What to do if you’re struggling to sleep

Topics mentioned: sleep problems, self-care

About: Good sleep is important for our mental health, but what can you do if mental illness is preventing you from getting enough? Laura shares her tips, advice and bedtime routine.

We’ve all experienced that annoying feeling. You’ve had a busy day and all you want to do is go to sleep, but there seems to be a constant flow of thoughts swirling around in your brain that makes this simple task almost impossible.

This feeling is quite normal, but it can be even more frustrating for somebody who struggles with their mental health as this feeling is intensified. During my struggle with mental health, I tried to overcome this problem by establishing a routine with the hope of improving my sleep. I’d love to share my tips and advice with you.

A lot of things can happen in one day. You’ve been to a few places, experienced new things and you’ve had different thoughts that have cropped up in your mind throughout the day.

When you’re busy, it is much easier to suppress any thoughts that don’t seem relevant at the time. However, at night is when these thoughts creep back up and stop you from having a restful sleep.

A great way to calm these thoughts is to write them down before going to sleep – simply noting them down allows your mind to be free of them. You’ll find comfort knowing that you’ve got them down in a visible and concrete form, which should help you to sleep more easily. 

I understand that meditation isn’t for everyone, so renaming it as ‘you time’ might be more suitable for you. When I was struggling with my mental health, I used an app called Calm, which helped me to meditate and clear my mind before going to sleep.

If meditation isn’t your thing, I recommend turning your phone off and simply practising some simple breathing exercises to relax before sleeping. I think people forget that scrolling aimlessly through your phone before bedtime can seriously impact your thoughts and affect your sleep.

I think this next point is relevant for everybody. What seems to keep me awake (most of the time) is thinking about the long to-do list that I have to complete the next day.

I always make sure that before I go to sleep, I write down a plan for the next day to allow my brain to switch off from thinking about this while trying to get to sleep. Along with scheduling your day, I recommend setting any alarms that are needed for the next day – again, so you’re not lying there thinking, "What if I don’t wake up on time tomorrow?"

I really hope that some of these tips will help people who are struggling to sleep. Even if you’re not struggling with your mental health, getting a restful night's sleep is key to living a healthy life.