64 Quotes on Insomnia & 4 Poems about Getting no Sleep

Jacqueline Eisenbraun (Senior Editor)

Most of us have experienced this: Your thoughts are racing far too fast to even think about sleep. If you are also an insomniac looking for aphorisms on the subject, you will find them right here, in this article. We are proud to present you our collection of the best quotes and sayings about insomnia.

Just about everyone knows the feeling: even though you have an important appointment in the morning or have to get up early, your mind starts spinning, and you just can’t fall asleep. You try your best to clear your head, but nothing seems to help.

“I Can’t Sleep”: Quotes on Insomnia to Think about

“I Can’t Sleep”: Quotes on Insomnia to Think about

We start our collection of aphorisms with sayings about insomnia that are guaranteed to make you think. You will find quotes from famous others, amongst them, who often address the topic of insomnia and partly suffer from the condition themselves. Especially insomniacs will relate to these sayings.

Amongst other things, they refer to the insomnia that develops when you have too many thoughts in your head. You can simply read them for yourself or share them with friends or relatives who also struggle to sleep.

1. A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow.
   (Charlotte Brontë, English writer, 1816-1855)
2. The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to.
   (F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist, 1896-1940)
3. Nothing cures insomnia like the realization that it’s time to get up.
   (Unknown)
4. Both sleep and insomnolency, when immoderate, are bad.
   (Hippocrates of Kos, Greek physician, c. 460-377 B.C.)
5. The best cure for insomnia is a Monday morning.
   (Unknown)
6. The scary thing about having insomnia is not the hours lost for sleeping, but the re-run of thoughts you’ve been trying to forget.
   (Unknown)
7. Don’t fight with your pillow, but lay down your head
   And kick every worriment out of the bed.
   (Edmund Vance Cooke, Canadian poet, 1866-1932)
8. A little insomnia is not without its value in making us appreciate sleep, in throwing a ray of light upon that darkness.
   (Marcel Proust, French author, 1871-1922)
9. You have to have sleepless nights to know something of the secret of the great silence at midnight.
   (Ferdinand Ebner, Austrian philosopher, 1882-1931)
10. It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward.
    (Baltasar Gracián y Morales, Spanish Jesuit, moral philosopher and writer, 1601-1658)
11. O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature’s soft nurse, how have I frightened thee. That thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, And steep my senses in forgetfulness?
    (William Shakespeare, English playwright, 1564-1616)
12. I invite thee with longing,
    Beloved sleep! Come to hover over me.
    Sweet it is to live thus without life,
    Sweet to be so dead without death.
    (Friedrich Haug, German poet, 1761-1829)
13. The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.
    (William Claude Fields, US actor, 1880-1946)
14. Legend says when you can’t sleep at night, it’s because you’re awake in someone else’s dreams.
    (Unknown)

Funny Quotes about Insomnia

Funny Quotes about Insomnia

Sleep disorders and insomnia are serious issues, which in the long run can also bring serious health consequences along with them. But if you don’t take your sleepless nights so seriously, the following sayings will certainly amuse you.

Whilst insomnia itself is no laughing matter for those suffering from it, you should never lose your sense of humor.

Send these out to fellow sufferers, to also lighten up their mood a little and especially knowing that they are not alone. It’s nice to be understood by people who suffer from the same condition and to exchange your experiences. So a quote on insomnia on the lighter side might be just what they need right now.

1. Error 404, sleep not found.
   (Unknown)
2. Look on the bright side, your insomnia keeps most of the spiders out of your mouth.
   (Unknown)
3. Brain: I can see you’re trying to sleep, can I offer a selection of your worst memories from the last 10 years?
   (Unknown)
4. My brain has too many tabs open, especially at night.
   (Unknown)
5. 3 Out Of 4 Voices In My Head Want To Sleep. The Other Wants To Know If Penguins Have Knees!
   (Unknown)
6. While others enjoy their restful sleep, I go on another round of thought carousel.
   (Unknown)
7. I finally got 8 hours of sleep. Took me four days, but whatever.
   (Unknown)
8. Me risking my joy, career, and future to get extra 15 minutes of sleep.
   (Unknown)
9. Dear mind, please stop thinking so much at night. I need sleep.
   (Unknown)
10. Due to tonight’s lack of sleep, tomorrow has been canceled.
    (Unknown)
11. I don’t have a sleep disorder. I have internet.
    (Unknown)
12. I have many sleepless nights, do you want to spend some of them with me?
    (Unknown)
13. My bed is a magical place where I suddenly remember everything I forgot to do.
    (Unknown)
14. I’m sleepless because my mind is always on night shift.
    (Unknown)

Here you’ll find more funny quotes.

