Sleeping after a breakup

3 min read

Sleep gets hit early: you lie awake, you wake at four, the day begins with a jolt. That is common, and it usually eases as the weeks pass.

Protect the basics. Keep a steady wake-up time, even after a bad night. Get outside in the morning light for ten minutes. Move a little during the day. Keep caffeine to the morning and go easy on alcohol, which fragments sleep.

In the evening, lower the lights and the screens an hour before bed. Keep the phone away from the bed so checking is not an option. If you wake up in the night, do not fight it: get up, sit somewhere dim, read something dull, and go back when you feel heavy.

A rough night does not ruin the next day. Rest still counts even when you do not sleep.