Dr Michael Mosley is a national treasure in the UK and his programmes on various aspects of health are fascinating. Last night I watched his latest production How to Sleep Well. How can you resist a title like that!

But the problem of course, like so many of these articles, books and shows is that they don’t always tell you how to… do whatever it is. A huge chunk is often focused on the negative aspects or what happens if the problem persists and what not to do. But it was still interesting, and we learned a lot about the new technology that’s available now to help us track sleep rhythms and rectify serious problems like sleep apnoea.

Dr Mosley confessed to being an insomniac who, although able to drop off fairly easily, wakes in the night and finds it difficult to get back to sleep. He subjected himself to being prodded and poked (bloody samples), strapped up with various instruments (EEG), and staying up a whole night to see the effect it had on his body.

What did we learn about Sleep?

  • According to a census carried out, people in the UK are only getting an average of six hours 48 minutes sleep per night. The recommended amount is 7-8 hours.
  • Although we think we’re sleeping, there can be periods during the night when we’re partially awake and not benefitting from deep restful sleep.
  • Deep sleep is vital for repairing and detoxifying our bodies and brains. It’s also important for our memory and immune system.
  • If we wake in the night and are unable to get back to sleep the best thing is to give ourselves a 15 minute rule. Don’t lie in bed for more than 15 minutes. Get up and do something else then go back to bed a bit later. This can help to break a negative cycle.
  • Having ‘power naps’ can benefit our mental and physical performance, and even help us to sleep better at night. It’s important these naps aren’t taken too late in the afternoon and they need to be short – around 15-30 minutes.

10 Things That Cured my Problems with Sleeping

Being a woman of a certain age I won’t be alone in having struggling with sleep. The menopause can be a killer of sweet slumber and getting back into any routine afterwards is hard. But now I think I’ve  cracked it and here’s how:

1. Early Morning Light

We have three dogs who need to be walked and I do this before settling down to work for the day. Apart from the convenience of getting this out of the way, there’s strong evidence that receiving natural light first thing in the morning helps to kick the circadian rhythm into gear.

2. Exercise

Walking the dogs kills two birds with one stone as I also get a dose of exercise which helps relax me.. I’ll often go for a second walk later to help mark the end of the working day. Being self-employed and working from home means work and home life can become blurred and this really helps me to switch off. Swimming is great too. I keep meaning to take up Tai Chi!

3. Limit alcohol

Gone are the days when I could party and have a good night’s sleep afterwards. Or was I kidding myself in my youth? I don’t think I’ve ever actually slept well after large quantities of alcohol.

I do enjoy wine with a good meal but sadly I can’t drink red wine anymore as it keeps me awake. I’m not alone in this; I’ve heard the same from other post-menopausal women.

4. Keto is not for me

I’ve tried it and maybe one day I’ll be able to succeed, but I still find it hard to sleep if I cut out the carbs in the evening. There’s something settling about having carbohydrates with my supper. If I try and diet and only have protein and vegetables or salad in the evening I won’t sleep and then I’ll just be hungrier the next day, so it just doesn’t work for me.

5. Create Boundaries

There have been days in the past when I worked past midnight if I had to get a project completed. No more. If I work past six o’clock it will affect my sleep. The screen definitely has a negative effect but even if I work long hand, I still find it hard to switch off. So, no work after six, or seven, max.

6. Comfortable pillows

Remember the story about the Princess and the Pea? One of my childhood favourites, although I used to think it was such a ridiculous tale. Not so now. I can identify.

When I was young, I could sleep anywhere but now I find it hard to settle in an uncomfortable bed but most of all I definitely CAN’T sleep with uncomfortable lumpy pillows. There’s nothing worse.

I prefer natural down but there’s a huge range of natural and artificial fillings which I’ll be writing about soon.

7. Caffeine Control

I love coffee but stop having real coffee at 2 pm to give time for it to get out of my system. Decaffeinated coffee doesn’t work for me. I’ve lived to regret the times when I’ve given in and had a decaffeinated coffee after dinner. I may get to sleep at first but then I’ll be wide awake in the early hours of the morning. There must be something else in there that’s a stimulant.

8. Read real books

I find there’s something comforting about reading a real physical book and I’ll sleep much better after reading, provided it’s not a thriller! Sometimes I’ll read from a kindle but if so I will always put the background to black so that the screen isn’t too overstimulating.

9. No TV in the Bedroom

The only time I missed having a television in the bedroom was when I was breastfeeding babies, but that time shot past in a flash. Luckily my husband feels the same so we’re happy keeping our bedroom screen free.

10. L-Ornithine

This has been a total game changer for me. Unbelievable. I’ve tried melatonin without success, herbal teas that I find disgusting or natural sleep aids like valerian that just leave me feeling groggy in the morning. I never take sleeping tablets. Ever.

But what a wonderful discovery L-ornithine has been. I take one 500 mg capsule after supper and I sleep like a baby. It’s only an amino acid and I haven’t found any negative reports about it, so I can’t see any harm. But you’ll need to research it yourself – I’m no health expert.

Finally (but not in my list above) – No Worries

And then there’s the final secret. No worries. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always comply. There will always be times when we find it hard to fall off to sleep or we jerk awake in the early hours of the morning. Grief, business or financial worries, concerns about our loved ones – the list goes on. That’s life.

And then, of course, there’s the worry about not sleeping. Have we gone full circle?

One Comforting Thought

I remember reading the book Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie. In it he recounts a story about a war veteran who sustained brain injuries which meant he was unable to sleep. Every night he would go to bed and just relax, and he still managed to survive for a good number of years. I’m not sure how this panned out medically, but I like to believe this tale and it helps me if I find I can’t sleep.

Don’t worry about not sleeping. Just relax. It will all be alright in the end.