How to Fall Asleep: Turn off Worry and Insomnia With This Quick Skill

Sleep Better, Worry Less
When your mind is full of worry, it can be hard to fall asleep. Stress, anxiety, and concerns can turn on our brain and body's alerting response, making it impossible to fall asleep and causing insomnia. In this video I teach one simple skill to turn off insomnia and get yourself to fall back to sleep.
I come by insomnia naturally. My family members are all light sleepers and have a hard time staying asleep in the morning hours. But when I'm worried, I use the skill of gratitude to calm my brain and fall back asleep.

Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

About Me:
I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
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[raymeester]

I'm suddenly hit with a sudden surge of energy when I want to fall asleep.

[zerkyi]

I have a problem where I try to go asleep and I keep telling myself how much sleep I’m gonna get and stress myself out that I won’t get enough sleep to function the next day.

[christinalee]

My Dad told me when I was little and couldn’t sleep because I was nervous about a gymnastics meet the next day, that even if I wasn’t actually asleep at least my body was resting which was still beneficial. I never forgot that little bit of advice and I find that usually if I can get my body calm and comfortable my brain tends to acquiesce and thankfully it all comes together.

[carsonsfuture]

As soon as I started thinking about what I’m grateful for I felt myself getting sleepy. WOW

[maximiliansirzen]

After having had light case of insomnia since 3 weeks now and even staying sometimes a whole night up, here are some good ways to go around this issue which I'm still learning to implement:
1. Remember that many other people have this problem too, it's normal
2. Stay Positive and remember that it can be treated with time
3. Like said in this video, gratitude and a positive outlook for the next day with help
4. Don't focus on falling asleep when closing your eyes, focus calming your mind, let go off thoughts, with calming activities before bed being a great help

And most importantly
1. Don't stress about getting sleep or not, build an attitude of I don't care if I'll have a bad night's sleep
By stressing wether you'll sleep or not will put too much focus on it, think to yourself, I don't know how it'll be this time, I'll accept whatever comes

Trust me, it sucked for me too and building the idc attitude, because I got blurry drowsy vision and strong fatigue during the day, but by accepting it and taking it easy you'll recover with time

Talk also with others about it, people will support you
Focus on the environment:)

You'll get through this, maybe not immediately, but have hope that soon it'll be back to when you didn't think much of it
🫂

[adindadwimadasari]

don't try. just don't try to sleep, the more you try to sleep the more you can't sleep. accept, let go.. surrender, no resistance

[deirdrem]

It was 3 AM and I hadn't fallen asleep yet after listening to three talk down sleep meditations. I came downstairs, had a bowl of cereal and opened up YouTube, found your video, went back to bed and slept. For me, this is better than any sleep aid! Thank you so verry much.

[bridgetruth]

Watching at 5am, aftering waking at 3am...😂😂😂

[sheg]

The problem is my mind seems to have a life on its own..i just think of random stuffs...Now I sleep on alternate nights...like Sunday night I cant sleep then I go to work Monday morning and be able to sleep Monday night..Then tuesday night I cant sleep again and work on Wednesday and so on. I just envy those people who can sleep right away! Any other advice? Sometimes I need to turn on the TV so I wouldn't hear that voice in my head asking questions or getting curious again. That doesnt always work though.

[edwinhoward]

I once heard a former POW (He was a USAF officer who spent six years as a prisoner in Hanoi.) speak about how he survived being a POW. He mentioned that he began to fret and lament about his circumstances. He said that he was falling into the "trap of self-pity." He then said that he began to inventory everything he had. He was alive. He had shoes. He was an American and, he knew that when he was released, he was going to be a free man who would live in a free country. His captors could not say this. It was fascinating to hear someone talk about reframing from adversity to abundance--similar to what you teach in this video. Your series is wonderful! Thanks so much for doing it.

[loridyson]

I heard this somewhere so gave it a try which worked for me & then told my boyfriend an it worked for him. Repeat this to yourself but not out loud.
I love God, I love Jesus.
Please help me fall asleep.
I love God, I love Jesus.
Please help me fall asleep.
Keep repeating to yourself an before you know it your asleep.
Hope someone finds this helpful.

[anisabegum]

I gradually overcame my insomnia! It takes a while it took me a few months, first I started off with a night light (I started from lightest to darkest colours) then I became comfortable sleeping with my light off, also you can try make your own little stories/head canons in your head or think about what you did in the day and your routine

[maureenharrop]

I loved this video! As a fellow insomniac, I never thought of doing this. I’m very aware that gratitude really works - I have a gratitude journal, but I’ve never thought of using it for my insomnia! So thanks! I’m starting now - I’m grateful for YOU! Live your channel!

[agees]

Thanks so much for this. I have bad anxiety at night whenever I need to go somewhere the next day, and it’s especially hard during the school year being a commuter. Some nights I lay awake for 5+ hours just trying to get to sleep, I may end up only getting around 3-4 hours of sleep on weeknights. It’s terrible.

[kathystammen]

I’m in a bad place. I’m going to try this. I need to change my way of thinking.

[BarbaraKelley]

This makes a lot of sense. My big problem is waking after 2 or 3 hours sleep, then I can’t get back to sleep. Sometimes I just sit in a chair and cry. I’ll try your suggestion because at 77 years old I actually have lots to be grateful for.

[franpost]

I haven’t had a good nights sleep since Covid began a year ago. I came upon your video last night. You are a magician! Having lost my husband almost 4 years ago I had nobody to discuss this with. However, as I was trying to sleep I spoke out loud to my empty room about all of the things I am grateful for. I smiled at the fact that nobody was there to listen to me, started to breathe the way my meditation teaches me, and I fell asleep for the first time for the next four hours! Hooray for me, kudos for you. Wanting to continue on to see if I could get a couple of more hours in and started to breathe again. Lo and behold I fell asleep again and didn’t wake up for another three hours. Thank you, thank you thank you. What a simple miracle!

[razo]

Recently I had two panic attacks. Both of them were caused because I thought I was going to die. I haven't been able to get any rest for 2 weeks and I've been purposely avoiding sleep since then. I am glad that I have found this video because I think I needed help to regain control of my sleep. I'll attempt your advice today and hopefully I can get some rest once again.

[sadiemoreno]

Thanks, Emma. I’m going to try it. Lately I’ve been so on edge and waking up constantly in a panic. I have actually been afraid of some of the issues you mentioned and it makes sense that my primal brain thinks I need to take action because I’m “needing to plant my corn”. Going to try naming what I have/what I’m grateful for. I used to keep a gratitude journal per a trauma therapist and it did help (I also saw the same technique on one of your videos) Emma, you are my favorite therapist and people like us are eternally grateful for all you do. I got more from your videos the last year or so when I found you than I have in many therapists and many years.

[donovan]

I say this respectfully and without anything weird - your channel and you are very very very special. I praise God for you. May He bless you, your husband and your child / children abundantly.