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Struggling to drift off to sleep, or unsure of what to do when you wake up in the middle of the night? Dr Shelby Harris, author of The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia, was a guest on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour. Here’s some of the advice she shared with presenter Jane Garvey.

Can exercise help with sleeping?

Yes, if you’re able to. Dr Shelby Harris says “20 minutes is what you need about four to six hours before bedtime – that’s really the ideal. It helps to warm your body up and then helps you to cool off which is the goal when it comes to sleep. A lot of people try to exercise just before bed or just tire themselves out and that’s not what you want to do.”

What about a bottle of red wine as an aid to falling asleep?

“You will fall asleep,” says Shelby, “but the quality of the sleep will be much worse, you’ll have broken sleep and will feel much more groggy in the morning.” So avoid drinking to excess and just before heading off to bed.

Can changing your pillows make a difference? Or your mattress?

“Not usually,” advises the doctor. “Same thing with a mattress. If you have chronic insomnia [then changing your pillows] tends not to fix the problem but there are certain pillows, depending on the position you sleep in, that are better – so if you’re a stomach sleeper a flat pillow tends to be better; if you’re a side sleeper there are other shaped pillows, but to keep going from pillow to pillow to pillow is not usually going to be the answer. And it’s expensive.”

How do you deal with a snoring partner?

“I get into a debate with other psychologists a lot,” says Shelby. “I’m a fan of doing whatever you want in the bed before bedtime, and then just going and sleeping somewhere else in two separate beds. It lessens resentment a lot. If you sleep better you’re going to feel better about each other the next day.”

A lot of people wake up and they鈥檙e going on their phones. All of that is actually waking you up a lot more and it can make things a lot worse.

Dr Shelby Harris

Doesn’t that feel like a bit of a failure though – sleeping in separate beds or even separate rooms?

“Let’s say if you have a husband who’s snoring next to you and he’s not doing anything about it, that’s an issue. It’s a couples issue if he’s not going to go and get it evaluated. But if he’s got it evaluated, is trying treatments but nothing is working and is still snoring and is really putting in a good effort, then maybe you do need to sleep in a separate room. But you’ve got to make sure that things are being tried.”

I’m waking up earlier than I used to – should I be worried?

“There’s just a natural change in the circadian rhythms that happens – our body clocks are earlier when we’re children, they shift later as teenagers and they start to shift earlier as we get older – don’t fight it. Do something with the time, try not to lie in bed for a few hours trying to force yourself to sleep until nine. You will end up developing insomnia because you’re lying in bed awake, tossing and turning and that worsens your sleep in the long run."

What’s the ideal sleeping environment?

“I always say make it like a pretty cave - quiet, dark and cool. And that’s really it. If it’s really hard to make your room quiet get a white noise machine – pink noise is all the rage now. It’s just another level of sound and it tends to have a little bit of a lower spectrum. I use a white noise machine when I travel – I have an app on my phone that plays in my hotel room.”
Earplugs and a light blocking eye mask might also help you get to sleep. “Foam earplugs aren’t great, they tend to fall out. Silicon ones work better,” says Dr Shelby Harris.

If the room itself can’t be made dark then you can try light blocking eye shades. And finally, in terms of temperature, Dr Shelby recommends a low temperature: “Keep it as cool as you can. You don’t want to be freezing but if you’re feet get cold you can put on some socks.”

Is it OK to take my phone to bed with me?

Within an hour of heading off to bed turn off all screens including televisions. “Your brain reads the screen as the sun essentially and makes the hormones in your brain that make you sleepy go away. So go old school – read a book, listen to the radio, try and do something quiet, calm and relaxing in dim light.” And if you wake up in the night resist the temptation to take a peek at your phone. “A lot of people wake up in the night, their brains are active and they’re going on their phones. All of that is actually waking you up a lot more and it can make things a lot worse.”

Listen to Dr Shelby Harris, author of The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia, talking to presenter Jane Garvey.

Woman's Hour is on 主播大秀 Radio 4 on weekdays at 10am and at 4pm on Saturdays. You can catch up with all episodes via 主播大秀 Sounds.