CAN’T SLEEP? THIS SIMPLE TRICK COULD HELP YOU FALL BACK ASLEEP FASTER

Have you ever had one of those nights where sleep feels like a battle you’re losing? You’re lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, your body begging for rest but your mind running wild. And then, almost by instinct, your eyes flick to the clock.

“If I fall asleep now, I’ll get five hours… Wait, now it’s four and a half… How will I even function tomorrow?”

With every calculation, your chest tightens. Sleep feels further away, and the night feels longer than ever. Even if you don’t struggle with chronic insomnia, you probably know this spiral. But for those who do, that glowing clock isn’t just a small annoyance—it’s one of the biggest reasons their nights turn from restless to sleepless.

That’s why one of the simplest, most powerful tips I share with my clients is this: Cover every clock in your bedroom. Yes, even your phone. Yes, even the one on your nightstand that you think you’re not looking at.

It sounds almost too simple to make a difference. But for so many people I work with, it changes everything.

WHY I DON’T FOLLOW MOST CBT-I RULES (BUT THIS ONE I DO)

You’ve probably heard of CBT-I, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia. It’s the go-to method many doctors recommend. For some, it helps. But for others? Those rigid rules just make sleep harder.

I’ve worked with people who were told, “If you’re awake for more than 20 minutes, you must get out of bed.” On paper, it makes sense. In real life, I’ve had clients tell me they were up and down six times a night trying to follow that one rule. Imagine being utterly exhausted but pacing the halls at 3 AM because “the rules” said so.

Another common CBT-I guideline is sleep restriction. You’re told to get up at the same time every morning, no matter how little you slept. I once had a client break down crying because she was forcing herself to start the day after two hours of rest, just to stick to the plan.

For many people, those rules create more stress than they solve. But there is one CBT-I recommendation I use with almost all my clients, because it’s simple, gentle, and incredibly effective: get rid of your clocks.

TALI’S STORY: WHEN CLOCKS TOOK OVER HER NIGHTS

Tali, one of my clients, used to build her entire evening—and her nights—around checking the time.

It started before she even went to bed. As the evening wound down, she’d start glancing at the clock over and over. “Is it late enough to sleep? What if I try too early and can’t fall asleep? What if it’s already too late and I won’t get enough rest?”

When she finally got into bed, the cycle didn’t stop. Twenty minutes awake? She’d check again. Wake up at 1 AM? Check. Still awake at 2 AM? Another check.

Each time she looked, the panic grew: “Four hours left. Three hours left. I can’t function on this. Why can’t I sleep like a normal person?”

It didn’t matter how tired she was—those glowing numbers triggered an instant rush of anxiety. Her body would tense, her thoughts would race, and sleep would feel impossible.

Finally, Tali decided she needed a complete reset. She didn’t just cover the clock by her bed. She covered every single clock in her house. Her bedroom. The living room. Even the oven clock in the kitchen—because on nights when she woke up for a drink, one glimpse of that green glow could send her into another spiral.

And yes, she was so serious about it that one night, when she realized she had forgotten to tape over the oven clock, she actually woke her husband to do it for her so she wouldn’t risk seeing the time.

Extreme? Maybe. But here’s what mattered: when Tali stopped seeing the time, she stopped spiraling. Her body could finally relax. Without the endless cycle of checking and calculating, she slept—peacefully, for the first time in months.

WHY CLOCK-WATCHING KEEPS YOU AWAKE

Tali’s story might sound extreme, but it’s more common than you think. And there’s a reason clock-watching is so destructive:

1. It turns sleep into a test. Every time you look, you feel like you’re failing, which spikes stress hormones like cortisol—keeping you alert.

2. It fuels “sleep math.” Those constant calculations (“Only three hours left!”) keep your brain active instead of calming down.

3. It trains your mind to wake up and check. The habit itself can make wake-ups more frequent, because your brain expects them.

When you take the clocks away, the pressure disappears. No timeline. No math. No racing thoughts. Just space for your body to do what it’s designed to do: rest.

TRY THIS TONIGHT

If you’re struggling with insomnia—or even just the occasional restless night—try this:

• Cover or remove every clock in your bedroom.

• Keep your phone out of reach so you’re not tempted to check it.

You might be surprised how quickly the pressure lifts. You may fall right back asleep—or even if you don’t, you won’t be stressing about the time.

If sleepless nights have been wearing you down and you’re looking for ways to finally find rest—without rigid rules or added stress—I’d love to help. You can book a complementary 30-minute session with me here: https://calendly.com/chevymermelstein/30min