Sleep Better
Melanie, Jack and Charlotte all have 'semisomnia'. Find out how Dr Stanley's advice can help them and you too.
Melanie is so tired in the mornings that she struggles to get out of bed. But at night she finds it difficult to get to sleep before midnight. Melanie, a single 29-year-old who works in advertising, lives with three other girls. She parties hard at the weekend and tries to juggle catching up with friends and going to the gym during the week. By the time bedtime comes she is exhausted yet she cannot switch off. She often shops online in bed. She loves a quiet night in with a face pack and Heat magazine but she rarely gets time.
Dr Neil Stanley says...
Remember the three Rs: Resolve, Relax and Release. Melanie needs to re-discover the pleasures of 'me' time and do something that will make her switch off. She should make time to have a long soak in the bath rather than being online in bed. Why not see the bath as part of a pampering routine? The bed should be reserved for sleep, so when she gets into bed it is with the intention of going to sleep not to work or shop. She should also be careful not to exercise at the gym too late at night.
Jack rarely gets a good night's sleep and often wakes up in the night worrying about work or his bank balance. He is 37, works in the City, and has two young kids. He gets home from work at 7.30pm, says goodnight to the kids and has supper at 9pm. He then checks his emails on his Blackberry and pays some household bills before watching Newsnight in bed. He never gets time to do what he loves best - cycling, listening to Pink Floyd and enjoying fine wine.
Dr Neil Stanley says...
Jack needs to make sure that after he has put the children to bed he starts to wind down. He should switch off his Blackberry and watch Newsnight in the lounge, maybe with a glass (no more!) of wine, before going to bed and relaxing with a good book. If he has been reading all day then he should listen to music instead. He should have a pen and paper beside his bed to write down his worries when they occur. If he wakes during the night and cannot get back to sleep within 15 minutes, then he should do something else to divert his mind, like reading or making a hot milky drink.
Charlotte is a director of a busy recruitment agency and mum to two girls under eight. She juggles every minute of the day. She constantly finds herself fighting for more time. She gets home at 7pm and after putting her children to bed she grabs something to eat, tries to catch up on a few household chores and then finishes off some work. She tries to be in bed by 11.30pm. She dreams of an early night with a good book, but time seems to run away with itself. She usually falls asleep reasonably quickly but wakes up during the night with her mind still racing.
Dr Neil Stanley says...
Charlotte needs to ensure that she stops working when she leaves the office. Putting her children to bed should be an excuse to start her own gentle wind-down. It could be difficult with her hectic schedule to make time for a full wind-down in the evening but she should not be afraid to spend 15 minutes relaxing before she goes to bed. The benefits of winding down will far outweigh the effect of delaying her bedtime a little.