In short: Schedule your worries during the day, get up if you lie awake for a long time and try relaxation exercises or mindfulness. For persistent insomnia, CBT-I (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia) is the first choice.
Schedule your worries, so they stay out of bed
Tip: Set aside 15–30 minutes of “worry time” during the day and write your worries down.
A classic therapy for worrying teaches people to limit worrying to a fixed moment. That way it happens less at night. During the worry slot you write down your worries and think of a first step.
How to apply it: Choose a fixed time (for example 5.30 pm), a chair and a notepad. If a worry comes up in the evening, jot it down briefly for tomorrow.
Source: Borkovec et al., 1983, Behaviour Research and Therapy.
10 minutes of mindfulness before bed
Tip: Try a short mindfulness exercise, such as a body scan.
In a randomised study of older adults with sleep problems, mindfulness improved sleep quality more than a standard sleep hygiene programme.
How to apply it: Use a free 10-minute guided meditation. Lie down and pay attention to your breathing and body parts, from toes to head.
Source: Black et al., 2015, JAMA Internal Medicine.
Sleep hygiene alone is often not enough
Tip: Sleeping badly for more than a few weeks? Ask about CBT-I (cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia).
Guidelines recommend CBT-I as the first treatment for chronic insomnia, and in studies it works better in the long term than many pills.
How to apply it: Discuss it with your GP. There are also online programmes and therapists who offer CBT-I.
Source: Trauer et al., 2015, Annals of Internal Medicine. Qaseem et al., 2016, Annals of Internal Medicine.
Awake in bed? Get up
Tip: If you lie awake for longer than about 20 minutes, get out of bed for a while.
Lying awake in bed for hours teaches your brain to link the bed with being awake and worrying. Getting up for a moment breaks that pattern.
How to apply it: Sit in a chair in soft light, read or listen to something calm and go back to bed as soon as you feel sleepy. Do not look at your phone.
Source: Morin et al., 2006, Sleep.
Fewer hours in bed can improve your sleep
Tip: With insomnia: spend less time in bed to consolidate your sleep, preferably with guidance.
Sleep restriction therapy limits your time in bed to the time you actually sleep, so your sleep pressure builds and you sleep faster and deeper. Do not do it on your own if your symptoms are severe or you have a safety-critical job.
How to apply it: Keep a sleep diary for two weeks and discuss it with a healthcare provider or therapist.
Source: Miller et al., 2014, Sleep Medicine Reviews.
A sleep diary gives insight
Tip: For two weeks, note when you go to bed, when you get up and how you feel.
A sleep diary is a standard tool in sleep care. You see patterns and can make conscious choices, for example about bedtime and caffeine.
How to apply it: Every morning, take 2 minutes to write down: bedtime, estimated time to fall asleep, number of awakenings, getting-up time and how rested you feel.
Source: Carney et al., 2012, Sleep (Consensus Sleep Diary).
Stress and sleep reinforce each other
Tip: Build in a moment of relaxation every day, especially at the end of the day.
After a night with little sleep, the stress hormone cortisol was more than a third higher the following evening. Stress disturbs sleep and lack of sleep raises stress: a vicious circle.
How to apply it: Plan 10–15 minutes of relaxation (walking, stretching, breathing, music) before your evening routine.
Source: Leproult et al., 1997, Sleep.
Waking briefly at night is normal
Tip: If you wake up at night, stay calm and do not look at your phone.
Historical research points to a “first and second sleep” before the industrial era, with an hour awake in between. Brief awakenings at night are part of healthy sleep; it is mainly the panic around them that becomes the problem.
How to apply it: Tell yourself: “This is normal.” Breathe calmly, keep it dark and try to relax again.
Source: Ekirch, 2001, American Historical Review.
Not tired on Sunday evening? Blame your weekend
Tip: Keep your weekend wake-up time within an hour of your workdays.
If you get up much later at the weekend, you shift your internal clock and are not tired yet on Sunday evening. Students with irregular sleep times also had worse study results.
How to apply it: Get up at most an hour later and take a 20-minute nap if you are short on sleep.
Source: Phillips et al., 2017, Scientific Reports. Roenneberg et al., 2012, Current Biology.
An argument? Sleep on it, not through it
Tip: Do not start heavy conversations when you are both tired.
Lack of sleep leads to more conflict in relationships. With sleep loss, the amygdala, the emotional alarm system, is also more active.
How to apply it: Agree: “Is it late and are we tired? Then we’ll talk tomorrow.”
Source: Gordon & Chen, 2014, Psychological Science. Yoo et al., 2007, Current Biology.
Gratitude helps you sleep
Tip: Before bed, think about or write down what you are grateful for.
People who had grateful thoughts more often before going to sleep slept better and fell asleep faster. It replaces negative thoughts with positive ones.
How to apply it: Every evening, write down three things that went well, however small.
Source: Wood et al., 2009, Journal of Psychosomatic Research.
Relax your muscles, one by one
Tip: Try progressive muscle relaxation: tense each muscle group for 5 seconds and then let go.
Relaxation training is listed as an effective behavioural approach in insomnia guidelines. The contrast between tensing and letting go helps you notice physical tension better.
How to apply it: Start at your feet and work up to your face. Do it lying in bed, for 10 minutes.
Source: Morin et al., 2006, Sleep (AASM review).
Did you know?
Melatonin is a gentle nudge, not a sleeping pill
On average, melatonin shortened the time to fall asleep by only about 7 minutes.
Tip: It helps mainly with jet lag and a shifted sleep rhythm. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist.
Source: Ferracioli-Oda et al., 2013, PLoS ONE.
Sleeping pills help less than you think
In older people, sleep medication gave a modest improvement with a clear risk of falls and confusion.
Tip: Only use them for a short time and on a doctor’s advice.
Source: Glass et al., 2005, BMJ.
Insomnia is very common
About 10% of adults have chronic insomnia, about 30% have symptoms.
Tip: You are not the only one. Help exists.
Source: Morin & Benca, 2012, The Lancet.
And your mattress?
Lying awake because you cannot find a position that feels comfortable? Stomach sleepers with a stiff neck will recognise that. Read stomach sleeping and neck pain.
Frequently asked questions
What to do if you can’t sleep because of worrying?
Write down your worries or to-dos before going to bed and get up if you lie awake for a long time. Only go back to bed when you feel sleepy.
What is the best treatment for insomnia?
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Discuss persistent insomnia with your GP.
More sleep tips
- Falling asleep faster
- The ideal bedroom
- Power nap and daytime tips
- Food, drink and sleep
- Sleep rhythm and regularity
- Sleep and your body
- Sleep in the family
- Sleep, work and performance
- Effects of sleep deprivation
- All sleep tips
General information, not medical advice. If you have persistent sleep problems, snore with breathing pauses or are very sleepy during the day, see your GP. SleepLab One is not a medical device. Updated on 22 October 2026.