You\u2019ve heard it over and over again. Adults are recommended to sleep for 7 to 9 hours a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the Huffington Post, says prioritizing sleep is the only way to be happy and succeed in life.<\/p>\n
If you keep thinking about it as you go to bed every night, but every night you end up tossing, turning and staying awake. What can you do?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re constantly tossing and turning, and you start worrying about how you\u2019re hurting your body or how you\u2019ll be exhausted at work tomorrow\u2026 you\u2019re not helping yourself sleep. Try getting out of bed for a while, and practice some new sleep-inducing habits before giving it another shot.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re like most modern people, you\u2019re attached to your smart devices nonstop during the day. But when the night arrives, it\u2019s time to make an effort and let go of the electronics that keep you engaged, conversational and awake.<\/p>\n
Take a long bath or a warm shower, learn how to meditate, or go read a book on your most comfortable furniture.<\/p>\n
Forget the alcohol and coffee before bedtime. Drinking milk or herbal tea might sound boring, but over time, they start impacting your body and signaling sleep.<\/p>\n
If you bring your phone to bed, you know you\u2019re going to answer that text or check the notifications that beep their way into your sleep attempts. Set yourself up for\u00a0success by putting it away.<\/p>\n
Do that especially if your phone is also your alarm clock. Having to get up and go to the other side of the room in the morning will make it easier not to go back to sleep, which might just make you tired enough to fall asleep faster the following night.<\/p>\n
Make your bed your sleep sanctuary. Don\u2019t bring your computer to it or sit down in bed to talk on the phone. You want to train your brain to connect your bed with sleep.<\/p>\n
Similarly, ensure that your bedroom is as dark as it can be at night, and open the blinds in the morning, to teach your body that a dark environment equals feeling tired and getting some sleep.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re cold, turn on the heat. If it\u2019s hot, turn on the air conditioner. Get a comfortable mattress. Make sure that your body is comfortable, so it can start to relax.<\/p>\n
In order to train your body to fall asleep, you need to give it an empowering sleep schedule. Write down when you start your sleep process every night (put the phone away, take a shower, drink herbal tea, read a book) and when you fall asleep.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll learn how long it takes you, which will reduce frustration and anxiety when you get into bed and can\u2019t sleep. If it usually takes you four hours to fall asleep, you\u2019ll no longer expect yourself to fall asleep within 20 minutes just because tomorrow will be extra busy.<\/p>\n
Once you know this, you\u2019ll be able to schedule your process for every evening. You\u2019ll know to close the day earlier. Make your sleep and wake-up schedule consistent, no matter how energized you feel in the evening or how tired you feel in the morning, and your body will adjust.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll see that it takes you less and less time to fall asleep as you practice this.<\/p>\n
Sleep issues are very common, so it\u2019s likely that staying consistent with a sleep schedule will help you overcome your insomnia.<\/p>\n
But if you\u2019re worried about a medical condition, like digestive illnesses or sleep apnea, getting in the way of better sleep, walk into an urgent care clinic or schedule an appointment with your primary doctor, so you can consult with a professional.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve ruled out a medical condition at your primary or urgent care clinic, there\u2019s no way around it. It\u2019s time to make changes in how you handle your evenings and nights. It\u2019s not going to be easy and it is going to take time, but that feeling you\u2019ll have when you manage to have a good night\u2019s sleep is absolutely worth it.<\/p>\n
Start by changing 1 to 3 habits and gradually change more. Eventually, you'll find the sleep rhythm that\u2019s best for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You\u2019ve heard it over and over again. Adults are recommended to sleep for 7 to 9 hours a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the Huffington Post, says prioritizing sleep is the only way to be happy and succeed in life. If you keep thinking about it as you go […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,9],"tags":[481,153,290,408,39],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/feature-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","acf":{"post_subtitle":"6 tips to make falling asleep a little easier.","post_hero_image":{"ID":481,"id":481,"title":"what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep-hero","filename":"hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","filesize":26395,"url":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","link":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/what-to-do-when-you-cant-fall-asleep\/hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep\/","alt":"An elderly woman lies in bed and stares at the ceiling while her partner sleeps peacefully beside her.","author":"49","description":"An elderly woman lies in bed and stares at the ceiling while her partner sleeps peacefully beside her. ","caption":"The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults sleep for 7-9 hours a night.","name":"hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":167,"date":"2016-12-28 19:05:13","modified":"2017-03-29 22:10:30","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":960,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":63,"medium":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":125,"medium_large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","medium_large-width":640,"medium_large-height":267,"large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","large-width":640,"large-height":267,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":400,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/hero-what-to-do-when-you-cant-sleep.