Key Takeaways…

• Despite what CBT-I coaches say, it’s okay to lay in bed if you can’t sleep.
• Humans have been adaptable since the beginning of time & could sleep anywhere.
• If your mind will not stop, you may be lacking L-methionine due to a COMT genetic mutation.
• There are 5 main causes for not being able to sleep even when you’re exhausted.
• I recommend healing your circadian rhythm & reading 2 books that helped me a lot.

Back when I had insomnia from working swing shift for a few years, I couldn’t sleep even when I was tired. I’d go to bed completely exhausted but couldn’t turn my mind off.

Even though you’re physically tired, there are still key hormones that are not being secreted at the correct times that can cause this phenomena.

You body and mind need to be tired. The mind is controlled by the brain. Think of the brain as the hardware and the mind as the software.

In order to turn your mind off, you need specific hormones to be turning off and turning on at the correct times of night.

If this isn’t the situation for you, then you most definitely have circadian rhythm disruptions. There are many factors that can mess up your circadian rhythm but the primary one is the light you’re exposed to from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep at night.

Many CBT-I practitioners or sleep coaches pay lip service to this idea of light. But I can tell you they haven’t read the research papers I have read. I usually link to 10 or 15 research papers in every article that I write.

I’ve been studying light since around 2011 and I’m still reading papers about it.

What To Do When You Can’t Sleep

Should you lie in bed for hours with your eyes closed? Should you try different sleep techniques to calm your mind? Conventional sleep hygiene practitioners or CBT-I coaches will tell you to get out of bed and do something calming or relaxing because it may create a negative subconscious “association” that you cannot sleep in your bed.

I see people parrot this advice a lot and I just don’t agree with it. Human beings are meant to be adaptable. When we were babies we’d sleep while in the stroller, we’d sleep when momma was holding us, we’d sleep in the car, on trains, planes and everywhere else. Something happened along the way (I have my theories) that caused us to not be adaptable any longer.

If you can’t sleep but want to stay in bed, I recommend these 4 methods to fall asleep. I’ve personally found them to be quite helpful. In fact I’ve never had them NOT work.

If you’re lying awake and are exhausted but you can’t sleep, it might be because you simply can’t turn your mind off. I’ve noticed a common characteristic of those that cannot sleep. This characteristic is a Type A personality.

A type A personality is a descriptor for people who are often ambitious, competitive, and driven to succeed. They can also be hard-working, organized, and goal-oriented. Type A personalities can be quick and decisive, and may have a tendency to multitask. They can also be forceful with their ideas and work ethic, which can create an overly competitive atmosphere that may intimidate others.

This Type A personality also has an inability to let go of things and relax. I notice they ruminate quite a lot. But this could also be because of a genetic mutation in the COMT gene aka the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene.

You can test for that gene here or here. If you have that genetic mutation and cannot fall asleep or turn your mind off I would consider taking some supplements like

• L-Methionine
• SAM-e
• Theanine
• Trimethylglycine (TMG)
• Melatonin
• Magnesium

But definitely read that article about other foods to avoid if you’re having trouble turning your mind off.

Here’s what I’d recommend if you cannot sleep even when your body is fatigued and exhausted….

1. Take a warm bath with magnesium, and baking soda
2. Your bathroom needs to have red lights in it
3. While in your bath try some breathing techniques.
4. Take a little more melatonin (but make sure you take melatonin correctly!)
5. When you get out of the bath, do some light stretching under red lights
6. Then read for 5 minutes something boring (not on a Kindle but a regular physical book using this book light)

When you get back into bed, do those breathing exercises I linked to above and try to stay awake. Tell yourself that if you can stay awake and NOT fall asleep, you’ll win a million dollars. It’s a bit of reverse psychology that works for me.

I turn it into a contest to see if I can stay awake. That actually makes my eyelids get heavier and heavier to the extent that I eventually fall asleep.

What Causes The Inability To Sleep When You’re Tired?

The body and mind are two different things. Your body could be utterly exhausted where you feel physically lethargic but your mind will not stop. Your brain is controlled by your mind. Your brain is hardware while the mind is software.

By reprogramming the software with breathwork and subconscious programming you can cause neurological changes to your brain activity. If you also support your brain with the right nutrients or sleep herbs you can work on both levels.

Here are the main causes of not being able to fall asleep

1. A broken circadian rhythm
2. Poor mitochondrial functionality
3. A poor bedroom environment
4. A poor diet
5. Food allergies
6. And more

There are really two great books that have helped me “let go” of drama in my life. I’ve noticed that when I can’t sleep, I’ll think about arguments, relationship circumstances or emotional situations that tend to hijack my mind when I’m trying to fall asleep.

I really recommend these two books that will allow you to let go of that death grip you call your reality.

• Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life
• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom

Practical Strategies for Improving Sleep Quality

If you can’t sleep even when tired, you really need to overhaul your entire life and daily routines. Your environment is sub optimal. Most likely you’re not watching the sunrise and you’re looking at blue lit screens BEFORE UVA, infrared and red light from the sun. You’re probably living and working in an area that has wifi (which is known to cause oxidative stress and even cancer). You’re probably spending zero time grounding to the earth.

The moment you wake up in the morning you should be doing all the necessary health practices that promote deep sleep like…

1. Watching the sunrise (before exposure to man made light)
2. Being grounded as many times per day as possible
3. Blocking blue light from your cell phone
4. Blocking blue light from  your computer (or upgrading to a healthier computer)
5. Wearing yellow blue blocking glasses during the day
6. Doing some form physical exercise OUTSIDE during the day (I prefer lifting weights)
7. Doing something during the day that is mentally or emotionally tiring (like deep conversations, figuring out complex problems etc)
8. Watching the sunset (or if you can’t see it, be outside FOR it)
9. After sunset wearing orange glasses
10. Installing circadian lightbulbs in your home for after dark
11. 2 hours before bed taking a melatonin and wearing red glasses
12. Taking a magnesium bath
13. Not eating after sunset
14. Doing a 5 minute yoga routine before bed
15. Reading for 5 minutes before bed

I could go on and on. But these are just some of the things I recommend as part of a daily practice to help you fall sleep at night more quickly.

Conclusion

Not being able to fall asleep even though your body is tired, is a classic case of insomnia. Your body is fatigued, worn out and utterly exhausted but your mind wakes up and you’re tired but can’t sleep. Most likely you’re a Type A personality and could have a genetic mutation in the COMT gene. I would personally get a test to see if that is the case. If you don’t have the funds for the test, it’s possible you could still take supplements to turn your mind off at night.

Then I would practice living a circadian based lifestyle that supports sleep following all of my recommendations above. I would also read those books mentioned above as they have really helped me “let go” of circumstances I cannot control.

To get back on track with your sleep is simple but not easy. The foundation is light and your circadian rhythm. You can work on this while you’re checking for food allergies, getting blood work done and seeing what your mineral deficiencies may be.

Since there are many possible reasons for not being able to fall asleep when you’re tired, I recommend doing all of them at once. Change our life. Change the stress you’re exposed to on a daily basis. Change everything. Work on lowering stressful situations (personal or professional). If you cannot remove yourself from them, work on yourself in your response to them. Eat a clean diet take healthy supplements, consider doing a heavy metal cleanse, parasite cleanse and colon cleanse once per year.

Upgrade your bedroom and use insomnia as a reason to improve every area of your life!

I’ve been able to do this and I’ve gone from having insomnia to being able to sleep really well now.

Questions:

• What does your nightly sleep routine look like?
• Do you take supplements? If so, which ones?
• Do they work?
• When did your insomnia start? What was happening in your life in the 6 months leading up to it?

Comment below.