed and fall asleep there right away.
I’m tired but I can’t sleep
Being tired but not being able to sleep is very exhausting and frustrating.
Luckily, I’ve used these 7 hacks to help myself fall asleep when I’ve been struggling with anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
