Lying awake, wondering why sleep won’t come?

You’re far from the only one. The research on sleep has answers for most of what keeps us up, from why we wake at 3am to what a drink, a nap or a sleeping pill really does to a night.

Where would you like to start?

I’m tired but wired
That restless kind of tired is so common at the end of a full day. Often the body is ready before the mind has caught up. A slow last hour, with dim lights and nothing that asks much of you, can help the two meet. Some people like to write down what’s on their mind earlier in the evening, each worry with one small next step, so it has somewhere to wait.
- How do I wind down when I’m tired but wired?
My mind won’t settle
That’s one of the hardest ways to be awake. Thoughts can feel bigger and more urgent at night than they will in the morning, so there’s no need to solve anything right now. If they keep circling, you could get up for a little while and sit in another room with a lamp on low, then come back when you feel sleepy.
- How do I stop my mind racing at night?
- What can I do when worry keeps me awake?
I wake up and can’t drift off again
It’s hard to lie there with the night still going on around you. Waking briefly is part of everyone’s sleep. If you’ve been awake a while and it’s starting to feel frustrating, it’s okay to get up for a bit, somewhere with a dim lamp on, and come back when you feel sleepy. If getting up isn’t easy where you are, you could lie still and simply rest instead, letting go of the effort to sleep.
- Why do I keep waking up at 3am?
- Do I have insomnia?
I’m dreading another bad night
After a run of poor nights, bed itself can start to feel like the problem, and that’s a very human loop. For tonight, you could wait until you feel properly sleepy before going to bed, and there are practical, well-tested ways to ease it over time.
- What can I do when I dread going to bed?
- What is CBT for insomnia, and what would it ask of me?
I barely slept
That’s really hard, and a day on so little sleep can feel long. If you feel drowsy, please don’t drive; a nap of twenty minutes or so is safer than pushing on. It may also help to keep to your usual bedtime, rather than going to bed very early or napping for a long time, so you’re good and sleepy by tonight.
- How do I get through the day after a bad night?
- Are naps good for you?
I’m just curious about sleep
There’s so much to wonder about, from why we dream to why we sleep at all, and either of these would be a good place to start.
- What happens while we sleep?
- Why do we dream?

What’s on your mind?

Things we wonder about, lying awake

A longer read

Does alcohol help you sleep?

For many of us, a drink is part of how a long day ends. You may have wondered what it does to the night that follows, and what changes when you drink less or stop.

About 16 minutes to read

A night of sleep

Through the night we sink into deep sleep and come back up several times, in cycles of about ninety minutes. Deep sleep fills the first hours and dreaming sleep the last, and brief stirrings toward waking are part of every healthy night.

What happens while we sleep?

A typical night

See this illustrated night as a table

A typical night (an illustration)
From	To	Stage
about 11pm	about 11:10pm	awake
about 11:10pm	about 11:30pm	light sleep
about 11:30pm	about 12:10am	deep sleep
about 12:10am	about 12:20am	light sleep
about 12:20am	about 12:30am	dreaming (REM) sleep
about 12:30am	about 12:50am	light sleep
about 12:50am	about 1:20am	deep sleep
about 1:20am	about 1:40am	light sleep
about 1:40am	about 2am	dreaming (REM) sleep
about 2am	about 2:10am	awake
about 2:10am	about 2:30am	light sleep
about 2:30am	about 2:50am	deep sleep
about 2:50am	about 3:20am	light sleep
about 3:20am	about 3:50am	dreaming (REM) sleep
about 3:50am	about 4:30am	light sleep
about 4:30am	about 5am	dreaming (REM) sleep
about 5am	a few minutes later	awake
about 5am	about 5:40am	light sleep
about 5:40am	about 6:10am	dreaming (REM) sleep
about 6:10am	about 6:50am	light sleep
about 6:50am	about 7am	awake

A typical night, drawn to show the pattern: deep sleep in the first hours, and longer spells of dreaming toward morning.

If you’re not sure where to begin

Why do I keep waking up at 3am?
For anyone who wakes in the early hours and lies there, waiting for sleep to come back.
How do I stop my mind racing at night?
If your thoughts start racing as soon as the light goes out.
How much sleep do I really need?
For anyone counting the hours left before the alarm goes off.
How do I get through the day after a bad night?
If you’re facing a whole day on very little sleep.

Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast.

Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene 2, line 202 (Romeo)

Lying awake, wondering why sleep won’t come?

What’s on your mind?

Things we wonder about, lying awake

Does alcohol help you sleep?

A night of sleep

If you’re not sure where to begin

All topics

Trouble sleeping

How sleep works

What helps

Remedies and substances

Conditions

Through life