todaily anxiety can lead to sleepless nights – so lean into the existential fear for the future of democracy, and it’s probably safe to assume you won’t get much sleep on Election Night.

Accordingly A recent study from the American Psychological Association25 percent of adults have lost sleep over the U.S. presidential election, even before it enters its exciting final hours. Experts report hearing much the same thing. “I see nine clients a day, and in six of those sessions there’s an election coming up,” says Alex Banta, a therapist in Columbus, Ohio. “This has been on everyone’s mind, and it’s completely normal to have trouble sleeping ahead of such a big election.”

Of course, when we don’t get enough sleep, we’re prone to increased feelings of stress, anxiety, and crankiness. “When we lose sleep, we lose our emotional resilience,” says Banta. “We all have the ability to protect and control our emotions, and if you can’t sleep it will negatively impact that resource.” Sleep is refreshing; This is how we clear our minds and process the events of the day. And things will be crucial after the election, especially if things don’t go the way you hoped for your favorite candidate.

With that in mind, we asked experts to share their best tips for squeezing in some Z’s when you’re anxious.

Schedule “worry time”

Sometime in the evening, before bed, set a timer for 5 minutes and think of it as permission to go completely wild. Let in every fear, worst-case scenario, and doubt. The point, according to Banta, is that you can’t actually be. inside bed. It usually eliminates his “worry time” while driving or taking a walk. “What needs to happen eventually is what we call state shifting, which means physically putting your body somewhere else to signal to your brain that you’re done with that area,” he says. That way, when you get out of the car or get back in, “a signal is sent to your brain and your body that you’re done,” he says. “You honored those thoughts and fears and now you move on.” In her experience, you’ll be much more likely to fall asleep quickly once you actually get into bed.

Read more: How to Survive Election Season Without Losing Your Mind

Stick to your normal routine

If you usually go to bed at 23:00, you can give yourself some time and stay awake until 11:30 tonight. But treat it as much as any other Tuesday night and stay consistent, insists Cali Bahrenfuss, a clinical sleep health educator who owns Delta Sleep Coaching in Sioux Falls, SD. “It’s easy to stay up until midnight, and that can turn into 3, 4, or 5,” he says. There’s no point in setting yourself up for being exhausted the next day and even more emotionally fragile as a result, especially considering we may not know the results of the election right away.

Put your phone on “do not disturb” mode

Before going to bed, disconnect yourself from the device you’ve been connected to all day. In addition to using “Do not disturb” mode, which ensures you won’t be disturbed by incoming messages or calls, also consider moving your phone to another room entirely. Otherwise, you’ll likely be inundated with an endless stream of texts from family group chat and notifications from social media platforms. As Banta puts it: “Have you heard of this? Did you see this? “And in reality,” he adds, “you have no control over the outcome. It will be announced when the winner is announced, so in the meantime, keep your peace of mind.”

Write your thoughts

Renee Carr, a Washington, D.C.-based psychologist, says that while you can’t change the final outcome of the election, you can change your thoughts. Politics and Psychology podcast. If you’re having trouble falling asleep, he suggests writing down everything that’s floating around in your brain over and over again. By doing this, “you free your mind,” he says. He will no longer feel like he has to hold on to those insidious fear-based thoughts.

For every worrying thought you write down, Carr challenges, recording another, more positive and hopeful one. For example: “When I wake up, the smell of coffee will remind me that I am alive for another day.” This is important because when you imagine the worst, “your mind stays alert and tries to come up with a solution that will keep you safe and help you survive,” he says. “That’s why you can’t sleep.” By balancing these thoughts with happier thoughts, you will soften your body’s stress response system and become more relaxed, entering a state of peace rather than fear.

Think about what you are grateful for

Bahrenfuss admits that even at the best of times, it can be difficult to slow down your brain at night. One way to ease anxiety and return to a more relaxed state is to think about things you are grateful for that have nothing to do with choice but are more personal in nature. “Start small and be thankful for the air you breathe, the warm bed you sleep in, the food you eat for dinner, the friends who keep you company, the family who loves you unconditionally,” he says. Maybe you have a new grandchild; think how cute she looks in her Halloween costume; You may find that you smile for the first time all day. Bahrenfuss says focusing on gratitude “will shift your mindset from a negative space to a more positive space,” which helps facilitate deep sleep.

Read more: 11 Things to Say to a Relative Whose Politics You Hate

Use visualization tools

If you wake up at 3 a.m. paralyzed with anxiety, resist the urge to reach for your phone. “It will wake up your brain and say, ‘Oh, it’s time to go.’ We’re collecting data again,’” Banta says. Instead, try to calm yourself back to sleep by imagining something calming, like leaves floating in a stream or bubbles floating through the air on a summer day. Some of their clients like to imagine a train full of bad thoughts pulling into the station and remind themselves that they don’t have to get on that train. They may choose to watch it go, taking their car full of worries with them. “You can slowly allow thoughts to come and go,” he says. “Observe them and let them pass.”

Look for mindless entertainment

It may sound ridiculous to step away from the news and read a lighthearted book or watch a silly movie while the election results are in; But you’ll be doing yourself a favor. Bahrenfuss thinks this is a matter of redirecting your thoughts to a more positive space, which can help you feel relaxed and sleep occur more naturally. In this case, he says, it’s a distraction worth spending late-night screen time, which he usually stays away from. “I think it’s normal to break the rules a little in situations like this,” he says. “I’d rather someone open up about their favorite episode seinfield and relax instead of continuing to sit there in misery and letting their brains go down that worry hole for hours.