Insomnia? In This Economy?

It’s 3:17 a.m. You’ve calculated you have exactly 3 hours and 43 minutes of potential sleep left—if, for the love of God, your brain would just shut the hell up. But instead of drifting off peacefully, you’re lying there wondering if you paid that bill, what your boss really meant by “Let’s circle back,” and why you wore that to that wedding in 2008.

Welcome to the Insomnia Olympics.

Whether it’s tariffs, TikTok rabbit holes, or the existential dread of late-stage capitalism… emails, menopause, children, a snoring spouse, or 1,578 other things—it’s easier to ask what isn’t keeping us up at night.

You’re not alone.

About 1 in 3 adults experiences short-term insomnia, and around 1 in 10 deal with chronic symptoms. It’s one of the most common sleep challenges—especially for women and neurodivergent folks.

And it doesn’t always look the same. Maybe your brain won’t shut down at bedtime. Maybe you’re waking up at 2 a.m. like clockwork. Or maybe you pop up at 5 a.m., fully alert, fully irritated, and fully not okay with that.

Whether it’s a one-night stand with sleeplessness or a full-blown toxic relationship, you’re not the only one checking if that one high school teacher is still alive, doomscrolling, or researching 18th-century sea shanties at 3 a.m.

So what might be going on?

Insomnia has range. The Zendaya of sleep issues, if you will. Sometimes it’s anxiety. Sometimes it’s too much caffeine. Sometimes it’s scrolling Instagram under the covers until your eyeballs vibrate.

It could also be a misaligned circadian rhythm, shifting hormones (hi, perimenopause!), pain, or even emotional overload—good or bad. A tough job and the excitement of a wedding can mess with your sleep in surprisingly similar ways.

But here’s the thing: the root cause doesn’t always matter. Whether your insomnia is short-term or sticking around, the treatment is often the same.

But Lindsay, I didn’t sleep last night—am I doomed to NEVER sleep again??

Nope. You’re not broken. And you’re definitely not cursed.

But I get it—sleep panic is real. We spiral fast. If you had the stomach flu, you wouldn’t assume you’ll never eat again. But one bad night of sleep? Suddenly your brain’s like, “Welp, guess we’ve lost this basic skill forever. Time to accept my fate as a sleepless woodland cryptid.”

Here’s the thing: effort is the enemy of sleep. The harder you try, the more awake you feel. And once the overthinking kicks in, it’s like hosting a 3 a.m. rave in your head—minus the fun glow sticks and with absolutely no exit strategy.

Sleep isn’t something you chase—it’s something you allow. And that means your brain needs to power down, not rev up.

Let’s talk strategy.

Not all insomnia looks the same. Here are some real-life, no-snake-oil strategies for whatever’s hijacking your sleep.

For the “I can’t fall asleep” insomnia:
Start a routine. I know—as an ADHD lady, I hate routines. But our brains? They love them. Creating a consistent wind-down ritual helps signal that it’s time to switch gears.

My go-to move? Sound. I’m a big fan of the Manta Sleep Sound Mask—it’s comfy, blocks light, and lets me fall asleep to dialogue (which turns my noisy narrator off). I like the sound of comedy TV shows I’ve already seen (Girls5Eva, anyone?). I use a 20-minute timer and usually drift off mid-punchline.

But you could just as easily queue up sleep stories, mellow music, or ambient frequencies that don’t involve power ballads about knee reconstruction (don’t knock it). Whatever works for your brain, the sound mask keeps it close—while shutting the rest of the world out.

Still not asleep after 20 minutes? Don’t just lie there frustrated. If sleep’s still playing hard to get, get up and do something low-key in dim light. Read a boring book. Fold some laundry. Pretend you’re in a Jane Austen novel waiting for a letter by candlelight (unless that’s too stimulating—no judgment, we all have our thing).

Then once you feel sleepy again, head back to bed and give it another go.

For the “awake in the middle of the night” insomnia:
First, know this: waking up in the middle of the night is wildly common. You’re not broken—you’re just… human. The goal isn’t to avoid wake-ups altogether (they’re going to happen). It’s to have a strategy for getting back to sleep without spiraling.

