Most short-term sleep problems settle on their own or with a few changes to habits. See a GP if your sleep has been poor on most nights for several weeks and it is affecting how you function in the day, or straight away if any of the specific signs below apply to you. This page sets out those signs, what a GP in the UK is likely to suggest, how to get the most from the appointment, and where to turn if you need help urgently.
Nothing here is a diagnosis; the aim is to help you decide whether it is time to talk to someone who can make one.
Signs it is time to see a GP
Poor sleep most nights for several weeks. The NHS describes insomnia as long-term when it goes on for three months or more, but you do not need to wait that long. If it has been a month, you have tried the obvious changes and nothing has shifted, book the appointment.
Your days are suffering. Struggling to concentrate, making mistakes, feeling irritable or low, dozing at your desk, or avoiding things because you are too tired.
Loud snoring with pauses, gasping or choking. If a partner has noticed you stop breathing or gasp in your sleep, or you wake with a dry mouth and headache and feel exhausted despite a full night, this can be a sign of sleep apnoea, a condition where the airway closes briefly and repeatedly during sleep. It is common and treatable, and it matters for the heart and blood pressure if left alone. Sharing a bed with someone who snores has its own guide, but if the snoring comes with pauses, it needs a GP.
An urge to move your legs in the evening. A creeping, crawling or restless feeling in the legs that comes on when you sit or lie still, eases when you move, and makes it hard to settle, is the pattern of restless legs syndrome. It has several possible causes, including low iron, which is easy to check.
Persistent low mood, or waking early feeling low. Sleep and mood are tightly linked in both directions. Waking at four or five in the morning and being unable to get back to sleep, especially with a heavy or hopeless feeling, is a pattern worth mentioning to a GP even if you would not otherwise have called yourself depressed. So is anxiety that centres on the night, including worry about sleep itself. The same goes for waking in the night with a racing heart.
Falling asleep while driving, or nodding off at work or in company. This is a safety issue, not just a sleep one. If you have ever felt yourself drifting at the wheel, stop driving until you have talked to a GP. The DVLA has rules about excessive sleepiness, and a GP can tell you where you stand.
Sleep problems alongside pain, breathlessness, frequent toilet trips, night sweats or a change in weight. These point to something other than insomnia and need a proper look.
You are relying on alcohol or over-the-counter remedies to sleep. Neither works well for long, and both cause problems of their own. A GP will not judge; they will be glad you mentioned it.
In short: Weeks of poor sleep with a knock-on effect on your days, or any of the specific signs above, is reason enough. You do not need to earn the appointment.
What a UK GP is likely to suggest
GPs follow national guidance on insomnia, and the first steps are usually not tablets.
A sleep diary. Most GPs will ask you to keep one for a week or two: bedtime, rough time you fell asleep, wakings, wake time, naps, caffeine and alcohol, and how you felt. It is the single most useful tool they have, and it often shows a pattern that was invisible from the inside.
Practical changes. A conversation about caffeine, alcohol, screens, the bedroom, exercise and regularity, along the lines of a realistic sleep hygiene checklist. This is the starting point for everyone, not a brush-off.
Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). This is the recommended first-line treatment for long-term insomnia in the UK. It is a structured programme, usually over four to eight sessions, that retrains the habits and thinking patterns that keep insomnia going: keeping bed for sleep, matching time in bed to time asleep, and loosening the anxiety that builds around the night. It has the strongest evidence of any insomnia treatment and its effects last. Access varies. Some areas offer it through NHS Talking Therapies, which in England you can refer yourself to; some offer a digital programme called Sleepio, which NICE has recommended as an option for the NHS; some have longer waits than others. Ask what is available where you live.
A look at anything else going on. Mood, anxiety, pain, menopause, thyroid, iron, medication timing. Sometimes the sleep problem is the visible part of something else, and treating that is the answer.
Referral to a sleep clinic. If sleep apnoea, restless legs, narcolepsy or another sleep disorder is suspected, a GP can refer you to a specialist sleep service for tests, which may include an overnight monitoring study at home or in hospital.
How to prepare for the appointment
Appointments are short, so a little preparation helps you get more from it.
- Keep a sleep diary for at least a week before you go.
- Note when the problem started and anything that changed around then: a new job, a bereavement, a new medicine, a house move.
- Bring a list of everything you take, including over-the-counter remedies, supplements and anything bought online.
- If you snore, ask your partner what they hear, and tell the GP.
- Ask directly: "Is CBT-I available here, and how do I get it?"
Where to get urgent help
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, or you feel you cannot keep yourself safe, call 999 or go to A&E. To talk to someone right now, at any hour, call Samaritans free on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.
If you need medical advice urgently and it is not an emergency, call NHS 111 or use 111 online.
If you have been awake for days with racing thoughts and feel you do not need sleep, or if you are frightened by what is happening at night, treat that as urgent and use the same routes. Lack of sleep makes everything feel darker than it is; that is a symptom, not the truth.
While you wait
Booking the appointment is the important step; you do not have to be perfect in the meantime. Keep the diary, hold a regular wake time, cut caffeine after lunch, and do not try to force sleep with long hours in bed. If you are not sure which kind of sleep problem you have, why can't I sleep will help you narrow it down. If the problem is mostly early waking, waking up too early covers what helps.
Where to go next
If any of the signs on this page describe you, book the appointment today and start the diary tonight. For more short answers, see our sleep questions.
Frequently asked questions
Will my GP give me sleeping tablets?
Usually not as a first step. UK guidance recommends cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia before medication, and sleeping tablets, where they are used, are typically prescribed for a short period only because they lose their effect and can be hard to stop. A GP will explain the options that apply to you.
Can I get CBT-I without seeing a GP?
In England you can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies, which in some areas includes help with insomnia, and some NHS areas offer the Sleepio digital programme directly. Availability varies by region, so it is worth asking your GP practice what is offered locally.
Is melatonin available in the UK?
Only on prescription. It is mostly prescribed for short-term use in adults over 55, and in some specific circumstances for children under specialist care. It is not sold over the counter in the UK, and products bought online may not be what they claim to be.
What if I can't get a GP appointment?
Ask the practice whether they have a pharmacist, nurse or mental health practitioner you can see instead; many do. A community pharmacist can advise on sleep and on whether any medicines you take may be involved. For urgent concerns, use NHS 111.
Sources and further reading
- NHS: Insomnia
- NICE: Insomnia: Clinical Knowledge Summary
- NICE: Sleepio to treat insomnia and insomnia symptoms (MTG70)
- NHS: Sleep apnoea
- Samaritans: Samaritans
Written and reviewed by the Quiet Mind Sleep editorial team in line with our editorial policy. Spotted an error? Let us know.
