Last Updated on February 23, 2026 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
We’ve all been there. You’re lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, totally exhausted — but sleep just won’t come. Or maybe you fall asleep fine, but you wake up at 2 or 3 AM and can’t get back to sleep no matter what you do.
If you’re wondering what to do when you can’t sleep, you’re in the right place. Today I’m going to skip all the tips you’ve already heard (yes, I know about limiting caffeine!) and get into the real root causes of why sleep is so hard for so many people. Once you understand why it’s happening, the fix starts to make a lot more sense.
Let’s dive in.
Why Can’t I Sleep? The Two Biggest Root Causes
High Cortisol
Cortisol is your stress hormone. It should be highest in the morning to wake you up, and then slowly drop throughout the day so you feel sleepy at night. But if your body is stuck in “fight-or-flight” mode, which is very common today, cortisol can stay high in the evening when it should be dropping. This keeps your brain wired and alert, even when your body is completely exhausted. Sound familiar? This is called the “wired but tired” feeling.
Here are some everyday things that can keep cortisol too high at night:
– Using overhead lights after sunset
– Not eating enough food during the day
– Skipping meals or fasting too long
– Being too busy and over-scheduled
– Not getting sunlight in the morning
– Mental or emotional stress
– Over-exercising
– Eating a very low-carb diet
– Always being in a rush
Blood Sugar Imbalance
This one is huge, and most people don’t connect the dots. When your blood sugar drops too low in the middle of the night, your body sends out cortisol to bring it back up. That spike in cortisol wakes you up and often sends you straight to the bathroom.
If you wake up between 1 and 4 AM and need to use the restroom, blood sugar imbalance is almost certainly the reason. The good news? This is very fixable.
What To Do When You Can’t Sleep: 12 Holistic Tips
1. Eat a Small Protein + Fat Snack Before Bed
If you get a second wind at night, or you lie down and just can’t fall asleep, try eating a small protein and fat snack right before bed. A piece of raw cheese, a spoonful of almond butter, or half a chomps stick all work great. This helps bring high cortisol levels back down so your body can relax and sleep.
2. Eat a Snack If You Wake Up at Night
If you wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep, do the same thing and eat a small protein/fat snack. A hard boiled egg, raw cheese, or a spoonful of almond butter can calm the cortisol spike that woke you up and help you fall back asleep faster.
3. Balance Your Adrenals During the Day
Cortisol is made by your adrenal glands. When your adrenals are overworked, your whole sleep cycle can get thrown off. Taking steps to support your adrenals during the day like reducing stress, eating regular meals, and avoiding fasting can have a big impact on your sleep at night.
4. Use Essential Oils
Before bed, rub 1 drop of cedarwood and 1 drop of lavender on the bottoms of your feet. Then diffuse those same oils in your bedroom. I’ve shared this blend with thousands of people, and I can’t tell you how many of them come back amazed at how well they slept. It’s simple, it’s natural, and it works!
5. Turn Off Your Wi-Fi and Put Your Phone Away
Man-made electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from Wi-Fi, phones, and computers can disrupt sleep. Put your phone in another room or at least switch it to airplane mode. Unplug computers in your bedroom. You can even put an automatic timer on your router so it turns off when you go to bed. This is a small change that can make a big difference.
6. Cut Back on Sugar
If you’re waking up at night to use the bathroom, it’s almost always a blood sugar issue. Cutting back on sugar during the day, avoiding intermittent fasting and eating 3 meals a day can help keep your blood sugar more stable at night. This will result in fewer wake-ups and better, deeper sleep.
7. Support Your Liver If You Wake Up Sweating
Night sweats are usually a sign of liver congestion. Supporting your liver with the right foods and supplements can help reduce or even eliminate night sweats completely.
Here are my top tips to support the liver naturally to get rid of night sweats.
8. Get More Magnesium
Magnesium calms the nervous system and helps your body wind down. But stress burns through magnesium fast, which is why so many of us are low in it! A simple way to boost your magnesium is to take an Epsom salt bath for 20 minutes before bed. You can also take a magnesium supplement if needed. My favorite is magnesium lactate.
9. Eat More Vitamin A-Rich Foods
Vitamin A (aka retinol) plays a big role in setting your body’s internal clock. When your body gets enough Vitamin A, it can properly respond to light signals — knowing when it’s daytime and when it’s time to sleep.
Get your Vitamin A from eggs, grass-fed meats, organ meats, and cultured dairy. Cod liver oil is also a wonderful supplement for this.
10. Get Morning Sunlight
This is free, simple, and incredibly powerful. Every morning, go outside and spend 2–3 minutes getting natural sunlight in your eyes (don’t look directly at the sun). This tells your brain to set your circadian rhythm and signals that it needs to make melatonin about 12 hours later.
If you can also step outside for a few minutes at sunset, that sends another sleep signal to your body. Do this every day and you’ll notice a real difference.
11. Try Natural Sleep Supplements
While you’re working on the root causes, these supplements can help you get better sleep in the meantime:
MinChex — take 2 before bed
Valerian Complex — take 1 before bed
Nevaton Forte — take 1 before bed
12. Evaluate Your Bedroom
Sometimes the fix is simpler than you think. Ask yourself:
– Is my mattress supportive? If not, it might be time for a new non-toxic mattress.
– Is my room dark enough? Try blackout shades or unplug electronics that glow.
– Is the temperature right? A small fan or hot water bottle can help a lot.
A good sleep environment sets the stage for everything else to work.
What Can I Drink to Help Me Sleep?
Chamomile tea is one of my all-time favorites. It’s naturally calming and easy to find. Just make sure to drink it plain without sweetener. Sugar raises your blood sugar, which can actually make it harder to fall asleep.
And don’t forget the protein and fat snack trick mentioned above. A small snack like a hard boiled egg, a spoonful of almond butter, or a piece of raw cheese can help lower cortisol quickly so you can drift off to sleep with ease.
Why Am I Sleepy But Can’t Fall Asleep?
One of the most frustrating feels is being totally exhausted but still unable to sleep. This is almost always a sign of high cortisol. Your body is tired, but cortisol is keeping your brain alert. This is called the “wired but tired” state. The tips above, especially the protein and fat bedtime snack, cutting stress, and getting morning sunlight, can help break this cycle.
The Bottom Line
Sleep is when your body heals, restores, and resets. Not getting enough sleep can lead to serious health problems over time including heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid issues, depression, and adrenal fatigue.
But here’s the good news: most sleep problems can be solved when you get to the root cause. Whether it’s cortisol, blood sugar, low magnesium, or poor sleep habits, there are natural, gentle ways to get your sleep back on track.
Start with one or two tips from this list and see how you feel. Small changes add up, and your body truly wants to sleep. Sometimes it just needs a little support.
Sweet dreams!
