{"id":1185,"date":"2025-03-14T11:28:44","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T11:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/im-a-sleep-writer-with-insomnia-%e2%80%95-these-4-expert-tips-actually-helped\/"},"modified":"2025-03-14T11:28:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T11:28:44","slug":"im-a-sleep-writer-with-insomnia-%e2%80%95-these-4-expert-tips-actually-helped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpnewswire.com\/news\/im-a-sleep-writer-with-insomnia-%e2%80%95-these-4-expert-tips-actually-helped\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m A Sleep Writer With Insomnia \u2015 These 4 Expert Tips Actually Helped"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"WomanWoman with insomnia sitting up in bed<\/div>\n
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I write a lot about sleep<\/a> for my job, which is a little ironic considering how bad I am at it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve covered what to do if you wake up at 3am <\/a>and can\u2019t get back to sleep, but have actually been up since 3:28 today myself (I know, because I checked the clock \u2015 despite having written about why you should not do that<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n

And while I know that getting to bed after 1am<\/a> could negatively affect my health, especially as I age, sometimes I get so anxious about not being able to sleep that I can only start to kip after 2am.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had insomnia for as long as I can remember, and it seems simply knowing better isn\u2019t enough to \u201cfix\u201d it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With that said, some expert advice has made a meaningful difference. So, this\u00a0World Sleep Day,<\/a> I thought I\u2019d share the advice that has made my insomnia a bit more manageable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

1) Getting morning light really does help<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A recent study suggested\u00a0<\/a>that people who feel sleep-deprived may actually be more fatigued by being put off their Circadian rhythm than the quality or duration of their kip.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just a theory, but one thing every expert I\u2019ve spoken to seems to agree on is that morning light is uniquely helpful<\/a> for orienting your body\u2019s internal clock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr Chelsea Perry, owner of\u00a0Sleep Solutions<\/a>\u00a0and a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, previously told me: \u201cOne of the first things I try to do is to get outside into direct sunlight.\u00a0This helps regulate my circadian rhythm letting my body know it\u2019s morning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

My morning trips to the gym give me the early UV rays my body clock needs; since starting the habit, I reckon I get about two more pre-11 pm sleeps a week than I would otherwise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2) Eating too close to bedtime can ruin your sleep<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong, I was a fan of a late dinner \u2015 but having heard from sleep-specialised psychologist\u00a0Dr Leah Kaylor<\/a>\u00a0and Dr Valter Longo<\/a>, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, I\u2019ve started putting a three-hour-before-bed limit on the habit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Any sooner will \u201csignificantly impact the quality of sleep, particularly the deeper and more restorative phases such as deep and REM sleep,\u201d Dr Kaylor told us<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking to GQ<\/a>, Longo agreed \u2015 and seeing as poor sleep,\u00a0especially in middle age<\/a>, has been linked to conditions like dementia, he thinks putting the plate down in time may even extend our life.<\/p>\n

While I don\u2019t know if it\u2019ll lead to improved longevity, I can tell you I\u2019ve gotten way\u00a0less heartburn and acid reflux<\/a> since adopting the habit. Previously, the burning feeling kept me up for hours after my 3 am wake-up call; now, returning to sleep is easier.<\/p>\n

3) Really and truly, don\u2019t check the clock<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I know this sounds hypocritical, but last night\u2019s clock check was a rare exception \u2015 I also had a 3am wakeup on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and didn\u2019t look at my watch on those occasions.<\/p>\n

Probably relatedly, I did eventually manage to get back to sleep those nights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The advice comes from\u00a0some\u00a0<\/a>studies which suggest\u00a0<\/a>there could be some serious benefits to \u201cclock blocking\u201d, or refusing to look at the time when you get up in the middle of the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As Dr\u00a0Nerina Ramlakhan<\/a>, physiologist and author of Fast Asleep, Wide Awake, told\u00a0The Guardian<\/a>,\u00a0watching the time \u201cis one of the biggest disruptors to being able to get back to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

4) Don\u2019t become obsessed with your sleep\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I mentioned my fear of the smartwatch sleep report at the start of my article.<\/p>\n

Perhaps I should consider taking it off at night \u2015 after all, sleep expert\u00a0Dr Nerina Ramlakhan<\/a>\u00a0from Oak Tree Mobility previously told me<\/a> that \u201cthere\u2019s a form of insomnia… called\u00a0\u2018orthosomia\u2019<\/a>, a term for the obsession with getting a good night\u2019s sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have noticed that nights when I simply accept my sleeplessness tend to be more restful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

James Lloyd, a psychotherapist at\u00a0Ceangail Psychotherapy<\/a>, even shared that willing yourself awake at night when you can\u2019t get back to sleep can even bring you back to the land of nod thanks to \u201cparadoxical intention.<\/a>\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone tries too hard to sleep, they create pressure and worry that paradoxically keeps them awake. By flipping the script and intentionally staying awake, [paradoxical intention] can help break that anxiety-driven cycle,\u201d he\u00a0previously told HuffPost UK.<\/a><\/p>\n

The couple of times I\u2019ve been bold enough to try it, I\u2019ve been pretty impressed by the results.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Related…<\/h3>\n