We’ve all had that feeling of needing to get a good night’s sleep, only to spend half the night awake wondering why we aren’t asleep!

It’s a vicious cycle, and one that can be tricky to break; but there’s no use in wishing it goes of its own accord. Here’s the ultimate guide to securing your slumber, one catnap at a time.

1. Take a sleep hygiene check

You might as well call this the “bath, bed & book” approach. Sleep hygiene is all about getting your body and your mind ready for sleep. To do this, you need to work out a little sleep routine that works for you.

A familiar one is to take a bath or hot shower, make a cup of hot chocolate, read a book that you enjoy (but not too much!), and switch off your brain for the day.

If you’re fidgety, or don’t have a lot of routine already, this can be tricky. Discover more about sleep hygiene on the SleepFoundation website.

2. Work out what’s keeping you awake…like, really keeping you awake.

Sometimes things keep us awake even when we don’t think that they bother us. If you have a big test coming up, you might be nervous. Are you dreading a family event? The chances are that you’re anxious. If you have a parent, friend, guardian or teacher that you can talk to, then have a chat with them. Otherwise, you can always call Meic to get the help you need (see step 4).

3. Make it ’App-en

Switching off your screen is a pretty important pre-sleep rule for all kinds of reasons. But, if you are really stuck, you might be able to nod off with the help of this useful list of apps.

It includes lots of different things that could help, including mindfulness exercises, sleep trackers, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is helpful to lots of people dealing with anxiety, depression and OCD.

4. Talk to Meic

Meic is here to help from 8am until midnight, 365 days a year. You can text us on 84001, chat to us online or phone us on 080880 23456 about anything — and we’ll help you get the help you need. It’s anonymous and free to contact Meic, and doesn’t show up on a phone bill.

Sleep is a really important part of looking after yourself, and not sleeping can cause all kinds of problems for your mental and physical health. If you need advice or information about how to get back to sleep (by sorting out exam worries, family stress, or anything else), then Meic is someone on your side.

Related Information

This article was originally posted by Meg in 2020.