“I Can’t Sleep” Quotes on Insomnia

“I Can’t Sleep” Quotes on Insomnia

Here we go with more aphorisms and quotes for people who lie awake at night. Some sayings are from well known people and others stem from unknown origin. Either way, they will be relatable to people who can’t seem to get any sleep.

Experiencing a sleepless night? Perfect time to read through some quotes. Why not share one of the aphorisms on insomnia on Instagram or Facebook?

1. My day starts upside down… I wake up tired and go to bed wide awake.
   (Unknown)
2. I feel like I’m already tired tomorrow.
   (Unknown)
3. My mind decides to run when normal people sleep.
   (Unknown)
4. Insomnia is just another word for chit chat with the demons during bedtime.
   (Daniel Saint, Syrian monk, 409-490)
5. I want to sleep, but my brain won’t stop talking to itself.
   (Unknown)
6. My nights are for overthinking, my mornings are for oversleeping.
   (Unknown)
7. Insomnia, please set me free and let me dream.
   (Unknown)
8. Only the insomniac looks on with open eyes, like a cadaver who forgot to die.
   (Gyula Krúdy, Hungarian writer, 1878-1933)
9. I find the nights long, for I sleep but little, and think much.
   (Charles Dickens, English writer, 1812-1870)
10. Every man’s insomnia is as different from his neighbor’s as are their daytime hopes and aspirations
    (F. Scott Fitzgerald, American novelist, 1896-1940)
11. The sun watches what I do, but the moon knows all my secrets.
    (Unknown)
12. There are twelve hours in the day, and above fifty in the night.
    (Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, French author, 1626-1696)
13. Nothing is louder than overthinking after midnight.
    (Unknown)
14. My eyelids are heavy, but my thoughts are heavier.
    (Unknown)
15. Insomnia sharpens your math skills because you spend all night calculating how much sleep you’ll get if you’re able to fall asleep “right now”.
    (Unknown)
16. My eyelids are heavy, but my thoughts are heavier.
    (Unknown)
17. Insomnia never comes to a man who has to get up exactly at six o’clock. Insomnia troubles only those who can sleep any time.
    (Elbert Hubbard, American writer, 1856-1915)
18. The heights by great men reached and kept / were not attained by sudden flight /But they, while their companions slept /Were toiling upward in the night.
    (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet, 1807-1882)
19. Insomnia is the violence of the night over a man.
    (Victor Hugo, French author, 1802-1885)

Poems about Insomnia and Sleepless Nights

Poems about Insomnia and Sleepless Nights

There are also poems dedicated to the theme of insomnia. It has plagued people since the beginning of time, and many writers and renown figures seemed to have suffered from insomnia too.

It is a well covered topic in writing of all genres, and has also found its way into poetry. We have collected four of our favorite poems on the subject below.

1)

Sleepless

From dreaming I wake in distress and in fright;
O why does the lark sing so late in the night!

The daylight has vanished and daybreak is far,
And here on my pillow shines many a star.

The lark is still singing, the voice of the morrow,
The lark trills for joy, my heart breaks in sorrow.

(Theodor Storm, German writer, 1817-1888)

2)

Sonnet 27

Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head
To work my mind, when body’s work’s expired …

(William Shakespeare, English playwright, 1564-1616)

3)

To sleep

Poem: To sleep

A flock of sheep that leisurely pass by,
One after one; the sound of rain, and bees
Murmuring; the fall of rivers, winds and seas,
Smooth fields, white sheets of water, and pure sky;
I have thought of all by turns, and yet do lie
Sleepless! and soon the small birds’ melodies
Must hear, first uttered from my orchard trees;
And the first cuckoo’s melancholy cry …

(William Wordsworth, English poet, 1770-1850)

4)

Come Sleep! O Sleep, the certain knot of peace

Come Sleep! O Sleep, the certain knot of peace,
The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe,
The poor man’s wealth, the prisoner’s release,
Th' indifferent judge between the high and low.
With shield of proof shield me from out the prease
Of those fierce darts despair at me doth throw:
O make in me those civil wars to cease;
I will good tribute pay, if thou do so.
Take thou of me smooth pillows, sweetest bed,
A chamber deaf to noise and blind to light,
A rosy garland and a weary head:
And if these things, as being thine by right,
Move not thy heavy grace, thou shalt in me,
Livelier than elsewhere, Stella’s image see.

