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: 41

Occupation: Physiotherapist

How much water do you drink on average per day? 1.5 litres.

How much caffeine do you drink on average per day? 3-4 cups of coffee.

What time do you go to bed at night? 11pm

What time do you wake up in the morning? 8am

How often do you exercise? I don’t exercise due to my ME.

Do you eat breakfast within 60 minutes of rising? I don’t eat breakfast.

“My sleep is a lot better than it used to be, but it’s still unrefreshing. I live with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), which means my sleep is often disrupted. Some of the issues I deal with on a regular basis include feeling tired but not being able to get to sleep, waking up frequently throughout the night and sleeping deeply but waking up exhausted.

“It’s the latter which is my main issue, as my energy levels hover at around a five out of 10 most times. I’m in bed for an average of nine hours every night and end up having an hour-long nap most afternoons, but I still struggle. That’s a problem, because my job takes a lot out of me – in fact, I take work home in the evenings – so I need lots of energy to get everything done. I’ve also been going through some challenges recently which have been zapping my energy (including losing my Dad in a car accident and experiencing numerous miscarriages), so I’m feeling extra drained.

“To supplement this, I drink around three to four cups of coffee a day. I make sure to drink lots of water (around 1.5 litres) and keep my alcohol intake under the recommended weekly limit (I typically drink 12 units a week), but I know there are probably things I could do to help. With my ME in mind, is there anything you’d recommend?”

“You’re dealing with a lot at the moment, so getting some more restorative sleep could really help you to feel better equipped to deal with everything,” says sleep expert and physiologist Dr Ramlakhan. “Some of your current lifestyle choices could be standing in the way of this, but the good news is that they’re easily fixed.

“To start with, your alcohol and caffeine intake are both too high. You also need to be eating breakfast (it can make a big difference to your daytime energy levels) and going to bed a little earlier if possible, to ensure you get plenty of deeply healing pre-midnight sleep.

“I’ve worked with many people with ME over the years and found these daily routine changes can make a real difference. To slot everything in, I’d recommend getting to bed earlier and getting out of bed earlier before enjoying some breakfast and gentle movement (things like yoga, pilates or a walk around the block count) to start the day. Cutting your alcohol and caffeine intake will also help to improve the quality of your sleep so you feel more refreshed in the morning.”

She continues: “It’s totally OK to take naps, but you might want to consider reducing the amount of time you’re sleeping for – ideally, you’d be napping for no longer than 30 minutes between 2-4pm. Adding in a solid daily journalling practice – even for just 10 minutes before bedtime – will also help you to let go of the day and will hopefully make falling asleep easier.

“Making these changes will likely feel hard, but after three weeks I believe you’ll start to feel a little better. I wish you all the best.”

Images: Ami O’Callaghan; Dr Nerina Ramlakhan