Right now
Still awake? Here are four things to try.
Free, no account, nothing to download. Three of them talk you through it, so the phone can go face down.
Try the cognitive shufflePick by the time you have
- UP TO 20 MIN
Cognitive shuffle
A quiet word game that keeps the planning part of your mind occupied. - 1–4 MIN
4-7-8 breathing
A dim ring to breathe with. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. - 1 MIN
Sleep calculator
Work back from when you need to be up, in ninety-minute cycles. - 15–45 MIN
Paradoxical intention
Gently try to stay awake instead, and let the pressure to sleep ease off.
10 to 20 minutes: How long it normally takes to fall asleep
Lying awake for a while isn’t a problem. It’s how sleep starts. Falling asleep almost instantly is more often a sign of too little sleep than of good sleep.
WhyAbout 5: Times a night good sleepers wake up
Brief waking between sleep cycles is normal. Most of it is never remembered — it seems to take a few minutes awake before the brain keeps a memory of it.
WhyMore: You probably slept more than it felt like
People with insomnia tend to underestimate how long they slept, often by most of an hour. The tiredness is real — the body is simply resting more than the mind notices.
Why7 in 10: People get over a bad patch without it lasting
About one in four good sleepers has a run of poor nights in a year. Most sleep well again within weeks.
Why