Can't sleep? How to switch off when worry keeps you awake at night

The house is quiet, the rain is tapping on the window, and you're wide awake running through tomorrow's to-do list, an argument from last week, or how you'll pay the ESB bill. Sleep problems driven by worry are very common, especially in the dark winter months in Ireland when routines slip. Here are practical ways to calm your mind and get your sleep back on track.

Why does worry start when you lie down?

During the day your attention is on work, other people and a hundred small things. At night everything goes quiet, and your mind fills the space with unfinished business: something you said, something you didn't do, something that might happen tomorrow.

When you're anxious, your body's alarm system stays on guard, and it's hard to drift off when your body thinks it should be alert. Your heart beats faster, your muscles stay tense and your mind keeps scanning for problems.

Then a cycle starts. Worry disrupts your sleep, and lack of sleep leaves you more vulnerable to worry the next day. You start worrying about sleep itself ("If I don't drop off now, tomorrow will be a disaster"), which makes it even harder.

Signs you have a sleep problem

Everyone has a bad night now and then. It's worth paying attention if one or more of these happen a few nights a week:

• it takes you more than half an hour to fall asleep;
• you wake in the night and find it hard to get back to sleep;
• you wake much earlier than you'd like;
• you feel tired, irritable or unfocused during the day;
• you worry about sleep itself before you go to bed.

For example, many people find their sleep gets worse after the clocks go back in late October: darker mornings, more time indoors, more screens in the evening. Getting outside in daylight early in the day, even a ten-minute walk to the shop, and keeping the same wake-up time at weekends can help reset your body clock.

Eight habits that help you sleep better

1. Get up at the same time every day, weekends included. Your body clock is set more by when you get up than by when you go to bed.
2. Get natural light in the morning. Go outside early in the day, even for ten minutes. It helps your body tell day from night.
3. Limit caffeine. Avoid coffee, strong tea and energy drinks from the afternoon on.
4. Be careful with alcohol. It may help you nod off, but it makes sleep lighter and more broken later in the night.
5. Build a calm routine. Put screens away half an hour to an hour before bed. Read, do some gentle stretches or have a warm shower.
6. Empty your head onto paper. Write down your worries and tomorrow's tasks before bed, and finish with one thing you're looking forward to.
7. Keep the bed for sleep. No work, emails or scrolling in bed, so your brain links bed with rest.
8. Don't watch the clock. Turn it to face the wall. Counting the hours only adds to the worry.

What to do when you can't sleep

If you've been lying awake for about twenty minutes, it's better to get up than to lie there struggling. Go to another room, keep the lights low and do something calm, even boring, until you feel sleepy again. Then go back to bed. You may need to do this more than once at first, but over time your brain learns that bed is for sleep, not for worrying.

• Slow breathing: breathe in for four seconds and out for six. Make the out-breath longer than the in-breath.
• Muscle release: tense and then slowly relax each muscle group, from your feet up to your face.
• Something familiar to listen to: an audiobook or podcast you've heard before, so your mind has an easy place to rest.

If anxious thoughts come back, tell yourself: "That's a night-time thought. I'll look at it in the morning." Problems often look a lot smaller in daylight. If worry stays with you during the day too, see our guide to anxiety and its signs.

When to talk to a doctor

It's worth talking to your GP:

• if sleep problems have lasted more than a few weeks;
• if tiredness is affecting your work, your driving or your relationships;
• if you snore loudly, someone tells you that you stop breathing in your sleep, or you're very sleepy during the day even after a full night;
• if you feel low, hopeless or very anxious most of the time.

Your GP can check for physical health problems that might be affecting your sleep and talk with you about treatment. Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is often recommended as a first option, and your GP can advise you on how to access it, or refer you to HSE mental health services if worry or low mood is behind the problem. Psychologist AI can listen when you can't sleep, but it isn't a substitute for professional care.

Frequently asked questions

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