Sleep: three doctor-taught ways to switch off before bed

The article reports that stress can keep the nervous system alert and fragment sleep, leaving people tired even after eight hours in bed, and it describes three habits—keeping a bedtime routine, writing down worries and positives, and using cognitive shuffling—that doctors said can help the mind relax before sleep.

Many people spend eight hours in bed yet still wake up exhausted, and the article explores why that can happen. The author says stress, rather than time asleep, was the key issue in their case. Dr. Anita Raja, a sleep expert in partnership with Herbalife, explains that elevated cortisol and an alert nervous system can fragment sleep and reduce restorative stages. The piece reports three approaches described by doctors to help the mind "switch off" before bedtime. What the article reports: - Stress activates fight-or-flight hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which the article says can keep the nervous system alert at night. - The article reports that elevated nighttime cortisol is linked to fragmented sleep and reduced time in deep and REM stages, which can leave people exhausted despite sleeping eight hours. - The article cites a Herbalife survey finding 37% of women in the UK say they "feel stressed often" and Resmed research noting 39% of people identify stress as a sleep disruptor. - Doctors quoted in the article described three approaches: maintaining a calming bedtime routine, writing down three worries with possible solutions plus positive moments, and using cognitive shuffling to redirect the mind. Summary: The article frames stress as a common reason for poor sleep quality even when sleep duration appears sufficient, and it reports that doctors described three simple habits aimed at helping the nervous system wind down before bed. Undetermined at this time.