For those who suffer from sleepless nights, unfortunately the problems can be self-perpetuating; bad sleeping patterns make you exhausted and stressed which further upsets your ability to nod off. Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist Martin Dunlea points out: “Insomnia can be cyclical; it can cause your mind to be in a continuous state of stress, constantly ruminating and worrying.”

When the frustrating fight for sleep becomes a nightly routine, it’s time to take action. Sleep medication can offer short-term relief, but as Dunlea explains: “While medication will help you to achieve sleep, the quality such sleep is not great. There is also the risk of dependence, or even immunity to the drug, meaning you will need more and more of it to get the same effect.” Other potential side-effects of sleeping medications are:

Grogginess, confusion and an inability to concentrate during the day.
 In some older patients, it can stimulate rather than sedate.

“Classical conditioning” can occur: habitual use leads to a mental association between taking medication and falling asleep, leaving your body unable to sleep without repeating the behaviour.

Rebound insomnia: when medication is stopped the symptoms can return – sometimes even more severely – than before.

A restful night’s sleep may not be quite as simple as swallowing a pill, but good news is that there are many natural ways to ensure healthy rest...

Sleep hygiene: this is a term experts use to refer to sleeping habits. Check the following before retiring for the night:

Temperature: ensure your bedroom is cool, but not cold. Experts believe 18C is about right, but experiment with what works for you personally.

Noise: eliminate as much noise as possible. Consider using earplugs or using a “white noise” machine, such as a fan, to stop noises like traffic jarring you from sleep.

Brightness: light sends signals to your body telling it to wake up. Make sure there are no sources of light in your bedroom that could disrupt your sleep, for example a flickering television screen. Invest in heavy curtains or blackout blinds, or an eye-mask.

Comfort: invest in a good mattress and warm bedding. Wear loose, comfortable nightclothes as you are more likely to wake up if you feel constrained or cold.

Association: use your bed only for sleeping and sex. Never bring work into your bedroom. If you associate your bedroom with worry or work, your body will find it harder to switch off when it’s time to fall asleep.

Habits
Dunlea believes that it isn’t only good sleep hygiene that matters, because “mechanical problems or bad habits could also be compounding difficulty in sleeping”. Consider these areas of your lifestyle if sleep continues to elude you:

Exercise: physical activity aids healthy sleep, but refrain from exercise for a few hours before bedtime – your body needs time to relax.

Bedtime: set yourself a bedtime and a waking time to help your body to feel sleepy at the appropriate time. Be consistent. Do not be tempted to sleep in on days when you’re not busy, this will disrupt your internal body clock.

Diet: avoid very sugary or spicy foods just before bed. Eating foods high in the amino acid tryptophan (bananas, milk, oats and eggs, for example) has been known to assist sleep.

Cut down caffeine as it is a strong stimulant. Do not consume coffee, chocolate, fizzy drinks or tea (excluding herbal teas) for at least four hours before bedtime.

Don’t drink alcohol before bed; it might make you feel drowsy but it also interrupts sleeping patterns meaning you are more likely to wake up in the middle of the night.

Quit smoking. As a stimulant, nicotine makes falling asleep harder and nicotine dependence means your body will wake up as it suffers withdrawal symptoms during sleep.

Bedtime routine
Help your body and mind unwind after the day by implementing a relaxing bedtime routine.

Bedtime: establish a bedtime and start to relax at least 20 minutes beforehand. Do not work right up until bedtime, no matter how busy you are. Your brain needs the opportunity to slow down before you can sleep.

Relaxation: take a soothing bath one hour before bedtime, listen to calming music, or meditate for a few minutes. Avoid watching television, as it acts as a stimulant.

Other factors
Worrying: Dunlea describes insomnia as “a common problem which is essentially a form of stress, in most cases. The mind doesn’t always distinguish between anxiety and reality in these circumstances, so dealing with worry appropriately is really important.”

To cope with worry, assign yourself a “worry” period each day – a specific time to focus on what’s concerning you. Write everything down on a piece of paper. If you begin to worry during the night, calmly remind yourself that all your concerns are on the list and can be addressed tomorrow.

A “safe room” can also break associations that hinder sleep. If you find yourself worrying for more than 30 minutes, get out of bed and go into another, dimly lit, room to relax. This will stop you from associating your bed with frustration. Do not watch television or do anything too stimulating, simply relax or do a mundane task until you feel sleepy.

Health: Dunlea recommends addressing underlying psychological concerns that may be interfering with sleep “You might not be able to sleep because of a past trauma, for example, in which case getting to the root of the cause is essential, otherwise and your mind will be in a continual state of tension.”
If you think that depression or ill health is causing your sleeping problem, speak with a doctor or mental health professional. Sleeping problems might also be a side-effect of medication taken for an existing condition, in which case consult your doctor.