How can you overcome insomnia? Read about the psychological causes of sleep problems, sleep hygiene tips and the CBT-I approach to insomnia in this article.
It is two o'clock in the morning, you have an important meeting tomorrow, and sleep simply will not come. As you toss and turn in bed, the thought "How will I get through work tomorrow?" grows and sleep slips even further away. The first question in the mind of many people with sleep problems is the same: How do you overcome insomnia? The answer to this question often lies not only in changing your bedtime, but in the relationship we have with sleep, in our daytime habits and in how our minds work at night. In this article I will look at the psychological side of insomnia, tips you can apply yourself and the cognitive behavioural approach developed for insomnia, known as CBT-I.
What Is Insomnia, and How Do You Overcome It?
Insomnia is a sleep problem that shows itself as difficulty falling asleep, waking often in the night, waking much earlier than planned in the morning and being unable to get back to sleep, or not feeling you have slept enough. In defining insomnia, it is not enough to look only at how many hours are slept; what matters most is how the problem affects daytime functioning.
The answer to the question of how to overcome insomnia depends, above all, on how long it has been going on and what is maintaining it. Everyone can have a bad night from time to time. It is entirely normal for sleep to be disrupted the night before an exam, during a house move or after receiving upsetting news. This kind of short-term insomnia usually passes by itself once circumstances improve. But if the sleep problem lasts for weeks or even months and sleep itself has become a source of worry, we can now speak of chronic insomnia.
What Are the Symptoms of Insomnia?
Insomnia is not a problem experienced only at night; its effects are felt throughout the day. Common signs include:
- Being unable to fall asleep for a long time after getting into bed,
- Waking several times in the night and finding it hard to go back to sleep,
- Waking very early in the morning and being unable to sleep again,
- Feeling unrested and tired on waking,
- Distraction, forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating during the day,
- Irritability, impatience and mood swings,
- Growing anxiety as evening approaches about "What if I can't sleep tonight too?"
Experiencing some of these symptoms does not on its own amount to a diagnosis. Behind sleep problems there may also be medical conditions such as thyroid problems, sleep apnoea or restless legs syndrome, or the effects of some medications. For this reason, a doctor's assessment is important for long-lasting sleep problems.
What Causes Insomnia? Psychological Causes
There is a framework that specialists often use to understand insomnia: predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors. Some people naturally sleep more lightly or are more prone to anxiety; this is a predisposing factor. A stressful event, such as losing a job, a break-up or an intense exam period, then triggers the insomnia. The really critical point is the habits and thoughts that keep the insomnia going even after the trigger has gone.
Anxiety and stress
There is a two-way relationship between anxiety and sleep. An anxious mind finds it hard to settle at night; insomnia in turn increases anxiety the next day. Thoughts put off during the day can start arriving one after another the moment your head touches the pillow. For more information about anxiety, you can look at the article on signs of anxiety.
Worry about sleep itself
Many people with chronic insomnia come, over time, to feel anxious about sleep itself. Thoughts like "If I don't sleep eight hours I'll get ill" or "If I can't sleep tonight too, tomorrow will be ruined" put the body into a state of alarm. Yet sleep is not something you can get by force; the more you strive, the further away it can move.
The link formed between bed and wakefulness
Staying awake in bed for long hours, spending time on your phone, watching series or worrying can cause the brain to pair the bed with wakefulness. After a while, a person may doze on the sofa but become fully awake the moment they move to bed. This is a learned response, and the good news is that it can be changed by learning again.
Depression and other emotional difficulties
Changes in sleep are one of the common symptoms of depression. If early waking, intense reluctance in the mornings and a low mood lasting all day are seen together, it is important to assess this picture with a specialist. You can read the article on signs of depression on this subject.
How Does Insomnia Affect Daily Life?
Sleepless nights cast a shadow over the days too. Attention and memory weaken, decisions become harder, and even small setbacks begin to look big. People with insomnia often describe feeling more impatient, more fragile and more distant from social relationships.
In Turkey, the pace of big-city life, long working hours and time spent in traffic can squeeze the time set aside for sleep. Taking extra jobs because of the high cost of living, working late into the night or working shifts can also harm the sleep pattern. After the 6 February 2023 earthquakes, many people described sleep difficulties such as waking at the slightest tremor at night, feeling uneasy in the dark or being on guard while asleep. Disrupted sleep after traumatic events is an understandable reaction; if this reaction lasts a long time, getting support can be helpful.
Imagine that during the day you drink plenty of tea and coffee to make up for tiredness, take a short nap on the sofa in the afternoon, and in the evening, because you aren't sleepy, spend time on your phone until midnight. Each of these habits looks harmless on its own, but together they can strengthen the cycle of insomnia.
Sleep problems also affect family life. Couples who have become new parents, young people during exam periods or people caring for an elderly relative can go through periods in which sleep is often interrupted. In these periods, insomnia becomes not only an individual problem but a shared concern for the family. Partners sharing night wakings, planning short rest breaks during the day and talking openly about needs can ease this process.
How Do You Overcome Insomnia? Tips You Can Apply Yourself
The tips below are drawn from sleep hygiene and cognitive behavioural approaches to insomnia. To see their effects, you need to apply them consistently for several weeks. Many people searching for how to overcome insomnia look for a single magic method; yet what improves sleep is often a combination of small habits. Not seeing a clear change in the first few days does not mean the methods do not work. The sleep pattern reshapes itself over time, with patience and repetition.
