You’re tossing, turning, lying awake, even counting down the hours and calculating how much time you could have left to sleep. But is it all in your mind?

“One of the things that are important to recognize is that part of this stress of not sleeping is actually causing you NOT to sleep.” Dr. Jose Colon is the Medical Director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine for The Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida. He says the problem may literally be in your head. ”There is something called ‘psychophysiological insomnia’. That’s essentially a type of chronic insomnia of which you have trained your body without knowing to associate the bed with negative thoughts about sleep,” he adds.

Dr. Colon coaches families on how to get a better night’s sleep. He says this problem is not uncommon. “Sometimes you will lie in bed and just think bout the fact that you are not sleeping, you’ll think bout the fact that you won’t function,” he explains. He also has a few interesting remedies. “If you are constantly telling yourself you are not sleeping keeps you awake, we recommend that you do the opposite. Sometimes you take a look at the ceiling and you stare at it and say, ‘I’m going to keep my eyes open’.’’

He also instructs families to keep electronics, bills, and any other distractions out of the bedroom. This will train your mind to recognize that the bedroom is strictly for sleep, leading to a better night of slumber.