Process your stress,
From upcoming medical tests to a fight with a friend a decade ago, experts weigh in on why we worry in bed—and how to get back to sleep. Sometimes, climbing into bed is the first quiet time of the day, which may leave you vulnerable to worry-driven sleep interruptions, says sleep expert Nancy H. Rothstein, known as The Sleep Ambassador. Rothstein, who began studying sleep to find solutions for a snoring spouse, has developed a virtual sleep improvement program and consults about optimizing sleep.
“When you lie down, what are you carrying into bed with you?” she asks. Before you settle in for sleep, use mindfulness or other techniques that can be effective in processing stressful thoughts and worries: Meditation, exercise, journaling, deep breathing, or other tactics can help you “transition to sleep in peace,” she says.