Sleep Onset: What Causes Trouble Falling Asleep and How to Fix It

When you lie down at night but your mind won’t shut off, you’re dealing with sleep onset, the time it takes to fall asleep after turning off the lights. It’s not laziness, not weakness—it’s a biological process that can get stuck. Also known as sleep latency, this phase is the gateway to rest, and when it breaks down, everything else suffers. Most people should fall asleep in 15 to 20 minutes. If it takes longer, consistently, you’re not alone. Over 30% of adults report trouble with sleep onset at least a few nights a week, and many don’t realize why.

Behind poor sleep onset are a few key players: circadian rhythm, your body’s internal 24-hour clock that tells you when to feel awake or tired. Disrupt it with late screens, irregular hours, or shift work, and your brain gets confused. Then there’s sleep hygiene, the habits and environment that either help or hurt your ability to drift off. That evening coffee? The phone in bed? The bright light from your TV? These aren’t minor annoyances—they’re sleep killers. And then there’s melatonin, the hormone your body naturally makes to signal bedtime. Stress, aging, or light exposure at night can crash its production, leaving you wired when you should be worn out. These aren’t separate problems—they’re connected. Poor sleep hygiene messes with your circadian rhythm, which lowers melatonin, which makes sleep onset harder. It’s a cycle.

What’s interesting is that most people try quick fixes—sleeping pills, herbal teas, white noise machines—without fixing the root cause. But the posts below don’t just list remedies. They show you how things like nasal steroid sprays (yes, even allergies can keep you up), generic drug safety (because some meds disrupt sleep), and even postpartum thyroid issues (a hidden cause of insomnia in new moms) tie into your ability to fall asleep. You’ll find real talk on what works, what doesn’t, and why some solutions backfire. No fluff. No myths. Just what you need to know to finally close your eyes and stay closed.