What to do when you cannot sleep: 8 useful steps

Consciously straining to fall back asleep activates the prefrontal cortex and raises alertness — the exact opposite of what the nervous system needs in order to tip into sleep. The HAS, in its 2024 recommendations on the management of insomnia, endorses a counter-intuitive strategy: leave the bed after 20 to 30 minutes awake and only return once the signals of sleep come back (yawning, heavy eyelids).

This principle, known as stimulus control, is one of the pillars of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). It stops the bed from becoming mentally associated with wakefulness and frustration.

The 4-7-8 technique, popularised by Dr Andrew Weil, works as follows:

1. Breathe out completely through the mouth.
2. Breathe in through the nose for 4 seconds.
3. Hold the breath for 7 seconds.
4. Breathe out through the mouth for 8 seconds, tongue behind the upper teeth.

Repeat for 4 to 8 cycles. This lengthened out-breath engages the parasympathetic system, which favours relaxation. The effect is not magical, but it is documented alongside CBT-I protocols.

Inserm catalogues the clinical studies on mindfulness meditation and reports documented effects on subjective sleep quality. On a difficult night, a guided session of 10 to 20 minutes can draw attention away from circling thoughts.

Many French-language apps offer sessions designed for bedtime or for getting back to sleep. Favour those without loud sound and without a bright interface.

Close the eyes and build a calm scene mentally: a white sand beach, woodland after rain, a log fire. The more the scene calls on the senses (sight, smell, sound, temperature), the more it absorbs attention and displaces intrusive thoughts.

This technique is used in behavioural therapy as a guided mental imagery exercise.

Reading for 15 to 30 minutes can make it easier to return to sleep, on two conditions:

• Favour a paper book, not a bright screen (blue light delays melatonin).
• Warm, dimmed lighting, ideally a low-intensity bedside lamp.

Avoid stressful or intellectually demanding reading. A light novel, a short story, a book of poetry or a narrative works better than a dense essay.

Counting backwards in hundreds (1000, 999, 998, and so on) or mentally listing a familiar object: the regularity and monotony of the exercise occupy just enough attention to clear away rumination, without over-activating the brain.

This is the most counter-intuitive and the most important step. If you have been awake for more than 20 to 30 minutes:

1. Leave the bed.
2. Go into another room, with dimmed light.
3. Take up a calm activity (reading, gentle stretching, writing).
4. Only return to bed once the signals of sleep come back (yawning, heavy eyelids).

This rule, drawn from CBT-I, is endorsed by the HAS. It prevents the mental association of bed with the struggle against wakefulness.

Two classic traps:

• Checking your phone: blue light stimulates the retina and delays melatonin. The reflex check of notifications also switches the mind back on.
• Looking at the time: seeing "3.47 am" feeds anxiety ("I've only got 3 hours of sleep left!") and makes it harder to get back to sleep. Turn the alarm clock away, hide the phone screen.

Whatever the quality of the night, keeping your usual waking time is essential. Lying in to compensate pushes back the following bedtime and sets up a vicious circle of insomnia. The INSV stresses regularity as a key parameter of sleep quality over the long term.

A short nap of 15-20 minutes in the early afternoon can make up for it, but no longer (risk of sleep inertia and of delaying the next bedtime).

If you wish to include CBD in your bedtime routine, the most commonly described use is a sublingual dose of oil 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed, as part of a moment of relaxation. Wellbeing CBD does not "make you sleep" and does not "improve" sleep: such claims are legally prohibited in France.

The EFSA recommends not exceeding roughly 2 mg/day for a 70 kg adult given the current state of the data. MILDECA points out that CBD is not a medicine and that no French authority has validated any therapeutic claim.

Precautions:

• Not advised for pregnant or breastfeeding women, minors, or people on medication.
• Favour products with a certificate of analysis (CoA).
• Do not drive after taking it (a positive THC saliva test is possible).

CBD is not a medicine. If insomnia persists beyond three weeks, consult a doctor.

• Forcing sleep makes insomnia worse; it is better to leave the bed after 20 minutes awake.
• 4-7-8 breathing engages the parasympathetic system and eases relaxation.
• Mindfulness meditation is documented by Inserm.
• No screens and no clock-watching during the night.
• Keep your usual waking time, even after a bad night.
• Wellbeing CBD can form part of a soothing ritual, with no therapeutic purpose.
• Insomnia lasting more than 3 weeks: a medical consultation is recommended.

• EFSA Journal 2026 — Update statement CBD novel food — primary
• ANSM — Thematic file on cannabis for medical use — primary
• ANSM — Progress report, Feb. 2024 (final year of the trial) — primary