What To Do When You Can't Fall Asleep, and You're Bored

6 min read

When you want to go to sleep, you spend your time tossing and turning. You want to get to sleep fast. Trying to force yourself to sleep can be frustrating, especially when you need a restful night. With these tips, you can take your mind off of sleeping, helping you to drift off to dreamland. Here are a couple of things to do when you cannot fall asleep and are bored.

How Can I Sleep Better at Night?

If you want to get better sleep, take some time to review your current lifestyle. You should think about making a couple of changes. Make sure to avoid caffeine consumption at least seven hours before you head to bed. Caffeine and energy drinks can stay in your bloodstream for over five hours, stimulating your brain and causing sleep difficulties.

You can even lower the room temperature or invest in some blackout curtains. Your melatonin production can be affected by bright lights, disrupting the sleep cycle. Throughout the day, your body produces melatonin. However, at night, those levels are at their lowest. When you keep the room dark, it ensures that you can get to sleep faster.

dark bedroom

How Long Should It Take To Fall Asleep?

In general, it should take about 10 to 20 minutes for you to fall asleep. As you try to fall asleep, your body produces melatonin. That sleep hormone relaxes your muscles and slows the blood flow. If you are under stress, it can be hard to fall asleep. In many cases, you will find yourself waking up throughout the night. If you fall asleep before the initial 10 minutes, it could signify that you did not get enough sleep from the previous night.

Things To Do When You Can't Fall Asleep or Are Bored

There are several ways to induce sleep, such as waking at a specific time or setting a consistent bedtime. For starters, you always want to avoid the blue light emitted by screens on smartphones, laptops, and tablets. Those screens can stimulate your brain and cause you to stay up throughout the night. Let's look at these other things to do when you're bored and can't fall asleep.

1 - Have a cup of warm milk or camomile tea

Milk is an excellent source of magnesium and calcium. These nutrients can boost your melatonin production while relaxing your muscles and nerves. All that can help encourage you to get to sleep. Along with that, a warm cup of herbal tea helps you to relax after a busy day. Remember that herbal teas don't contain caffeine. Try a few soothing teas like lavender, chamomile, or valerian.

2 - Meditate

Take a few minutes for a couple of deep breaths. After that, use that quiet time to relax your mind. Find a quiet spot, meditate and clear your mind from any distractions. In many cases, your mind races before settling in for the night. With a few minutes of meditation, you can relax and get ready for bed.

3 - Read a book

If you're tempted to do a bit of reading, try a book or magazine. Reading before bed has been a popular activity for a long time with good reason. It can improve cognition and help you sleep better, but this only holds true with physical books and magazines. Reading on screens is often too stimulating and will keep you up. You can always the nighttime filter if you don't have print media on hand. Long-term try keeping a few books on the nightstand to reach for whenever you're having trouble getting to sleep or make reading a daily ritual.

woman reading

4 - Yoga or light stretching

A few basic bedtime yoga moves can help you drift off to sleep. Find an online tutorial or an app to learn a few moves. You will want to go through these poses very carefully, paying attention to how your body feels with each movement. Don't forget to finish with a few mindful breathing exercises.

5 - Listen to relaxing music or try out some white noise

Music can really soothe the soul. If you are struggling to get quality sleep, make sure to play some light music so that you can relax. The music should be the type that puts you in a calm mood. You can even play sounds of nature, like a thunderstorm or ocean waves. Even an old radio can be tuned to static to give you some extra noise at night. You can also purchase a machine that plays white noise to help you drift off to sleep.

6 - Write in a journal

In some cases, things on your mind keep you up at night. If something is bugging you, getting it off your mind is important. This is the time to grab your journal and start writing. Jot down how you feel or what is on your mind. You never know, but this journaling could lead to other activities, such as coming up with a story or brainstorming other ideas.

7 - Make a to-do list

Writing down a few ideas for the next day is also helpful, and it will clear your mind when you go to sleep. You can write down what you need to accomplish for the following day. Another benefit: you will have a plan to follow for the next day when you wake up.

8 - Tell yourself a story - relaxing exercise for those with active minds

When you take your mind off getting to sleep, you will begin to feel tired. Take a few minutes to tell yourself a story. With this creative trick, you can relax your racing mind and finally sink into the bed for a restful night of sleep.

9 - Take a warm bath or shower

If you are stressing out about falling asleep, take some time to draw a nice, hot bath. For those without a tub, showers work just as well. You might want to add some specialty scents to the water. Think about calming and relaxing fragrances like lavender. You can even play some relaxing music or have a cup of tea while you enjoy your soak.

10 - Get some fresh air

Think about getting out of bed and getting some fresh air. You don't need to do any strenuous walks, but sit down and breathe in the clean air. Just a few minutes in the fresh air can be enough to relax your mind and body so that you can get to sleep easier.

11 - Diffuse essential oils

Chamomile and lavender are known to get you to sleep. You use a diffuser with an auto-shutoff to add these scents to your room. You might also want to spritz your pillows and mattresses with some lavender. An oil roller or massaging cream can be dabbed on your neck and wrist to help induce sleep.

oil diffuser

12 - Avoid watching the clock

The last thing you want to do is watch the clock. With constant watching, you will make yourself feel more stressed, leading to anxiety and restlessness. Turn away from the clock if you want to drift off to sleep quickly.

Bottom Line

With these tips, you can relax your mind. These pointers will keep you occupied while your body gets ready for a restful night of sleep. Occasionally, people could use a little extra help so we've developed SleepBest, our all-natural herbal remedy.