From doomscrolling to drinking an extra glass of wine, here’s what will wreck our sleep – and some might surprise you. Sleep is as essential to humans as breathing and eating and, ideally, a third of our lives is spent doing it. But for terrible sleepers like me – I was 4 before I slept through (and with five siblings my parents weren’t novices) – getting the ideal quota can be a challenge.
As an adult, I’ve taken to putting my entire head under the pillow , and it beats eye masks and earplugs, though looks bizarre. I’ve tried every (useless) over-the-counter remedy and have begged GPs for sleeping pills. Even – look away now pharmacists – desperately necking Night Nurse.
Yes I’m aware of “sleep hygiene”, thanks. I’m just ridiculously bad at practising it. Coffee , night wees and “doomscrolling” are well-documented sleep saboteurs, but who honestly cuts them out? I grilled the experts on what we can actually get away with, and when, to avoid wrecking our beauty sleep.
Here are the rules ...
Caffeine intake Stop it: Eight to nine hours before bed Only idiots drink lattes in bed, surely? Though I’ve foolishly downed espresso martinis at 2am, then wondered why I’m wired at dawn. Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, great for warding off fatigue, not ideal for sleep . Coffee, tea and mugs of cocoa should be drunk before 2pm.
“Caffeine has an approximate six-hour half-life, meaning it takes that long to metabolise half the caffeine, l.