Struggling to Sleep? Try These 9 Techniques to Fight Insomnia

28 Jul 2025

Almost every person is familiar with the apparently unavoidable sensation of being wide awake in the middle of the night, with the rest of the world silent – except in your head.  The key to better sleep is knowing what’s causing your sleepless nights, and most insomnia causes can be treated with proper methods.

What’s Stopping You from Sleeping?

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that affects many people, and it often occurs for a number of reasons. Anxiety and stress are the prime culprits, as a racing mind can make it challenging to achieve good sleep and relaxation at night. Poor sleeping habits including use of screens before bedtime or an inconsistent sleep schedule might also disrupt your biological clock and make it difficult to fall asleep.

Lifestyle habits like consuming alcohol at night or use of caffeine late in the evening can also disrupt sleep cycles. At times, insomnia is just a symptom of an underlying illness such as acid reflux, chronic pain, depression or a disorder like sleep apnoea or restless legs syndrome.

Things to Do When You Can’t Sleep

Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep leaves you frustrated and exhausted. From deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation to meditation, mindfulness, guided imageryand more – these techniques are easy, harmless, and simple to do at home; even in the middle of night.

1. Controlled Breathing

Slow, deep breathing will relax your body. Repeat this exercise a few times, until you are ready to sleep or to move on to another ritual for relaxation.

• Put one hand on the stomach and the other on the chest
• Breathe in slowly, inhaling your breath deep into the belly. Now slowly raise the hand on the stomach, while the hand on the chest will barely move or not move at all.
• Breathe out slowly, letting the hand on your belly drop slowly.

2. Body Scan Meditation

Lots of people use meditation to stay calm and take care of their physical and mental wellbeing as well. Body scans are a form of meditation that involves focusing on various parts of the body without evaluating the sensations that come up.

• Lie in bed on your back with your hands beside you.
• Take a few moments to breathe slowly in a controlled way.
• Drive your attention to sensations in the feet without describing them as good or bad.
• Deeply breathe and imagine the breath going all the way down to the feet. Exhaling, allow the feet to dissolve from awareness, and bring attention to calves and ankles.
• Bring the attention successively higher until you reach the head.
• Complete the practice by being aware of the body as a whole and taking deep breaths.

3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Progressive muscle relaxation is a method that consists of consciously contracting and relaxing specific muscle groups, which may help you in recognising and letting go of tension.

• Sit or lie comfortably and notice your breath.
• As you inhale slowly, tighten your fists, observings sensations that come with tightening your muscles.
• Exhale slowly, releasing your hands. Observe tension leaving your muscles.
• Do this with each muscle group in your body, tensing as you inhale and relaxing as you exhale.

4. Imagery

Imagery, sometimes referred to as visualisation, is a method of imagining soothing or comforting scenes which cause the body to relax. You may practice this on your own, or you may find guided imagery exercises online or through apps.

• Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Practice controlled breathing for a minute or two.
• Place yourself in a situation that you feel is relaxing and soothing, for example – on a beach.
• Visualise as many positive details as possible, paying attention to sensations of relaxation in your body.

5. The Military Method

Want to fall asleep anywhere, anytime? The military sleep technique may be perfect for you. The technique was developed to assist service workers in falling asleep under stressful or challenging circumstances by learning to rapidly relax their mind and body.

• Relax your face, moving from the forehead to the jaw.
• Release any tension in your arms and shoulders, letting them to rest at your sides.
• Breathe slowly and deeply and then slowly exhale.
• Relax your legs, starting from the hips and thighs to the ends of your toes.
• Close your eyes and visualise a peaceful, pleasant scene. In case you get diverted, repeat a short phrase in your mind, such as “stay still”.

6. 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise

The 4-7-8 breathing method was developed in an effort to soothe the nervous system and induce relaxation. The control of breathing through this process involves creating a breathing pattern of inhaling, holding the breath, and exhaling in a certain ratio.

• Close your eyes and put the tip of your tongue behind your teeth, on the roof of your mouth. Hold the position of your tongue throughout the entire exercise.
• Close your mouth and inhale through your nose counting one to four silently in your mind.
• Hold your breath and count silently to seven.
• Open your mouth and exhale counting silently to eight. Let the breath whoosh out of your body as you count.
• Repeat steps b, c, d3 more times, ensuring that your breathing pattern is in the 4-7-8 ratio.

7. Playing a Word Game

Word games can assist you to feel relaxed by keeping stressful thoughts away. Games that make you perform repetitive, boring activities are bound to induce sleepiness. A cognitive scientist named Luc Beaudoin designed the following word game to induce sleep in people.

• Select a neutral five or more letter word. Make sure the word has no repeated letters, for example – dream.
• Think of as many words as you can that start with the first letter of your selected word. For the word dream, some words you could think of are dog, duck, donut or dimples.
• Visualise each word you think of.
• Do this for each letter of the word.
• If you get sleepy before you can complete the game, let yourself sleep.