(Sir Philip Sidney, English poet, 1554-1586)

Turn Off Your Thoughts: What to Do When You Can’t Sleep

Turn Off Your Thoughts: What to Do When You Can’t Sleep

If you can’t get to rest and are having trouble falling asleep as a result, maybe the following tips can help. We have compiled a number of helpful advice on the subject and researched different ways on how to fall asleep easier.

We hope they help you get some well deserved rest, should you also suffer from insomnia.

Write Down Your Thoughts

In most cases, it helps immensely to write down your thoughts. This prevents chaos in your head and brings structure to your individual thought processes.

Writing down your thoughts will also help your brain to process your daily experiences and worries better.

At best, don’t just start writing things down when the carousel of thoughts has already begun to spin. So always start writing five to ten minutes before you plan on going to bed.

Tip: Put a notepad and pen next to your bed, so you always have something to write with.

Distract Yourself

Distract Yourself

Trying with all your might to fall asleep will certainly not get you anywhere.

In most cases, it’s actually counterproductive. So when you reach this point, you should get up and distract yourself.

As a rule of thumb, if you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up again. But be careful, you should avoid reaching for your smartphone or laptop.

The blue light and brightness of such technical devices ensures that your brain does not release melatonin. Melatonin is the body’s own sleep hormone, which is broken down again in the morning. Without melatonin, your body won’t receive the “signal” to sleep.

As an alternative, you can read a book, for example – but here, too, you should avoid nerve-racking thrillers or crime novels. Ideally, you should choose a relaxing activity, such as cuddling your pets or folding your laundry.

Apply Relaxation Techniques

Apply Relaxation Techniques

If you regularly use relaxation techniques, you will not only be more resilient and focused on your everyday life, you will also fall asleep faster.

In particular, Jacobsen’s Progressive Muscle Relaxation is an excellent way to switch off your thoughts and focus completely on your physical sensations.

By using this method, you focus on important muscle parts of your body. The principle is based on the alternating tension and relaxation of various muscles. A positive side effect: Progressive muscle relaxation also relieves headaches.

Autogenic training is likewise a popular method for relaxation. This is a form of self-hypnosis that “switches” your bodily functions to a state of rest.

If you are new to this technique, you’ll need some practice at the beginning, but it’s worth the effort—especially if you’re regularly pulling all-nighters.

Listen to Classical Music

Listen to Classical Music

Many people listen to classical music to help them fall asleep. Especially quiet melodies without strongly emphasized rhythm elements are best suited to fall asleep.

Many medical studies have shown so far that music positively influences our sleep behavior – both in children and adults. Maybe the focus on the calm melody will help you too to forget your worries for the moment.

Count Your Breaths

Count Your Breaths

The British religious philosopher Alan Watts said that thoughts are like a cloudy glass of water.

If you keep stirring it, the water will not become clearer. Instead, you can shut off your thoughts by counting your breaths.

Similar to counting sheep, you give your brain a monotonous task that makes you tired. But here you have the positive side effect that your body is additionally relaxed by the calm breathing technique.

Of course, you can also use special breathing techniques – for example, yoga alternate breathing, also known as Nadi Shodhana. Here, you breathe in alternately through only one nostril. So in on the right and out on the left. And vice versa. You hold the other nostril closed with one finger.

Have Sex

It is well known that regular sex helps to turn off the mind. From a biochemical point of view, intercourse is even beneficial for other reasons, because: Your body releases various hormones. Your brain is working at full speed.

Among other things, prolactin is released. Similar to melatonin, it makes you fall asleep quickly. The so-called fidelity hormone oxytocin is also released, which helps to counteract anxiety and stress.

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