Can't Sleep? What to Do — and What to Avoid — on a Sleepless Night

First things first: what to do when sleep won't come

Twenty minutes in bed and still awake. That familiar anxiety starts creeping in. Knowing what to do — and what not to do — in these moments can completely change how your night unfolds.

Here's a simple action guide for sleepless nights.

✅ What to do

Get out of bed

If 20 minutes pass without sleep, get up. Move to a dimly lit room and spend some quiet time there. Return to bed only when you feel drowsy again.

The goal is to stop your brain from learning that "bed = a place where I can't sleep."

Write it down

Worries, tomorrow's to-do list, thoughts going in circles — put them on paper. Writing helps your brain decide it doesn't need to keep holding on. Bullet points are fine; polished sentences aren't necessary.

Choose a quiet activity

Read something undemanding, do a few gentle stretches, make a cup of tea. Keep it calm, keep it low-key.

Slow your breathing

Make your exhales longer than your inhales. This simple rhythm tells your body it's safe to rest.

**→ Breathing Techniques for Better Sleep**

Give yourself permission not to sleep

It sounds counterintuitive, but the pressure to fall asleep often pushes sleep further away. "Just lying here is enough" — that shift in mindset can let drowsiness arrive on its own.

❌ What to avoid

Checking your phone or computer

Blue light suppresses melatonin, while social media and news keep your brain alert. Don't even use your phone as a clock.

Looking at the clock

Calculating how many hours you have left only breeds more anxiety. Turn the clock face down, or put it somewhere out of sight.

Going to a bright room

Bright light tells your internal clock that morning has arrived. If you need to move around, keep the lighting as dim as possible.

Drinking anything with caffeine

Late-night coffee or green tea will linger into the next morning. If you want something warm, reach for herbal tea or plain hot water.

Doing intense exercise

Moderate exercise is great for sleep, but vigorous activity right before bed raises your body temperature and heart rate, making sleep harder to reach.

A simple rule for tonight

The rules for a sleepless night are straightforward:

1. If you can't sleep after 20 minutes, get out of bed 2. Don't look at screens 3. Do something quiet 4. Go back to bed when you feel drowsy

That's all you need to remember.

Want to understand your own sleep patterns better? Try the **3-Minute Sleep Check**.

**← Back to Coping Strategies for Sleepless Nights**

Related articles

- Can't Sleep? 8 Things You Can Do Right Now — More strategies to try - Breathing Techniques for Better Sleep — Step-by-step breathing guide - Why Can't I Sleep? A Thorough Guide — Understand the root cause - The Cognitive Shuffle Sleep Method — For when your thoughts won't stop

Research notes

Stimulus Control Therapy, developed by Bootzin in 1972, is a classic and well-established insomnia treatment that rebuilds the association between bed and sleep. Multiple meta-analyses have confirmed its effectiveness in reducing sleep onset latency and improving sleep efficiency.