Get up at the same time every day
Perhaps the most important step in settling the sleep pattern is getting up at the same time every morning, including at weekends. Even if you have had a bad night, keeping your wake time fixed helps regulate your body clock.
Use the bed only for sleep
Instead of eating, working, watching series or scrolling on your phone for long periods in bed, try reserving the bed for sleep and intimacy. Get into bed only when you feel sleepy.
If you can't sleep, get out of bed
If you feel you haven't fallen asleep within about twenty minutes, get out of bed without looking at the clock, occupy yourself with a calm activity in another dimly lit room, and return to bed when you feel sleepy. This method may feel difficult at first, but it helps to rebuild the link between bed and sleep.
Review your daytime habits
- Limit caffeine in the afternoon.
- Keep daytime naps short or, if possible, avoid them altogether.
- Take regular physical activity, but avoid intense exercise right before bed.
- Stay away from heavy meals and alcohol in the evening.
Give your mind a transition space before bed
Staying away from screens for about an hour before bed, dimming the lights, taking a warm shower or reading a book signals to your body that it is time to prepare for sleep. If your mind is busy with things to do, noting them in a notebook early in the evening can reduce thoughts being carried into bed at night.
Stop looking at the clock
Looking at the clock through the night leads you to calculations like "I only have four hours left" and increases your anxiety. Putting the clock where you can't see it is a small but effective step.
Try relaxation and breathing exercises
When your body is tense, it is hard for your mind to settle. When you lie down, you can try breathing in slowly through your nose and making the out-breath a little longer. Breathing out for longer than in supports the body's calming system. In addition, progressive muscle relaxation, in which you tense each muscle group for a few seconds starting from your toes and then release it, can also make it easier to drift off. Practising these exercises regularly during the day, not only on nights you can't sleep, increases their effect.
Review your expectations about sleep
Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Some people feel rested after seven hours while others need more. Rigid rules like "I must sleep exactly eight hours" can lead you to see every missing hour as a disaster. Remembering that you can largely carry on with your day even after a bad night eases the pressure you put on sleep. As the pressure falls, the chance of sleep coming by itself rises.
When Should You Seek Professional Support for Sleep Problems?
You may consider seeking support from a specialist in the following situations:
- If your sleep problem lasts longer than a few weeks,
- If insomnia clearly affects your work, school or family life,
- If you feel intense anxiety about sleep and tension in the evenings,
- If insomnia is accompanied by unhappiness, hopelessness, intense anxiety or traumatic memories,
- If there are symptoms such as snoring, pauses in breathing during sleep or excessive daytime drowsiness.
The last point is especially important; since such symptoms may be a sign of a sleep disorder, a doctor's assessment is needed first. Decisions about using medication for sleep must always be made with the assessment of a doctor and, if necessary, a psychiatrist. It is important that you do not start taking medication on your own.
How Is Insomnia Approached in Therapy? What Is CBT-I?
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia, CBT-I for short, is one of the approaches recommended first in international guidelines for treating chronic insomnia. CBT-I is a structured and usually short-term therapy programme that targets the thoughts and behaviours that maintain insomnia. If you would like information on the general principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, you can look at the article on cognitive behavioural therapy.
CBT-I usually includes the following components:
- Sleep diary: Bed and wake times, time taken to fall asleep and night wakings are recorded over several weeks. This record forms the roadmap of the process.
- Stimulus control: Behavioural rules are applied to rebuild the link between bed and sleep.
- Sleep restriction: The time spent in bed is brought closer to the time actually slept, aiming to make sleep deeper and uninterrupted. This method should be planned individually, with a specialist.
- Cognitive restructuring: Thoughts about sleep that create anxiety, such as "If I don't sleep eight hours I can't function", are examined and more balanced perspectives are developed.
- Relaxation techniques: Breathing work and muscle relaxation exercises help the body come out of a state of alarm.
Sleep doesn't come by force; it comes by itself when you prepare the right conditions for it.
In therapy, space is made not only for sleep but also for the anxiety, stress or emotional difficulties that may lie beneath the insomnia. This work can be done face to face or continued through online therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does insomnia go away by itself?
Short-term insomnia linked to a stressful period usually passes by itself once circumstances improve. But if the sleep problem lasts for weeks and worry about sleep has begun to form, planned work may be needed to change the maintaining habits.
How do you overcome insomnia, and is medication necessary?
This decision is individual and must be made by a doctor. It is important that you do not decide about sleep medication on your own. Psychological approaches, especially CBT-I, are a strongly recommended, drug-free option for chronic insomnia.
How long does CBT-I take?
CBT-I is usually a structured programme lasting between a few weeks and a few months. The duration varies with the severity of the sleep problem, accompanying difficulties and how regularly the recommendations are applied.
I wake in the night and can't stop my thoughts. What should I do?
Trying to stop thoughts by force often strengthens them. Instead, getting out of bed and occupying yourself with a calm activity in a dimly lit space, and giving your thoughts a separate time during the day, can help. If this cycle has been tiring you for a long time, I would like to remind you that working with a specialist is possible.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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