03/09/2026
For any of us, the first things to try are those things in our control...
- caffeine in the afternoon or evening can definitely be a negative impact on sleep. Alcohol as well - even if it makes you feel sleepy it does not promote restful sleep.
- take some time before sleep to wind down ... maybe a warm bath or a cup of tea
- keep screen time minimal. Better yet, no screens in bed. I know a lot of us (me, included) read on our screens. Try to use a nighttime setting to reduce the blue light exposure and try not to read anything that increases your stress or anxiety right before bed. đ¤¨
- don't use your falling asleep time to grind at your worries and keep running through them. There are a number of tricks to help you unfocus your mind to let it fall asleep. One of my favorites is to go through the alphabet in your head, and for each letter think of a random word... maybe animals. A - antelope, B- bear, etc. and if you get all the way through, start again with something else -- colors, etc. You can also choose a random word and do that with each letter in the word. It often works for me!
- quiet and dark. Good light-blocking shades, maybe use a fan or a white noise maker, and if your bed partner snores - maybe getting them in touch with us to evaluate how to help with that!
