Sleep guides for adults who lie awake

Plain guides for adults who can't fall asleep, wake at 3 a.m. and lie there, or feel tired but wired at bedtime. They answer what people search on the way: what to do tonight, why it keeps happening, how to reset a sleep schedule, and how the habit methods behind CBT for insomnia work, step by step. Each one names its sources and says when a doctor should look first. Habits, not medical care.

Want your own numbers first? The free 2-minute sleep quiz works out your minutes awake in bed and a starting sleep window.

Falling asleep

• Can't fall asleep? What to do tonight, and tomorrow: the get-up rule, what to do out of bed, a table of causes, how long it should take, and a 2-week plan.
• Can't fall asleep because your brain won't shut off: why thoughts get louder in bed, tools for each kind of racing thought, a worry routine and a 2-week plan.
• Can't fall asleep even when you're tired: why tired isn't sleepy, the evening second wind, causes with a test for each, and a 2-week plan.

Waking in the night

• How to stop waking up at night: a table of causes and their signs, what to do when you wake, the time-in-bed trap, a 2-week plan, and when to see a doctor.
• Waking up at 3 a.m. every night: why the early hours are light, the habit that keeps you awake, and what to do in the moment.

Fixing your sleep schedule

• How to fix your sleep schedule, step by step: which kind of broken schedule you have, the 6 steps, a 14-day plan with clock times, how long it takes, all-nighters, naps and melatonin.
• Can't fall asleep before 2 a.m.? Why, and how to move it earlier: a check for a late body clock vs insomnia, a step-by-step plan with clock times, light, melatonin timing and when to see a doctor.

The method: sleep restriction and CBT-I

• Sleep restriction for insomnia, step by step: setting your sleep window, the weekly 15-minute rules, a worked example, and who should only do it with a clinician.
• Stimulus control therapy for insomnia: the six rules and why each works, what to do out of bed, a 4-week plan, counter-control if you can't get up, and the evidence.

Winding down at night

• Bedtime routine for adults, step by step: a timed 60-minute wind-down you can copy, what each step does, and versions for insomnia, anxiety, parents and late finishers.

Sleep in perimenopause and menopause

• Perimenopause insomnia: why it happens and what helps: causes, night sweats, what to do at 3 a.m., a 2-week plan, what doctors offer and when to see one.