Why Trying Harder to Sleep Is Often Part of the Problem
(And What Actually Helps Busy Professionals Sleep Better)
If you’re a busy professional struggling with sleep, chances are you’ve already tried doing more to fix it.
Earlier nights.
Less scrolling.
More supplements.
Stricter routines.
Intensive workouts in the gym.
And yet, despite feeling exhausted, sleep still feels unreliable → light, broken, or impossible to “switch” on when you need it most.
One of the most common beliefs I hear from my corporate clients is this:
“If I’m tired enough, I’ll eventually sleep.”
It sounds logical. But in reality, this mindset is often one of the reasons sleep problems persist, especially for high-functioning professionals.
The Sleep Myth That Keeps You Awake at Night
Sleep isn’t something you can force through willpower or exhaustion or have a magic button to press (wouldn’t that be nice?). Sleep happens easier when your nervous system feels safe enough to rest.
For many corporate millennials, daily life keeps the body in a near-constant state of alert:
tight deadlines
performance pressure
back-to-back meetings
long hours of mental effort
little time to properly decompress
By the time you get into bed, your body hasn’t received the signal that it’s okay to switch off, even if you’re physically exhausted.
This is why so many people experience:
feeling tired but wired at night
racing thoughts when trying to fall asleep
waking up at 3–4am and struggling to get back to sleep
anxiety about sleep itself
Trying harder → clock-watching, mentally negotiating with yourself, forcing routines… you name it! They often increases pressure. And pressure keeps the nervous system on high alert. Can you spot the vicious cycle beginning to form?
“I’m Functioning… But I’m Not Sleeping Well”
Many of the people I work with don’t see themselves as having “serious” sleep problems.
They’re still working.
Still performing.
Still pushing through.
But poor sleep doesn’t just affect energy levels. Over time, it impacts:
emotional regulation
concentration and decision-making
stress tolerance
anxiety levels
how safe and settled your body feels day to day
This is why sleep is increasingly recognised as foundational, not optional, especially for professionals managing high cognitive and emotional load on the daily.
I’ve spoken about this publicly (alongside other incredible experts in the area) in recent media features, including:
Yahoo News UK, on why prioritising sleep is essential for long-term health
Huffington Post UK, exploring the mental and emotional benefits of quality sleep
Tom’s Guide, discussing why insomnia often spikes during periods of pressure or disruption
Which?, addressing common “reset” myths that promise quick fixes but ignore nervous system health
Across all of these conversations, the same message emerges:
Better sleep often time starts with helping to regulating the nervous system — not controlling behaviour harder (although behaviour is an important piece of the puzzle too!).
What Actually Helps You Sleep Better (Long Term)
If you’re searching for how to sleep better as a busy professional, the answer usually isn’t another productivity-style solution.
What helps is:
understanding how stress affects your nervous system
learning how to down-regulate after mentally demanding days
stopping the cycle of effort → frustration → hyper-alertness
creating conditions where sleep can happen easier, more naturally
This is why generic “sleep tips” often fail people with demanding careers. They focus on external habits, but ignore what’s happening internally. Sleep tends to improve when your body feels safe, not when it’s pushed harder.
Support Beyond This Article
From time to time, I offer in-person, experiential workshops focused on sleep and nervous system regulation. These are designed for people who want to move beyond information and actually experience what rest feels like again.
If you’d like to explore current offerings, you can find details here:
👉 Sleep Deeply – experiential sleep workshop (London)
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sleep-deeply-an-experiential-workshop-for-better-sleep-tickets-1979730717870
You’ll also find ongoing reflections, practical insights, and nervous-system-led perspectives throughout this blog — particularly for professionals navigating stress, burnout, and sleep disruption.
If you find yourself struggling to cope with sleep disturbances, don't hesitate to seek support from a qualified professional. If you’re considering exploring a personalised online approach, my 90-min Power Sleep Session might be the one for you. Designed exclusively for individualised support, this one-on-one approach is crafted to enhance sleep quality and quantity, increase energy levels, improve focus, and address issues related to worry and stress.
My Power Sleep Session helps you break free from sleepless nights, giving you back your energy and getting you to prioritise sleep and wellbeing once more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep for Busy Professionals
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Feeling exhausted yet unable to sleep may often be caused by a nervous system stuck in alert mode. Stress, work pressure, and mental load keep your body in “fight-or-flight,” making it difficult to transition into rest, even when your body feels physically tired.
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Better sleep comes from regulating the nervous system, not forcing it. Strategies like gentle evening winding down activities (which are calming and soothing in themselves), mindfulness, sleep meditations or hypnosis, and body-led relaxation help the nervous system shift from alertness to rest, improving sleep quality.
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Forcing sleep activates the thinking mind and stress responses, which signals your nervous system to stay alert. This “effort to sleep” loop may perpetuate insomnia, making sleep feel even more elusive.
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Yes, for some individuals. High stress levels help keep the body in sympathetic nervous system activation. Without conscious down-regulation, being tired alone may prove to be not enough for restful, restorative sleep.
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Instead of trying to “switch off” your thoughts, techniques like grounding, slow or deep breathing, journaling, and progressive relaxation allow the nervous system to settle, making falling asleep easier.
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Yes. Experiential workshops that focus on nervous system regulation and body-led practices help people feel rest, rather than just learning tips. These approaches teach skills you can continue using nightly. Therapy and/or hypnotherapy can also be powerful tools to help you overcome your sleep issues (especially when it comes to insomnia - see CBTi - cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia).