Insomnia

Are you lying awake right now looking for something to help you go to sleep? Or have sleep problems become a regular and frustrating part of your life? Whichever applies to you, you should find the...

Do you sometimes wake up feeling like you hardly got any sleep? But after a shower and breakfast, you don’t feel so dreadful after all, and you get through the day just fine? This happens to me...

Unless you’re blessed with the rare ability to sleep anywhere, the chances are you’ll have difficulty sleeping well on a plane. If you have the means and desire to pay for a lie-flat...

Earlier this year, my partner and I decided to experiment with sleeping in separate bedrooms. Before you wonder what went wrong though, let me be clear that it’s because of sleep problems, not...

Many older adults feel that a good night’s sleep is more elusive than it once was. You may feel tired earlier in the evening, but then sleep for less total hours than you used to. Perhaps you wake...

Does your job entail working difficult shifts? Do you work nights, or have changing shift patterns from week to week? I know from personal experience that it can be very demanding – on your...

If you use earplugs to help block out noise in bed, you’ll probably have found that they can vary a lot in effectiveness and comfort. It’s not always immediately obvious why one type is...

For many people, summer is the best of the four seasons. For hay fever sufferers, however, it can be an endless nightmare of wheezing, sniffing and red eyes. Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) is a common...

Can you remember how well you slept the last time there was a full moon? Do you feel that when the moon shines brightest, things just don’t seem quite right? If so, you’re not alone...

The promise of falling asleep faster, reducing the time you’re awake in the night, and sleeping for longer would appeal to most people with insomnia. And if you can achieve this without taking...

In our increasingly hectic and digitally connected world, many people regularly sleep for less than 6 hours per night. Personally, I prefer to sleep for at least 7 hours, but for various reasons...

When I tell people that I write about sleep, they usually ask me if I suffer from insomnia myself. When I tell them that I do, they invariably ask me to recommend some techniques for dealing with it...

Do you find it virtually impossible to sleep on the first night in a different bedroom? And even if you do get some shuteye, do you feel more tired than usual the next day? I personally find this an...

Does an alcoholic drink help you sleep better during periods of insomnia, or when life seems particularly stressful? Even if you don’t use it for those reasons, perhaps you just enjoy a quiet...

Do you find yourself avoiding being in darkness? Do you sweat, shake, feel anxious or ill at the mere thought of the lights going out at night? If so, it could be that you have a fear of the dark...

Does it take you several days to adjust to a new time zone after a long flight? Do you wake up ridiculously early, or struggle to sleep when it still feels like the afternoon to you? Fortunately...

If you’re anything like me, feeling too warm in bed can trigger an uncomfortably sweaty night of clock watching. Keeping your bedroom at a relatively cool temperature is a key ingredient for a...

Do you sometimes lie awake at night because you can’t stop thinking about your endless to-do list, or a stressful event that’s worrying you? Most people have busy lives and know that...

How much sleep have you lost recently because of inconsiderate neighbors or a snoring partner? For sensitive sleepers, noise can be one of the biggest obstacles to a good night’s sleep...

Do you find that a relaxing herbal tea in the evening helps you shift down a few mental gears and wash away the stress of a busy day? As an Englishman and an insomniac, it makes sense that...

Do you often struggle to fall asleep, or keep waking up in the middle of the night or early morning? Maybe it’s affecting your daily life too, and you’re increasingly worried about your...

Do you find that daily life is a constant struggle because of a lack of energy? Do you always seem to feel tired, perhaps much more than you used to in the past? The temptation is to blame a lack of...

Not long before I started a grueling two months of chemotherapy, I was given a long list of potential side effects that I might experience. I don’t actually remember insomnia being on the list...

Have you noticed that on the days you eat healthily, you sleep better? And do you find that when you sleep badly, you tend to eat more junk food the next day to keep you going? If you’re not...

How often do you wake up at in the depths of the night? Do you roll over and fall asleep again, or does your mind spring into action with some late night thinking? Whatever the reason is that you...