Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on November 3, which means it’s almost time for most people in the United States and Canada to turn their clocks back an hour.

Many experts agree that “falling back” is an easier transition than moving forward in March (in part because you can get an extra hour off the morning after the clocks change). But any changes to your sleep schedule can be difficult to navigate, especially if you have trouble falling or staying asleep.

On-demand persuasion can be difficult even when you don’t have to deal with time resets. Research shows that between 50 and 70 million Americans have o chronic sleep disorderand one in three adults say they don’t get enough sleep each day.

If you are constantly struggling with sleepit’s a good idea to see a doctor for an evaluation to see what might be behind this. But even if you have a smooth sleep situation, you may have the odd night or two when it’s hard to fall asleep, including after turning back the clock this week.

With that in mind, we tapped four experts who treat sleep disorders to see what they do when they just can’t sleep. Here are their tips.

When sleep doesn’t come quickly, it’s time for audiobooks Jade Wu, Ph.Da board certified specialist in behavioral sleep medicine and author of Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Drugs. “I listen to an audio book or a lecture from the Great Courses,” she said Health. “I’m currently listening to a series of theoretical physics lectures on quantum mechanics.”

Wu said she’s learned to think of the time she’s having trouble sleeping as “extra ‘me’ time to enjoy something I don’t always have enough time to do.”

“I love to read, but my busy life doesn’t allow for much uninterrupted, quiet reading time,” she said. “I like audio books and lectures because then I can also do some stretching or take a nap. I often fall asleep while listening. Even if I don’t, I can enjoy my book or my lecture.”

Wu said he recommends this hack to everyone. “The vast majority of patients and people I’ve recommended it to have liked it and found it helpful in at least reducing anxiety and frustration with insomnia,” she said. “Many times they found they must have slept more than they realized because they didn’t remember all the lectures and chapters they listened to, which further reduced their anxiety about sleep .”

This movement can allow people to feel relaxed instead of trying to focus on sleep, she said. For those who want to try this, Wu suggests starting an audiobook habit during waking hours. “Maybe you already have an audio book or a lecture series in the background of your life,” she said. “Feel free to listen when you’re folding laundry, driving, etc., so when you want to get into it while you’re having trouble falling asleep, you can get right into it.”

Another thing to remember: It’s best to avoid overly stimulating content. If it is, Wu said you might end up trying to keep listening to find out what happens next.

Changing your mindset about sleep can make a big difference, W. Christopher Winter, MDneurologist and sleep medicine physician at Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host Sleep Disconnected podcast, he said Health.

“I don’t really think of it as a ‘can’t sleep’ situation… I’m just not sleeping right now,” he said. “It’s no different than lunchtime when I roll in and I’m not hungry.”

Winter said she’s learned to enjoy being awake in bed and doesn’t stress when sleep doesn’t come easily. “It’s quiet and peaceful and I feel a positive sense of being free of all responsibility,” he said.

“The Secret of Overcoming insomnia is finding joy in being in bed, awake,” Winter continued, referring to a common sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. “I’ve had patients describe being up at night in the worst, most bleak terms. Why has simply being awake in a comfortable bed become such a dire situation? If you can learn to be as happy in bed awake as you are when you are asleep, insomnia will lose its grip on you.”

Winter stressed that struggling with sleep from time to time is “normal.” Because of this, “everyone needs to have a plan for the situation and really evaluate the emotions they bring into it. These emotions can contribute enormously to sleep problems,” he said.

So Winter advises people to “stop trying to control” insomnia. “Learn to enjoy resting for a while until sleep comes, because eventually it always does,” he said. “There’s really no such thing as ‘I can’t sleep’… just ‘I can’t sleep right now’.”

Eunice Torres Rivera, MDsaid a sleep medicine doctor at Northwestern Medicine Health that he takes action when he can’t sleep. “I get out of bed and move to another area of ​​the house,” she said. “It has to be somewhere comfortable, dimly lit or dark. That helps me reset.”

Then he will do something relaxing. “That means practicing breathing exercises or listening to a meditationshe said.

Torres Rivera said you can also watch TV, though she suggests setting the screen to night mode or using a blue light filter. “Ultimately, it’s a matter of doing something that you find comforting or relaxing,” she said.

Wu said she could go back to bed if she felt sleepy. But she also chooses a place where she agrees to fall asleep.

“Don’t look at the clock and make it a time-based thing,” Wu said. Then, she suggests continuing with your regular morning wake-up time. “This will strengthen your sleep for the next day,” she said.

Dr. Andrea Spaethsaid a sleep medicine researcher at Rutgers-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences Health that it is useful for her to try to think about the cause of what might be keeping her awake. “It’s usually too much caffeine or stress,” she said. “Then I remind myself that it’s temporary and it’s okay to have a bad night’s sleep every now and then.”

Spaeth said it’s important to remember that sleep changes as you age. “Assuming you’re going to sleep like you did when you were a teenager is not a good comparison,” she said. “Sleep needs and patterns change as we age, and that’s fine as long as it doesn’t affect your function during the day.”

Spaeth said stressing about inadequate sleep will only make it worse. “Chronic poor sleep is associated with negative health outcomes, but having a bad night’s sleep every once in a while is normal and won’t have long-lasting effects,” she said. “Health behaviors are important goals, but it’s okay not to meet those goals every day,” she said.

“Overanalyzing and overthinking our health can have its own negative results,” Spaeth added.

She also offers this advice: “If you’re having a bad night, try to figure out why and then move on. Chances are you’ll sleep well the next night.”