Ok, real talk. This is where there will be some tough love (as well as some gentle guidance).

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For the most part, you haven't properly tried. ​

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I know this sounds mean and you might be sat there screaming "YES, I HAVE!", but I want to get a little in your face and ask if that's really true. 

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It really is simple: Your body needs consistency. If you wake up early every day, you will feel tired by the end of the day. 

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Let's take this step-by-step:

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1. Sort your environment (your bedroom - head to the dedicated page for this)

2. Pick your bed-time and wake-up time and stick to it.

3. Decide on the sleep triggers you want and commit to them.

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I know I'm constantly saying it, but often blue-light really is the issue - so before anything else, remove your phone/devices from your room. Replace it with a book, any book, and get reading. Reading signals to the brain to fall asleep - we have been reading before bed for centuries. Trust it! 

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THE MOST IMPORTANT PART

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You must stick with your trigger until you fall asleep. 

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If your trigger is reading - read in bed until your book falls on your face. This might take hours. Keep doing this every day and it will take less and less time. Same goes with an audiobook - listen to it for hours, if needed. Then listen to the exact same part again the next night, and the next night, and the next night. 

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When you go to the gym, you don't expect muscles after one day (maybe you hope for it, but you know it won't actually happen). You know that you need to go to the gym consistently for weeks and months to see progress. But if you remain consistent, those muscles will grow. Your cardio will improve.

Falling asleep is the exact same.

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There is no magic solution - there is just consistency. The great news is though, once you have created the triggers, they become difficult to break! 

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How do I know this works?

I did it!

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In January 2021, I would read for, sometimes, 1.5 hours before falling asleep. Now? I barely get through 2 pages before I'm nodding off. 

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When I had a 6am flight and needed to be up at 3am last year, I went to bed at 8:30pm, put my audiobook on and was asleep in 15 minutes. I do not go to sleep at 8:30pm usually - but this is how well I've trained my brain.

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Over and above anything - you must shift your mindset. Stop telling yourself you can't sleep and start to tell yourself you're amazing at falling asleep quickly.

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You are in control and you can train your brain to sleep. But you have to believe this is true.

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And for those who not even this works? 

Please seek a doctor, because you should be able to fall asleep and you deserve good sleep - it's the single most important thing you can do for your body.

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