Can't Sleep? 12 Things to Do Right Now (That Actually Work)

It's 2 AM. You're exhausted but your mind won't stop. You've been lying here for an hour. The more you try to sleep, the more awake you feel. This is one of the most frustrating experiences there is — and most of the advice you've heard is either obvious or wrong. Here's what actually works.

First: Stop Trying to Sleep

This sounds counterintuitive, but it's the most important thing you can do. The harder you try to sleep, the more alert you become. Sleep cannot be forced — it can only be allowed. The moment you make sleep a goal, you create performance anxiety that activates the very arousal systems that prevent sleep.

Instead, make your goal relaxation. Tell yourself: "I'm just going to rest quietly. If I sleep, great. If not, I'm still resting." This removes the pressure that's keeping you awake.

12 Things to Do Right Now

1. Get up (the 20-minute rule)

If you've been lying awake for 20 minutes, get up. Go to another room and do something boring in dim light — read a dull book, do light stretching, listen to a podcast at low volume. Return to bed only when you feel genuinely sleepy (heavy eyelids, difficulty keeping eyes open).

Why it works: Lying awake in bed trains your brain to associate bed with wakefulness. Getting up breaks this association and rebuilds the bed-sleep connection. This is the core principle of Stimulus Control Therapy — one of the most evidence-based insomnia treatments.

2. Try 4-7-8 breathing

Inhale through your nose for 4 counts. Hold for 7 counts. Exhale through your mouth for 8 counts. Repeat 4-8 cycles.

Why it works: The extended exhale activates the vagus nerve, which directly reduces heart rate and shifts the nervous system from sympathetic (fight-or-flight) to parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) activation. Most people feel noticeably calmer within 2-3 cycles.

3. Try the physiological sigh

Take a deep inhale through your nose. At the top of the inhale, take a second short sniff to fully inflate your lungs. Then exhale slowly and completely through your mouth.

Why it works: This double-inhale reinflates collapsed alveoli in the lungs, maximizing oxygen exchange. The long exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Research by Andrew Huberman at Stanford found this is the fastest way to reduce physiological stress — faster than any other breathing technique.

4. Do a body scan

Lie still and systematically focus attention on each body part, from your toes to the top of your head. Notice sensations without judgment — warmth, pressure, tingling. Consciously relax each area as you focus on it.

Why it works: The body scan redirects attention from cognitive content (racing thoughts) to somatic content (body sensations), interrupting the rumination cycle. It also produces progressive muscle relaxation, reducing the physical tension that accompanies anxiety.

5. Write down your thoughts

Keep a notepad by your bed. When thoughts arise, write them down — not to solve them, just to externalize them. Write tomorrow's to-do list. Write down whatever is worrying you.

Why it works: The brain keeps rehearsing thoughts it's afraid of forgetting. Writing them down signals to the brain that they've been captured and don't need to be held in working memory. A 2018 study found that writing a to-do list before bed reduced time to fall asleep by 9 minutes.

6. Cool down

If you're warm, get up and cool down. Splash cold water on your face and wrists. Lower the thermostat. Remove a blanket. Sleep requires a drop in core body temperature — a warm body is a wakeful body.

Why it works: Core body temperature needs to drop 1-2°F to initiate and maintain sleep. The optimal sleep temperature is 65-68°F (18-20°C). If you're too warm, your body cannot execute this temperature drop.

7. Try paradoxical intention

Instead of trying to sleep, try to stay awake. Lie in bed with your eyes open and try to keep them open. Don't do anything stimulating — just try to stay awake.

Why it works: Paradoxical intention removes the performance anxiety of trying to sleep. Research shows it reduces sleep onset latency by reducing the arousal associated with sleep effort. It sounds strange, but it works.

8. Use progressive muscle relaxation

Starting with your feet, tense each muscle group for 5 seconds, then release. Work up through your calves, thighs, abdomen, hands, arms, shoulders, and face. Notice the contrast between tension and relaxation.

Why it works: PMR reduces the physical tension that accompanies anxiety and insomnia. The deliberate tension-release cycle produces deeper relaxation than simply trying to relax. It's one of the most evidence-based behavioral treatments for insomnia.

9. Listen to something boring

Put on a podcast, audiobook, or radio program about a topic you find mildly interesting but not exciting. Keep the volume low. Don't try to follow it closely.

Why it works: Mild auditory stimulation occupies the part of your brain that generates racing thoughts, without being stimulating enough to keep you awake. Many people find this more effective than silence.

10. Accept the wakefulness

Instead of fighting the fact that you're awake, accept it. "I'm awake right now. That's okay. I'm resting. My body is still recovering even if I'm not asleep." Resistance to wakefulness creates anxiety; acceptance reduces it.

Why it works: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) research shows that psychological acceptance of insomnia — rather than fighting it — reduces the secondary anxiety that perpetuates it. You can't control whether you sleep, but you can control how you respond to being awake.

11. Check for obvious culprits

Before trying complex techniques, check the basics:

• Did you have caffeine after 2 PM? (Half-life of 5-6 hours)
• Did you drink alcohol? (Causes rebound arousal as it metabolizes)
• Is your room too warm? (Optimal: 65-68°F)
• Is there light in your room? (Even dim light suppresses melatonin)
• Did you exercise intensely within 3 hours of bed?

12. Don't watch the clock

Turn your clock away from view. Checking the time when you can't sleep creates anxiety ("It's 3 AM, I only have 4 hours left") that makes sleep harder. The time is irrelevant — what matters is relaxing.

What NOT to Do

• Don't take melatonin at 2 AM — melatonin works by signaling nighttime to your circadian clock. Taking it mid-night can disrupt your rhythm rather than help it.
• Don't check your phone — blue light suppresses melatonin, and social media/news creates psychological arousal.
• Don't eat a large meal — digestion raises core temperature and activates the digestive system.
• Don't lie in bed for hours — this trains your brain to associate bed with wakefulness.
• Don't catastrophize — "I'll be useless tomorrow" makes sleep harder. One bad night has modest effects; the anxiety about it has larger ones.

If This Happens Regularly

If you can't sleep 3+ nights per week for 3+ months, you likely have insomnia disorder. The most effective treatment is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) — more effective than sleep medication long-term, with no side effects. Available through therapists, online programs (Sleepio, Somryst), and self-help books.

Sources: Bootzin, R.R. (1972). Stimulus control treatment for insomnia. APA Proceedings. Scullin et al. (2018). The effects of bedtime writing on difficulty falling asleep. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Morin et al. (2006). Psychological and behavioral treatment of insomnia. Sleep.