Think of your brain as a snow globe. When you wake up, everything’s stirred up. You can’t force the snow to settle—you have to let it.

So yes, get out of bed (again!). If your head is spinning with to-dos or genius ideas, write them down. Your brain just wants an outlet—give it one. Letting thoughts swirl with nowhere to go only amps things up.

Not sure why you’re awake? Do something soothing or slightly boring: sort laundry, organize a drawer, unload the dishwasher. It’s amazing what 15 minutes of low-stakes activity can do to lull your body back toward sleep.

Do not stay in bed scrolling your phone. That’s like shaking the snow globe harder—and then wondering why everything’s still flying around.

For the “I’m awake way too early” insomnia:
If you wake up earlier than intended and can’t fall back asleep, don’t immediately assume the day is doomed.

If it’s within an hour of your usual wake-up time, consider just starting your day slowly and with intention. Morning light can actually help reset your circadian rhythm and improve sleep down the line. (I know. Annoying but true.)

Otherwise, revisit the snow globe strategy: get up, stay calm, do something light. Try not to catastrophize—your brain’s just doing a little recalibrating.

Need some other helpful pointers?

Don’t look at the clock.
I repeat: do not look at the clock. One glance turns into a full-blown math spiral:
“It’s 2:47… so if I fall asleep in the next 13 minutes, I’ll get 3 hours and 41 minutes. Unless I wake up again at 5. Then it’s 2 hours and 13. OMG. I’m doomed.”

This does nothing but stress you out. Flip the clock. Cover your phone. Break the time-anxiety loop.

Don’t sleep in just because you were up late.
I know it feels logical—you slept like trash, so shouldn’t you make up for it? Short answer: nope. Longer answer: sleeping in disrupts your circadian rhythm and makes it harder to sleep the next night.

Stick to your regular wake-up time (yes, even when you're exhausted). You might feel groggy today, but you’re setting yourself up for better sleep tonight.

Go to bed at your usual bedtime.
Don’t try to “get a jump on sleep” by going to bed early unless you’re actually sleepy. Crawling into bed two hours ahead of schedule just gives your brain more time to spiral. And the more time you spend awake in bed, the more you train your brain that the bed is for thinking, not sleeping—which is a tough cycle to break.

Tell yourself: “I’ve had hard nights before, and I was okay.”
Because it’s true. You’ve powered through meetings, school drop-offs, deadlines, and life on too-little sleep before. You don’t have to love how you feel, but you can remind yourself you’ve survived rough nights—and you’ll survive this one too.

This isn’t forever. You’re having a tough night, not undergoing a lifelong transformation into a nocturnal goblin. Reminding yourself of that helps retrain your brain for easier nights ahead.

When to seek help

We all have the occasional rough night (or week), but if insomnia sticks around for three months or more, that’s considered chronic—and it’s time to get support.

Your general practitioner might default to prescribing medication. And listen, I’m not here to knock meds—I personally live a much better life through chemistry. But when it comes to insomnia, the gold standard treatment is something called CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia).

So what is CBT-I?
It’s a structured, evidence-based therapy that helps you change the thoughts and behaviors that mess with sleep. Unlike sleeping pills, which often just treat symptoms, CBT-I goes to the root—retraining your brain and body to sleep better, long-term.

If you’ve been struggling, I recommend seeing a sleep specialist. They can evaluate what’s really going on and create a personalized game plan. And if that plan includes medication? Great. But that should be a decision made with a sleep-savvy professional.

And one last thing: not all insomnia is actually insomnia. Conditions like sleep apnea can masquerade as trouble falling or staying asleep. That’s not something you can diagnose on your own, so getting a proper evaluation is key.

You can find a board-certified sleep doctor at sleepeducation.org (just click “Find a Sleep Center”).

Now, this barely scratches the surface of insomnia—but I promise we’re just getting started. I’ll be diving deeper into things like perimenopause, building your personalized sleep toolkit, and navigating sleep struggles in a world that doesn’t exactly prioritize rest.

Watch this space. More soon.