The case for going to bed a little annoyed

Most of the sleep advice people bring me is about getting the evening perfect: no screens, no arguments, the right tea, the right temperature. Then a single bad evening feels like a promise of a bad night — and that worry, not the evening, is what keeps them awake.

Sleep is sturdier than it feels

Your body is good at sleeping. It has been doing it every night of your life, often after worse evenings than this one. You can go to bed a little annoyed and still sleep.

Sleep is not a test you can fail. Most nights get better once you stop fighting them.

What actually helps

• Get up at the same time, whatever the night was like.
• If you are awake and frustrated for a long while, get up, sit somewhere dim, come back when sleepy.
• Keep the bed for sleep — not for the argument you are rehearsing.

If a bad month of sleep has become a bad year, that is worth talking about with someone. But one bad evening is just that.