How do you sleep well if the Next day is especially troubling and stressful?

I like to believe what happens, happens. I need to just sleep and try my best to not think about it, of course this sounds generic and cliche, but it's the best advice I use for myself, and it works for me!

About one week in advance, start training your body to fall asleep around the same time at night. In the weeks before my MCAT, I was in bed by 10 PM every night - phone off, lights off, and thinking soothing thoughts. Make sure there isn't any light or noise pollution, take 10 deep breaths, and start listing presidents starting from George Washington. I hardly ever made it past John Quincy Adams.

By relaxing your mind and body, not overthinking or thinking at all about the next day, taking deep breaths and having positive thoughts.

Positive thinking is key to any stressful situation. Many people also chose to do something prior to going to sleep to soothe the mind whether it's through meditation, listening to music, reading, etc.

Remember that thinking about it at night doesn't help. There is nothing you can do about it so push it out of your mind and worry about it later

If I'm having difficulties sleeping due to the stressful day ahead, I try to remember that if I am not well rested the day will only become more difficult to take on. I try to close my eyes and take long, deep breaths and put my mind at ease. Worrying yourself into sleeplessness will only make the day more stressful! :)

Try writing down your thoughts and worries about the next day before you go to bed. Then focus on doing relaxing things that will help you sleep well.

Try your best to not think about the stress that the next day holds. Do something you enjoy or loved doing and focus all of your attention into something to help you relax before you sleep.

I like to remember that it is simply one day. That I will be laying in bed the next night reflecting on the day and be thinking - if I had just relaxed I would have had no problem. So the conclusion - Know that worrying will only make it worse :)

Do a 'brain dump' by jotting down your worries and fears, or whatever is on your mind. This process can allow you to think of solutions to your fears, putting your mind at ease. Brain dumps can help offload your thoughts onto paper, so your brain can focus more on sleep. If your stress and worry is too large to be removed from a 'brain dump', you can try doing Strutured Problem Solving. You can use a template similar to this: https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/16-structured-problem-solving.pdf You can also try mindfulness meditation to let go of worrying thoughts, so you can relax and fall asleep easier. Do not sleep when you are stressed, anxious, or not sleepy. Your brain will associate your bed with wakefulness or anxiety over time, and it would eventually become very difficult to fall asleep once you get into bed.