Question: "I can't sleep no matter what I try. What should I do?"

How to improve your sleep quality if you can't sleep: focus on sleep hygiene

Sleep advice can feel like a cruel joke if you've been lying awake every night at 2am with a brain that won't shut off. "Just go to bed earlier" doesn't help when going to bed earlier means more time staring at the ceiling.

Yet, even if you struggle to fall asleep there are still many ways to improve your sleep by focusing on sleep hygiene.

Sleep hygiene isn't about sleeping for 7-9 hours. It's about what happens before you get into bed, what happens while you're in bed, and what happens when you wake up. Thankfully, you can improve on all three even if it's hard to fall asleep when your head hits the pillow, which can improve your overall sleep quality.

Manage the hour before bed

Most of us spend the hour before bed scrolling, watching Netflix, or catching up on work. However, the light from screens tells your brain it's still daytime. The content topics and video format keep your mind spinning. It's like running a mental warm-up lap right before falling asleep. Turning this hour into something more boring or calm, and screen-free won't guarantee you sleep, but it will stop you from actively working against it.

Bedroom setup

Then there's your bedroom itself.

Is your bedroom dark? Actually dark, not mostly dark with streetlight seeping through the blinds or a charging light blinking on your phone.

Is your bedroom cool? According to the Cleveland Clinic, your body sleeps far better when the temperature is around 65-68°F, which is colder than most of us keep our bedrooms.

Is your bed just for sleep, or do you also work there, eat there, or watch TV there? Our brains form associations with physical cues. If your bed is a multi-purpose zone, your body won't get a clear signal that lying down there means it's time to wind down and transition into sleep mode.

Being awake before it's time to wake up

if you've been lying awake for 20 minutes, get up. The core recommendation from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Insomnia is to get out of bed if unable to sleep within 15-20 minutes, and return only when sleepy. Do something boring or calming in dim light until you feel drowsy, like reading, stretching, or listening to calm music or a boring book or podcast. It may sound counterproductive, but staying in bed while your frustration grows and your mind loops only teaches your brain that the bed is a place for frustration and rumination.

Other things you can control

A few other things worth knowing include:

• Caffeine has a half-life of anywhere between 2 and 12 hours. That means that half the caffeine of a 2:00pm coffee may still circulating in your bloodstream by bedtime. One study found that even caffeine consumed six hours before bed reduced sleep by more than an hour.

• Alcohol may make you feel drowsy; but a systematic review of 27 studies found that alcohol delays the onset of REM sleep and reduces its duration – that means you wake up less rested, even if you slept longer.

• Putting your head on your pillow (even if you don't fall asleep) and waking up within the same 1-2 hour window every day (including weekends) is also an core component of sleep hygiene. Consistency of sleep is important and does more for your circadian rhythm than obsessing over how many hours you got.

• Mornings also matter more than you realize. Research has shown that light exposure during the day, particularly in the morning, is linked to improved sleep outcomes, including better sleep quality, faster sleep onset, and longer sleep duration. It sounds too simple to be true, but a short morning walk outside, or even just standing near a window with actual daylight coming through, does a lot to get you tired and ready for bed at night.

While none of these tips is a fix for insomnia, they are a good checklist to start with.