With efficacy rates at about 70-80%, it works by removing the negative associations of the bedroom - ie, that it’s a place for tossing and turning, but also working, watching TV, doom scrolling, paying bills, arguing etc - and replaces them with new, positive connections (in CBTi, the bedroom is only for sleeping and sex). Widely regarded as the gold standard treatment, it was brought to Britain by Selsick and is now available in a handful of NHS clinics (so far, East Grinstead, Guildford and Newcastle) and via the Sleepio app (£3.85 a week). If you worry about the amount of sleep you’re getting, and your sleep hygiene is already squeaky clean, spare yourself the gimmicks and consider CBTi, or cognitive behavioural technique for insomnia. “I’ve seen people descend into a spiral of anxiety, depression and worsening insomnia because the tracker is telling them they're only getting an hour of dreaming sleep.” Proceed with caution, Leschziner warns: “There are a lot of people with sleep problems, and a lot of people exploiting that.” For starters, ditch the sleep tracker, he advises: “Their accuracy is dubious, especially if you have sleep issues.” And if a sleep tracker is saying you've slept terribly, “that’s probably going to give you a worse night's sleep,” he adds. If the burgeoning sleep industry is to be believed, our sleep woes could be easily fixed by investing in, say, expensive weighted blankets, supplements and even hooded pillows. Most people’s sleep will be more fragmented after alcohol it also tends to reduce that deep, restorative sleep. Dr Hugh Selsick, who founded the NHS’s first sleeplessness centre, The Insomnia Clinic at Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, recommends avoiding caffeine after 2pm, and alcohol in the evenings, or altogether if possible. Unsurprisimgly, caffeine and alcohol are widely regarded as the greatest sleep saboteurs - well, except by those who can sink a bedtime espresso. “It tires the body out, it relieves stress and is good for mental health.” But she advises against intense, adrenaline-boosting exercise within two hours of bedtime. “Exercise promotes both the quality and quantity of sleep,” Artis explains. Good sleep hygiene requires a holistic approach throughout the day, and should include both physical and mental exertion. “If your day is still a slog by lunchtime and you find yourself turning to junk food and caffeine to get you through, then you’re not getting enough.” So how much sleep do you actually need? Check in with how you’re feeling, says Lisa Artis, sleep adviser for the Sleep Charity.
(Consequences can include heart disease, obesity, Alzheimer's and depression.) But one size doesn't fit all, and variation depends on age and genetics.
“There is good evidence that regularly getting fewer than seven hours or more than nine isn’t good for you”. “Somewhere between seven and eight and a half hours is considered optimal,” Leschziner explains.
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Fortunately, scientific progress means we’re no longer in the dark about how to improve matters.įor starters, those fabled eight hours a night needn’t be the goal. Assuming we don’t want to return to cave life or - heaven forbid - relinquish our devices, what bedroom ideas can we utilize to optimise sleep? Sleeplessness is a common problem: one-third of British people suffer from insomnia, and even more have off-nights here and there.