Why You Can’t Sleep: Six Common Culprits and Their Fixes
It’s 3 a.m., you’re wide awake, and the only sound in the house is a snore that isn’t yours. Or maybe it is.
Instead of guessing, match your night to one of the patterns below. Each one comes with a fix you can try this week.
First, the baseline. The CDC says adults need at least 7 hours a night, and in 2022 the share falling short ranged from 30% in Vermont to 46% in Hawaii.
If you were fine until the afternoon coffee
Caffeine hangs around longer than most people think. In a placebo-controlled trial, a 400 mg dose disrupted sleep even when taken six hours before bed.
A meta-analysis of 24 studies found an average loss of about 45 minutes of sleep, and its authors suggest finishing coffee at least 8.8 hours before bedtime. Fix: set a coffee curfew around 1:30 p.m. if you sleep at 10:30.
If your nose is blocked every night
Allergies narrow the nasal passages, so you breathe through your mouth and often snore. Wash bedding in hot water, keep pets off the bed, and ask your doctor about a saline rinse or antihistamine.
A bedroom HEPA purifier is worth a look. In a six-week trial, people in the active group used less allergy medication, though symptom scores matched the placebo group. Our guide: bedroom air purifiers for snorers.
If you wake up coughing or wheezing
Nighttime asthma is common, and lying flat plus bedroom allergens can trigger it. Waking with cough, wheeze or breathlessness is worth a doctor visit because it can mean your asthma needs better control.
If the snoring is the problem
Snoring happens when relaxed throat tissue narrows the airway and vibrates. It can also point to sleep apnea, so watch for gasping, choking or crushing daytime sleepiness.
Read 10 signs you might have sleep apnea, then see which anti-snoring device fits your snoring.
If your brain won’t power down
Worry loves a dark, quiet bedroom. Write tomorrow’s to-do list before you turn the light off, and keep a notepad by the bed for midnight ideas.
If your body hurts or the bathroom keeps calling
Back pain eases with a pillow between your knees if you sleep on your side, or under your knees if you sleep on your back. Cutting fluids in the last couple of hours before bed helps with bathroom trips, and a doctor can look into it if you’re up more than once or twice most nights.
If a drink is how you wind down
Alcohol can speed up falling asleep, but the Sleep Foundation says it fragments the second half of the night. It also relaxes the throat, which can bring on snoring.
Try finishing your last drink at least three hours before bed.
If the bedroom is working against you
The NHLBI points to noise, light and uncomfortable temperatures. The Sleep Foundation suggests about 65 degrees F, heavy curtains or an eye mask, and white noise if the street is loud.
Keep screens out of the last 30 to 60 minutes of your evening.
If you watch the clock
The NHLBI says clock watching and worry about sleep can make insomnia worse. If 20 minutes pass and you are still awake, get up and do something calm until you feel sleepy.
When to book an appointment
Snoring that keeps coming back, gasping at night, morning headaches or sleep that never refreshes all merit a visit, per the Sleep Foundation.
A quick self-check
- Last caffeine more than 9 hours before bed?
- Nose clear at bedtime?
- Any wheeze, cough or gasping in the night?
- Worries parked on paper?
- Snoring reported by anyone?
If you answered “no” to the first four or “yes” to the last, you’ve found your starting point. Weeks of bad sleep or any gasping call for a doctor.