Sleep and mental health are a two-way street: poor sleep worsens mood and anxiety, which in turn wreck sleep. Before reaching for medication, we always fix the basics:

Keep one wake-up time, seven days a week — it anchors your body clock more than bedtime does.

Use the bed only for sleep. If you are awake more than 20 minutes, get up, sit somewhere dim, and return when sleepy. This retrains your brain to link bed with sleep, not scrolling and worrying.

No caffeine after mid-day, and treat late-night phone use as caffeine for the eyes: screens push your clock later and feed the 3 am worry loop.

Schedule a 15-minute 'worry window' early in the evening — write concerns down and park them. It sounds simple; in studies it measurably reduces night-time rumination.

If sleep has not recovered after a few weeks of this, or you suspect nightmares, apnea or restless legs, book an assessment. Persistent insomnia is very treatable — and treating it often lifts mood dramatically.