Trouble Falling Asleep?

These practices can help remedy sleep-onset insomnia

Wind down before bed by taking a hot bath or reading a book to ensure you receive a good night's sleep. (RossHelen/Shutterstock)

You might remember my previous article about nonrestorative sleep and waking up at 3 a.m., unable to fall back asleep. We looked at the roles stress and blood sugar dysregulation play in causing a nighttime cortisol spike that produces a hyperarousal state, making it difficult to fall back asleep.

That marks one type of disrupted sleep rhythm that culminates in nonrestorative sleep.

The other common deterrent to peaceful slumber is the inability to fall asleep, otherwise known as sleep-onset insomnia. This is a complex problem with many potential causes and several nuances, so realize that there may be one or more factors you need to address if you suffer from this type of insomnia.

Cultivating Circadian Rhythm

First on that list is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of remedying sleep-onset insomnia—rhythm. Your body has to synchronize many processes and is intimately tied to the cycle of the day and even the seasons.

If you’re going to have the energy you need at the peak of the day—and be ready for sleep at the end of the day—your body has to undergo shifts in the levels of different hormones, energy production, and other aspects.

This is one of the reasons that people thrive on rhythm and suffer under chaotic conditions.

Most strategies to improve sleep habits are best implemented when the body-mind is winding down, but sometimes it’s important to start much earlier.

For example, the best way to reset your circadian rhythm is to get early morning sunlight. There’s also a popular phrase circulating among self-improvement circles: “To win the day, win the morning.” It suggests that always getting up at the same time primes the body for a successful day by front-loading self-care before other factors (kids, work, and so forth) exert their influence. Strict adherents of this philosophy refrain from turning on their cellphone until an exercise routine or meditation practice is complete. It’s a no-distraction policy to set the pace for the day.

Although that’s a wise practice for the top performers among us, winning the morning may not be enough. Even if you get up and get early morning sunlight, you can lose that gain if your habits at night sabotage your sleep. Maybe the saying should be, “To win the morning, win the evening before.” In other words, the ability to rise rested is predicated upon getting sufficient sleep, and that means getting to bed at a consistent time to clock in one’s ideal seven to eight hours of sleep.

Leveraging Sleep Hygiene

Sleep habits and the conditions you create for sleep are sometimes referred to as “sleep hygiene.” Sleep hygiene includes anything that helps the wind-down process while avoiding that which causes arousal. Hot baths and reading a novel around bedtime are good ideas; doom scrolling on a brightly lit cellphone screen or watching the nightly “if it bleeds, it leads” newscast are bad ideas.

So, too, must caffeine and alcohol be avoided. Caffeine is a stimulant and shouldn’t be consumed after noon, and while alcohol is a depressant, it disrupts sleep quality. Many people claim these substances don’t affect their sleep only to find out that strict avoidance corrects sleep-onset insomnia.

Other elements of sleep hygiene include a dark bedroom to optimize melatonin secretion from the pineal gland, a light-sensitive gland in the brain that helps regulate circadian rhythm. Bright screens replete with light in the blue spectrum suppress melatonin, to say nothing about the content on those screens that may trigger emotional responses and lead to increased arousal. Best practices include turning off all devices two hours before bed. Consider blackout curtains to eliminate outside light, or use an eye mask—an essential item when traveling.

Room temperature is also important, and most people sleep better in a cooler room. If your significant other needs to be toasty to settle down, ask if they wouldn’t mind using an extra blanket.

If outside noise hampers falling asleep, a fan, white noise machine, or air purifier are indispensable. An air purifier doubles as a safeguard against particulate mold spores or pollen that can inhibit proper breathing. Airway restrictions of any type make falling asleep difficult.

The Paradox of Sleep Medications

Making adjustments based on your circadian rhythm and good sleep hygiene may seem like a lot of work, but these efforts are far superior to taking commonly prescribed sleep medications. These sedative pharmaceuticals are notorious for altering the complex biochemical and neurological processes involved in healthy sleep. These drugs can produce the proverbial “robbing Peter to pay Paul” scenario.

Hypnotic drugs modestly increase sleep duration at the expense of sleep quality and, ultimately, optimal health. The most commonly prescribed hypnotic drugs are associated with a threefold increase in death, particularly from cancer, even when taken at a frequency as low as 18 pills per year.

Benzodiazepines are problematic because they increase stage 2 non-REM sleep, decrease stage 3 and 4 non-REM deep sleep, and result in a total reduction in time spent in REM sleep. This shift in sleep microstructure can lead to deficits in concentration and working memory while contributing to weight gain. These drugs also cause dependency and have a high potential for abuse.

Taming the Mind

Even with the best-laid plans to wind down in the ideal sleep setting, the day’s stresses can hinder falling asleep. Methods to counteract a busy brain are variable. You might find benefit in journaling about the events of the day, while others have success with a few minutes of meditation or deep breathing. Sleep researchers encourage counting down from 100 by threes or trying to keep one’s eyes open (blinking allowed) to trick the mind into slowing down. Whatever method you choose, stick with it and have it reinforce your bedtime routine.

With time and perseverance, you can win the evening, the following morning, and many days ahead.