Unable to Sleep After a Bad Breakup 5 Tips to Help You Snooze

The worst breakups do more than affect your thoughts during the day -- they can leave you unable to sleep at night, too. And restless nights just add to the negative cycle!

If this is happening to you, dont despair. Here are five tips for helping you get to sleep after a breakup.

1. Cut the caffeine

This is pretty standard advice, but at no time is it more important than when youve got a lot on your mind. You cant afford to be amped up from caffeine when youre struggling to sleep. Cut out caffeinated drinks four to six hours before you plan to get shut eye.

2. Get exercise

Again, this advice is pretty standard for those seeking better sleep, but you should take it very seriously in the aftermath of a romantic split. Not only can exercise help you get over the breakup, it forces you to expend energy so youre thoroughly tired at the end of the day.

3. Write down your feelings

Turns out, jotting down emotions can be good for your health. While there is a bit of a divide about how social media plays into this -- does publicizing your emotions have the same benefits, or can be there be backlash? -- most researchers have found that private, expressive writing sessions have physical benefits.

Heres a tip: a few hours before you plan to sleep, write down how youre feeling in a private journal. This can help get toxic emotions off your chest relatively close to when youre going to sleep, but the process wont be so close to bedtime that youll be wrestling with fresh wounds as you attempt to slip into slumber.

4. Cut yourself some slack

We exist in a society propelled by benchmarks. Often, folks dealing with a broken heart also have the anxiety of wondering: Why am I not over this yet? Shouldnt I be feeling better now? 

This anxiety often compounds the stress of heartbreak!

Next time youre unable to sleep, breathe. Stop judging yourself. Youre on your own path -- abandon the benchmarks. This isnt a matter thats resolved "quickly" or "slowly." Focus on recovering one day at a time.

In the quiet stillness of your bedtime routine, remind yourself of this fact.

5. Stretch deeply.

Deep stretches -- like what can be found in yin yoga practice (although theyre not referred to as stretches) -- can help you work through darker periods of your life. First, by holding a stretch (or asana, if youre doing yoga) for a long time, youre forced into stillness. Youre at one with your mind, forced to contend with the thoughts frantically whirling around and, with practice, you learn to acknowledge and then let go of them.

But there are additional physical perks of deep stretches. Stretches trigger tiny tears in muscles, which releases endorphins and often makes the experience pleasant. It also makes muscles feel more relaxed, which can make sleep more easily attainable.

Next time you find yourself unable to sleep after a bad breakup, try out these tips for getting much-needed slumber. 

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