Counting 50,000 sheep a night but still no closer to getting your 40 winks? Your mind uncontrollably racing with work stresses as soon as your head hits the pillow? Staring blankly at the ceiling as your partner enjoys a deep slumber? Yep, we've all felt the effects of being wide awake when we want more than anything to be fast asleep. And it really, really sucks.
But you no longer have to lose sleep over your inability to nod off. Our very own Health Coach, Dr Nick Knight, has outlined four bedroom hacks to help you sleep like a baby (er, a very tired baby that doesn't wake up every three hours, obviously)...
Environmental
Do you really need to send "Can't sleep LOL!" to all your Twitter followers at 1am? Nah, you don't. Switch off your iDevice to switch off your mind.
Behavioural
Your bed should be for sleeping and for having sex. That's it. Stop using it as a dining room and a home cinema, or you risk losing the bedroom-sleep connection, and better get used to having your eyes wide open at night.
Psychological
If you are restlessly lying in bed and can't drift off, you need to break that negative connection between the bed and staying awake. The best thing you can do? Get up and have a walk around, instead of lying there angrily working yourself into a fluster.
Physiological
It sounds really obvious, but that cuppa before bedtime is a huge no-no. Not only will the caffeine keep your mind alert, but you'll be peeing like a racehorse through the night too.
Still not working for you? Do yourself a favour and talk to your GP about sleep hygiene.
Dr Nick Knight is your brand new Health Coach. He’s joined our team to give you a dose of concise advice every week on the medical concerns that matter to you, from preventing male baldness and dealing with shin splints to diagnosing what that worrying lump could be and how much caffeine your body can handle before it goes haywire.
If you’ve got a health issue you’d like Dr Nick to help you with, get in touch using Coach’s Twitter @CoachMag and use the hashtag #AskDrNick
