Struggling to nod off? You might want to work on your ‘sleep hygiene’

Lauren Hamilton had always had problems falling asleep. But her insomnia dialled up several notches after the birth of her first child, 11 years ago. “I was just extremely anxious and I couldn’t sleep,” the 41-year-old says.

The unrelenting sleeplessness that accompanied early motherhood threw her world upside down. “I actually got quite to the end of my tether, distraught to the point where I couldn’t think properly,” she says.

After a few years, she sought the help of a psychologist, who encouraged her to practise sleep hygiene.

Hamilton was wary about how such simple-sounding measures would work, but thought it worth a try. It paid off in spades. For the first time in years, she began sleeping through the night. Without the dense fog of insomnia clouding her days, her mood improved, she became more patient and her energy levels skyrocketed.

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Invigorated, Hamilton resolved to continue following the habits that had transformed her slumber. For her, that means avoiding caffeine after lunch, usually sticking to a maximum of two alcoholic drinks and creating a sleep-inducing environment in her bedroom.

She invested in shutters that keep her room dark and quiet. (“It’s like a tomb; it’s wonderful,” she says.) She also leaves her phone in another room overnight and uses an alarm clock.

At night, Hamilton follows a strict bedtime routine, tucking herself in at 9.45pm and reading for 45 minutes before turning off the lights.

Once her head hits the pillow, she begins “listing”. This consists of picking a different category each night – it could be varieties of fruit, or names – and going through the alphabet, thinking of an item that starts with each letter. At some point during this dull process, she drifts off.