Welcome back to Stylist’s Sleep Diaries, where we take a deep dive into one of the most important (and elusive) factors in our day-to-day lives: sleep. To help us understand more about it, we invite women to share their habits with our sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan for analysis.

Age: 49

Occupation: Team manager.

How much water do you drink on average per day? Six glasses.

How much caffeine do you drink on average per day? One coffee or tea.

What time do you go to bed at night? 10.30pm.

What time do you wake up in the morning? Ideally around 7am, but I often wake up naturally around 4am. If I’m lucky, I’ll fall back to sleep until around 6.30am or for as long as I can depending on commitments.

How often do you exercise? I exercise three times a week, combining weights, yoga and walking.

Do you eat breakfast within 60 minutes of rising? Sometimes.

For over 10 years, I’ve struggled with the same sleep issue: waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep. It always happens around 4am, which means I often struggle to get back to sleep before my alarm goes off at 7am when I need to start the day.

I’ve tried a few different things to help my sleep, but nothing seems to work particularly well. I take different natural remedies every now and then, and some really do help, but I’m so tired by the time I get to bed that I often forget to take them or think I won’t need them. Before bed I like to wind down by having a bath and doing my skincare, and I also have a bed of nails that I use to relax.

Sleep issues aside, I’m pretty healthy; I work out three times a week, drink plenty of water, and while I find my job challenging, I enjoy what I do; my stress levels are mostly under control. But the combination of the sleep issues and my busy schedule means I do get tired, so recently I’ve been taking a one- or two-hour nap in the afternoon at the weekends to top my energy levels up.

My sleep issues feel so ingrained at this point that I’m at a loss for what to do. Do you have any advice that could help me get on top of this early morning waking? 

“You have the second most common sleep problem: waking in the early hours and being unable to get back to sleep (the first is difficulty getting to sleep). But I have some advice that should help.

“To start with, you may be perimenopausal, so you need to give your body a little extra TLC. Eating a nutrient-rich breakfast that includes protein, fat and carbohydrates will help you start your day with stable blood sugar and will optimise the production of melatonin at night so you sleep better. 

“It sounds like your natural supplements are effective, so I’d also recommend being consistent in taking those. Substances I’d recommend include amazing adaptogens like ashwagandha, rhodiola, ginseng, tulsi and maca, as these natural substances help to balance out hormones and can be particularly helpful in the perimenopausal and menopausal years.”

“I love that you use a ‘bed of nails’ – I do too. Actually, I keep mine by the side of my bed and if I’m struggling to sleep (yes, even a sleep expert can have problems at times), I place it on my bed and lie on top of it with bare skin. It immediately helps my body to relax and let go; perhaps you could try this when you wake up at 4am? 

“I’d also recommend that you stop looking at the time. It’s amazing how just checking the time can embed and perpetuate the habit of waking up at a certain point of the night. 

“My ‘love yourself to sleep’ meditation would also be perfect for you. Perhaps you could listen to it a few times when you’re napping over the weekend so that you can do it for yourself without needing to listen to my voice if you wake in the early hours? And on the subject of your weekend naps, you’re napping for far too long and this will set you up for poor sleep during the week. I would recommend that you set an alarm and nap for no longer than 45 minutes no later than 4pm to avoid disrupting your nighttime sleep.”

Images: Ami O’Callaghan; Dr Nerina Ramlakhan