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":400}},"post_cta_status":"true","post_co_branding_status":"false","post_type":"post","post_conclusion_status":"false","mobile_content":{"mobile_story_label":"Healthy Living","mobile_post_title":"What to do when you can\u2019t fall asleep","mobile_carousel_image":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fall-asleep_210x210.png","mobile_hero_image":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/fall-asleep_300x300.png","mobile_content_body":"
You\u2019ve heard it over and over again. Adults are recommended to sleep for 7-9 hours a night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Arianna Huffington, a co-founder of the Huffington Post, says prioritizing sleep is the only way to be happy and succeed in life.<\/p>\n
You keep thinking about it as you go to bed every night, but every night you end up tossing, turning and staying awake. What can you do?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re constantly tossing and turning, and you start worrying about how you\u2019re hurting your body or how you\u2019ll be exhausted at work tomorrow\u2026 you\u2019re not helping yourself sleep. Try getting out of bed for a while, and practice some new sleep-inducing habits before giving it another shot.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re like most modern people, you\u2019re attached to your smart devices nonstop during the day. But when the night arrives, it\u2019s time to make an effort and let go of the electronics that keep you engaged, conversational and awake.<\/p>\n
Take a long bath or a warm shower, learn how to meditate, or go read a book on your most comfortable couch.<\/p>\n
Drop the alcohol and coffee before bedtime, too. Drinking milk or herbal tea might sound ridiculous, but over time, they start impacting your body and signaling it to go to sleep.<\/p>\n
If you bring your phone to bed, you know you\u2019re going to answer that text or check the notifications that beep their way into your sleep attempts. Set yourself up for\u00a0success by putting it away.<\/p>\n
Do that especially if your phone is also your alarm clock. Having to get up and go to the other side of the room in the morning will make it easier not to go back to sleep, which might just make you tired enough to fall asleep faster the following night.<\/p>\n
Make your bed your sleep sanctuary. Don\u2019t bring your computer to it or sit down in bed to talk on the phone. You want to train your brain to connect your bed with sleep.<\/p>\n
Similarly, ensure that your bedroom is as dark as it can be at night, and open the blinds in the morning, to teach your body that a dark environment equals feeling tired and getting some sleep.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re cold, turn on the heat. If it\u2019s hot, turn on the air conditioner. Get a comfortable mattress. Make sure that your body is comfortable, so it can start to relax.<\/p>\n
In order to train your body to fall asleep, you need to give it an empowering sleep schedule. Write down when you start your sleep process every night (put the phone away, take a shower, drink herbal tea, read a book) and when you fall asleep.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll learn how long it takes you, which will reduce frustration and anxiety when you get into bed and can\u2019t sleep. If it usually takes you four hours to fall asleep, you\u2019ll no longer expect yourself to fall asleep within 20 minutes just because tomorrow will be extra busy.<\/p>\n
Once you know this, you\u2019ll be able to schedule your process for every evening. You\u2019ll know to close the day earlier. Make your sleep and wake-up schedule consistent, no matter how energized you feel in the evening or how tired you feel in the morning, and your body will adjust.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll see that it takes you less and less time to fall asleep as you practice this.<\/p>\n
Sleep issues are very common, so it\u2019s likely that staying consistent with a sleep schedule will help you overcome your insomnia.<\/p>\n
But if you\u2019re worried about a medical condition, like digestive illnesses or sleep apnea, getting in the way of better sleep, walk into an urgent care clinic or schedule an appointment with your primary doctor, so you can consult with a professional.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve ruled out a medical condition at your primary or urgent care clinic, there\u2019s no way around it. It\u2019s time to make changes in how you handle your evenings and nights. It\u2019s not going to be easy and it is going to take time, but that feeling you\u2019ll have when you manage to have a good night\u2019s sleep is absolutely worth it.<\/p>\n
Start by changing 1-3 habits \u2013 like going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, including weekends \u2013 and gradually change more, until you find the sleep rhythm that\u2019s best for you.<\/p>\n"},"card_title":"What to do when you can\u2019t fall asleep","header":"Worth the look","footer":"3 minute read"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}