I can’t get no sleep You’re not alone. It has been estimated that 15 per cent of us suffer from insomnia. That was pre-Covid. “We’ve seen a 40 per cent increase in people presenting with insomnia since the start of the pandemic,” says sleep physiologist Breege Leddy of the Insomnia Clinic in Dublin. Anxiety and a change in routine can be triggers.
“It’s perfectly normal to have a sleepless night or a couple of them, but if you start to have a problem getting to sleep, staying asleep or you have early morning awakenings and that happens three nights out of seven and goes on for three months or more, you are into what we call chronic insomnia.”
Wake me up when it's all over Insomnia can be a learned behaviour, and fixing it is all about routine, says Leddy. "We should never think about sleep in isolation; it's about the 24-hour sleep wake cycle. What you do during the day has a huge impact on your ability to sleep."
Walking on sunshine Getting up at the same time every morning helps stabilise your body clock or your circadian rhythm, says Leddy. But you must do it at weekends too. Bright light in the morning gives us an important sense of time as well. "It tells us to stop producing the sleep hormone melatonin and it tells us to be awake." Natural light is great, but on these dark mornings, artificial light will do the job too. Exercise early in the day if you can, she says.
Don't dream it's over For many, the pandemic means flexible working which is great for family life but not so great for routine, says Leddy. "Strict meal times throughout the day help to give the body a sense of time. If you love your coffee that's fine but probably avoid it after lunch. We might leave a piece of work to finish when the children are in bed, but you don't want to be bringing that too close to bedtime. The wind down before bed is really important."
No sleep till Brooklyn (Nine Nine) Do whatever you want to do to chill out before bed, says Leddy. "If Netflix is your thing to relax, that's what you should be doing. The one thing you shouldn't be doing in the run up to bedtime is doing something specifically because you think it will help you sleep. Because if sleep doesn't happen, then the frustration and anxiety kicks in." If you are watching TV however, maybe don't do it in bed.
In the still of the night A pitch black room will help sleep. "We only produce melatonin when there is a lack of light," says Leddy. "Dim the lights two hours before bed to give the body a hint that it needs to start producing melatonin. Light signals that we should be awake."
Waking in the night is normal, but if you are awake for more than 20 minutes, tossing and turning with anxiety rising, get up. Keep bed for sleep, she says. “If sleep is not happening, go down to the living area, read, watch TV and chill out. Tell yourself ‘It’s okay. My body doesn’t need to sleep at this minute, I’m going to make the most of this ‘me’ time’. Wait until you feel sleepy and go back to bed again.”
Those continuing to struggle should look at cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia.
