If you’re going through a period where sleep is proving elusive, it can feel like mind over matter. You either fall asleep or watch the clock. There might, however, be another way

If you ever find yourself tossing and turning in the small hours of the night, it can feel like you’re the only person in the world left awake – but rest assured you’re not alone. It’s normal to experience the occasional poor night’s sleep, and it’s thought that around 30 per cent of adults experience more chronic insomnia. Sleeplessness also commonly affects older people, women during pregnancy or menopause, and teenagers. But if you’re struggling to get some shut-eye it can sometimes feel like it’s a case of mind over matter. The more you worry about it, the worse it seems to get, and you might find yourself succumbing to a vicious circle of ruminative thoughts. So, instead of putting pressure on yourself to chase the concept of a good night’s sleep, how about changing the focus to aiming for a restful night instead?

At bedtime, there can feel like there are only two options: you can either fall asleep or spend a night restlessly tossing and turning with insomnia. But there is a third option… you can rest. If you’re struggling to sleep, then rather than become fixated on not sleeping and all that entails, such as poor performance the next day, feeling exhausted and watching the clock, you can choose to rest instead. Rest can be defined as refreshing oneself by ceasing any mental or physical exertion and doing something relaxing in order to restore and recharge. It can involve lying down and dozing, but it could also be the escapism of reading a novel, sitting in quiet meditation or even making a warm drink and gazing out of the window at the stars. If you find yourself struggling to sleep, purposely doing something restful could be better for your wellbeing than allowing a worry-cycle to kick in. You might stay in bed and do a breathing exercise, count your blessings, or you could get up and move to a cosy chair with a blanket to journal, knit, listen to a soothing podcast or read a chapter of a book.