The infernal heat has ended, thank goodness, but for insomniacs like me, that doesn’t mean a better night’s sleep.
Being tired and snippy on a semi-permanent basis affects everything from relationships (it’s no wonder I got divorced), career (insomnia causes a higher rate of workplace errors) and health (new research suggests a link between poor sleep and some early-onset cancers).
Yet the NHS says a third of us experience symptoms of insomnia at least once a week.
Now 53, I’ve been struggling with broken sleep for decades, and just as long experimenting with potential cures.
Here’s my guide to what actually works for me…
Sleep hygiene helps
No screens at bedtime, no caffeine after 4pm, give yourself a worry window, blah, blah, blah. Helpful for the average sleeper but not for diehard insomniacs like me.
Behavioural sleep therapist Dr Jade Wu says sleep hygiene is ‘a good baseline set of habits… but if you already have a significant sleep problem, it’s too little, too late’.
The secret is to try it all, cherry-pick what works for you and ditch the rest.
Helen Down, who has been an insomniac for 40 years, has been experimenting with potential cures for decades. She shares what works and doesn’t work for her
For me, that’s maintaining a consistent wake/sleep routine. I always get up at 7am, no matter how broken a night’s sleep I’ve had. A dose of daylight keeps my circadian rhythm on track.
Sex makes you sleepy
Science says it’s easier to sleep after an orgasm, and of course it’s perfectly possible to experiment with that even if you tend to sleep separately from your partner, as most insomniacs do.
There’s nothing wrong with separate bedrooms, by the way. Yes, they’re an intimacy-killer, but sleep deprivation is a bigger one.
A drop of Trip CBD oil before bedtime has had a positive effect on Helen’s sleep
CBD oil for anxiety
Over the years, I’ve wasted enough on supplements for a week at an ultra-luxury sleep retreat. Valerian tea, ashwagandha, passionflower, L-theanine – I swallow them with gusto and extol their virtue… until the placebo effect wears off.
There are, however, two that will have to be prised from my cold, dead hands. A 560mg capsule of Barefoot Nutrition magnesium glycinate for muscle relaxation, and a drop of Trip CBD oil to reduce anxiety – both have had a positive effect on my sleep.
No 3am housework
At the age of 45, when perimenopause began to bite and my insomnia got even worse, I gave in to my GP’s suggestion of trying CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia), the NHS’s free course of talking therapy.
The claim is that 70 to 80 per cent of CBT-I participants report significant improvements, but I found some of the suggested strategies unhelpful. You are not supposed to read in bed, for example.
Another of its suggestions is that if you can’t sleep for more than 20 minutes, you should get up and do something like the cleaning. But this just made me alert and resentful.
When I finished my course, my sleep hadn’t improved, but I had learned that catastrophising only makes things worse.
£300 gadget
From app-controlled cooling mattresses to AI-enhanced pink noise earbuds, sleep tech is everywhere.
But it’s not always helpful. One recent Norwegian study proved that sleep trackers feed rather than cure insomniacs’ neuroses, for example.
I have, however, found one device that didn’t fix my problem completely, but nurtured better quality sleep. The £300 Zeez Sleep Pebble that you pop under your pillow claims to emit electromagnetic pulses to mimic the brainwaves of a good sleeper.
The Zeez Sleep Pebble can be operated at the press of a button – no app required
Merlot for me
We’re told alcohol disrupts sleep, but for an insomniac whose nights are already chaotic, a single small glass of merlot – for me, at any rate – often leads to a better night.
I also recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for female midlife insomniacs. Menopause is linked with shorter and more disrupted sleep.
A new study found taking HRT at the first signs of perimenopause can prevent sleep from deteriorating. Mine improved (gradually) after taking it.
Nap timing is key
If you sleep better on holiday, it’s a sign that stress is wrecking your shut-eye – a great excuse to indulge in stress management techniques such as massage.
Short naps are also a helpful reset when things get too much, providing you don’t snooze for more than 30 minutes or after 3pm. Just closing your eyes and resting for a few minutes is refreshing.
The best sleep strategy of all
Mindfulness is an instant de-stressor, and not just at 3am. Daily daytime mini meditations make me calmer and create benefits that ripple way beyond sleep into relationships and work.
Without doubt, it’s been the best strategy for me. Body scans – imagining liquid warmth slowly flowing through each part of the body – work particularly well for relaxation.
