If sleep hygiene hasn’t worked for you, you’re not doing it wrong. For many chronic insomniacs, rules around bedtime and screen time make things worse, not better. Here’s why letting go of control and rebelling against rigidity might be the key to finally sleeping better.

If you’ve ever struggled with sleep, chances are you’ve tried a ton of remedies. It’s natural to search for quick fixes, like supplements, routines, and tips. But, there’s a downside: all these so-called solutions can fall into a category called "sleep efforts," a term I picked up from physician-turned-insomnia-specialist Daniel Erichsen. Sleep efforts are simply anything we do to force sleep to happen.

They might seem harmless and the zeitgeist of our times is partly to blame. Arguably, we live in a world that pushes a ‘fix it’ mentality. Mainstream insomnia advice tells us to try melatonin, stick to strict routines, and avoid screens before bed. On the surface, it sounds logical, doesn’t it?

Sleep efforts can be tricky though, because they shift the power to external things—like supplements or routines. This subtly send the message that your ability to sleep depends on them.