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: 51

Occupation: Ceramics business owner

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

How much caffeine do you drink on average per day? Two cups of coffee.

What time do you go to bed at night? 10pm

What time do you wake up in the morning? 7am.

How often do you exercise? Yes, I do lots of walking and cycling as well as swimming in the summer.

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

“I’ve struggled with my sleep for over 10 years now. My main issue is not being able to fall asleep no matter how tired I am, and then struggling to get back to sleep if I wake up during the night.

“I know my stress levels are probably playing a part in this. As a business owner, I find it hard to set boundaries around my working hours, so I regularly work for 12 hours or longer every day. On top of these long days, I also rarely take lunch breaks and sometimes work at the weekends, too. It’s a lot, and I don’t have many close, supportive relationships to lean on.

“Outside of work, I try to live a healthy lifestyle. I eat a good breakfast as soon as I wake up in the morning, drink plenty of water and avoid caffeine after midday to ensure it doesn’t affect my sleep. I also eat dinner early – around 6pm – so I have time to digest my food and relax before I get into bed. I make a conscious effort not to work in the evenings, so once I finish for the day I can rest and unwind. I go to bed around 10pm every night; my sleep schedule is consistent.

“My sleep struggles and high stress levels often leave me devoid of energy, so I’d love to know what I can do to sleep better, manage my stress and feel more ‘well’ overall. Can you help?”

“You run your own business and work all hours, and to compound this, you aren’t sleeping well and haven’t been for years – it’s not surprising that you’re exhausted,” says sleep expert and physiologist Dr Ramlakhan. 

“The good news is that your sleep problems aren’t uncommon. In fact, difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep is one of the most common issues I come across.

“While I understand that you run your own business and the weight of responsibility rests heavily on your shoulders, you need to prioritise yourself more often otherwise you’re at risk of burnout.” 

She continues: “The main thing that comes to mind when I read your story is whether your hormones are out of balance – are you in perimenopause or menopause? If so, this could be the root cause of the ‘stressed, troubled sleep’ you describe. In this case, I’d recommend a trip to your GP and perhaps a natural herbalist; natural herbs such as ashwagandha, rhodiola, maca, Siberian ginseng and others can be helpful for supporting your body during hormonal fluctuations. HRT could also be helpful.

“On top of this, I’d recommend trying a calming practice before bed. Activities such as meditation, yin yoga or journaling can help to settle and soothe your nervous system before you turn the lights out.” 

Images: Ami O’Callaghan; Dr Nerina Ramlakhan