Do not rush to take sleeping pills: Psychiatrist offers ways to fall asleep without them

A disrupted sleep schedule after summer does not always require sleeping pills, psychiatrist Edgaras Diržius says. Returning to work or school routines can be difficult after longer evenings, active leisure and months of altered habits.

Light is not the only factor. A longer period of daylight can affect the body’s preparation for sleep, while late physical activity, screen use, eating late, caffeine and alcohol can also make it harder to rest. Diržius warned that alcohol, sometimes mistakenly viewed as a way to relax and fall asleep faster, can instead reduce sleep quality. People may sleep through the night and still wake feeling unrested.

Anxiety can add another layer of difficulty as autumn begins. Thoughts about returning to normal work or study, new plans and unfinished tasks may keep turning over in the mind. Diržius said this can create a cycle in which people worry about not falling asleep, become more tense and then find sleep even harder to reach.

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Sleep difficulties can also be caused by late physical activity, screen use, eating late, caffeine or alcohol. The latter is sometimes mistakenly viewed as a way to relax and fall asleep faster. However, alcohol works in the opposite way: it can disrupt sleep quality, so even after sleeping through the night, you may not feel rested in the morning.

One bad night does not necessarily mean insomnia. Stress, travel and temporary changes in routine can cause short-term sleep problems. Concern becomes more warranted when difficulty falling asleep, repeated awakenings or waking too early occur regularly and begin interfering with daily life. A 2025 meta-analysis of 47 studies found insomnia in about 12.4 percent of the general population.

The effects can extend beyond tiredness and daytime sleepiness, including problems with concentration, reduced work capacity and poorer emotional well-being. Diržius said persistent sleep deprivation can eventually affect bodily functions and mental and physical health. Adults are generally advised to sleep at least seven hours regularly, but he stressed that quality and consistency matter too. His first recommendation is to review the daily schedule and keep similar waking and sleeping times each day.

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It is important to note that, over time, persistent sleep deprivation can affect various bodily functions and disrupt mental and physical health.