8. Autogenic Training

Autogenic training is a relaxation exercise that employs self-hypnosis to induce sleep. It requires saying phrases that bring attention to soothing sensations in various parts of the body.

To do it, lie in bed with your eyes closed and repeat sets of 6 to 10 phrases for each of the following sensations:

• “Warmth in the arms and legs”
• “Heaviness in the arms and legs”
• “A slow, steady heartbeat”
• “Slow, calm, regular breathing”
• “Softness and warmth in the belly”
• “A cool forehead”

9. Reading a Book

Reading a book before bed can be an easy, soothing way to settle down and drift off. Unlike screens, which release blue light that can disrupt melatonin production, printed books provide a screen-free bedtime routine that signals your body it’s time to sleep.

Pick something simple or familiar – nothing too thrilling or emotionally intense – to prevent getting too stimulated. Even reading for 15 to 20 minutes can make a soothing bedtime routine that distracts you from daily stressors and drives you towards sleep.

Tips for Better Sleep

Practising good sleeping habits – your everyday habits and routines with regard to rest – can help create the conditions for more efficient relaxation and overall better quality sleeps. Try to incorporate the following practices into your routine:

• Get natural light early in the day: Spend a minimum of 30 minutes in sunlight exposure during the morning for proper regulation of your circadian rhythm.
• Exercise daily: Regular exercise will make you fall asleep quicker and sleep more soundly; just avoid completing strenous workouts several hours before sleep.
• Don’t take caffeine at night: Stop consuming caffeine at least 6 to 8 hours prior to bedtime because it takes time to get out of your system and interfere with your sleep.
• Restrict alcohol and nicotine: These products can initially make you feel sleepy but disrupt sleep quality in the middle of the night.
• Make naps brief and early: If take naps, limit them to 20 to 30 minutes and attempt to do them earlier in the day, so that you don’t need to struggle getting sleep at night.
• Prepare your bedroom for optimal sleep: Keep your sleeping area cool, dark and silent. Invest in a comfortable mattress, breathable bedding, supportive pillows and blackout curtains or a white noise machine, if needed.
• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends, to help your biological clock remain consistent.
• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine: Unwind every night with soothing activities such as reading, a warm bath or shower, having non-caffeinated tea, or listening to soothing music or calming audiobook.
• Keep away electronics: Refrain from screens and turn off notifications at least 30 to 60 minutes prior to bedtime to minimise stimulation and blue light exposure.
• Get up if you can’t sleep: If you have been lying awake for longer than 15 minutes, get up and do something relaxing in another room until you start feeling drowsy. This keeps your brain thinking of the bed as where you sleep, not get stressed out.

Remember that sleep is not merely an activity to do at night; it needs practising good habits during the day for a successful, healthy life.

When to See the Doctor

Getting sleepless nights occasionally is quite normal, particularly during stressful and disruptive situations. But if you are struggling constantly to fall or stay asleep, or wake up from an incomplete, poor sleep; it is time you should consult a healthcare provider.

You must see the doctor at once, if:

• You are facing trouble sleeping at least thrice a week, and this continues for more than a month.
• Sleep problems often impact your focus, energy, mood or everyday functioning.
• You need to use over the counter sleeping medicines or chemicals such as alcohol to sleep.
• You find yourself snoring loudly, gasping for breath during sleep, or think you are suffering from a sleep disorder such as sleep apnoea.
• You have practiced establishing good sleep habits, yet continue to experience daytime fatigue.

A physician will be able to determine any underlying disorder, including depression, anxiety, insomnia or sleep-related breathing disorder; and help with the implementation of an effective treatment strategy.

Say Goodbye to Insomnia: Diagnosis and Management

If your physician suspects that you have insomnia, he/she will start by inquiring about your sleeping habits, daily routine and overall health. You can be asked to maintain a sleep diary or answer a questionnaire regarding your sleeping patterns. Your doctor may also suggest a sleep study to eliminate other conditions, such as sleep apnoea or restless legs syndrome, in some instances.

Insomnia treatment typically begins with cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) – an evidence-based, first-line treatment that assists in changing unhelpful sleep habits and thinking. CBT-I can help you learn to relax, handle sleep difficulties with anxiety, and develop a more positive sleep pattern.

If necessary, a physician can also prescribe short term use of sleeping medications, although these are usually reserved as a second choice. Lifestyle modifications such as enhancing sleep hygiene, stress management and resolving underlying medical conditions are also important to restore better sleep. Sleep is an integral component of your overall health – do not hesitate to seek assistance if you are not getting adequate sleep as you should. Contact us today to book an appointment with our expert London based private GP.