“My daily naps help to support my busy lifestyle – but am I sleeping too much?”

Sleep Diaries cover

Credit: Ami O'Callaghan

Strong Women


“My daily naps help to support my busy lifestyle – but am I sleeping too much?”

By Lauren Geall

6 months ago

4 min read

In this week’s Sleep Diaries, a 46-year-old children’ sleep expert asks for help reducing her daily naps.

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.  


About me

Age: 46

Occupation: Baby and children’s sleep expert

How much water do you drink on average per day? 2–7 glasses.

How much caffeine do you drink on average per day? I have a maximum of one coffee a day three to five days a week – typically before midday. 

What time do you go to bed at night? Between 9-11pm.

What time do you wake up in the morning? Between 6.30–7.30am.

How often do you exercise? I do a mixture of walking, swimming and going to the gym three to five times a week for around 30-45 minutes per session.

Do you eat breakfast within 60 minutes of rising? Occasionally, but I usually fast.

My story

“As far as my sleep goes, I’m not sure where to start. I’m an expert on baby and children’s sleep, but my own sleep is all over the place: I feel tired but I’m unable to fall asleep (I sometimes take melatonin to help), struggle to get back to sleep when I wake during the night and usually start the day feeling tired. Tooth grinding and vivid dreams are also issues I deal with; my dreams range from being out with my friends and not being able to get home to not being with my husband anymore.

“All this means I often nap. In fact, at the moment I can rarely get through the day without one. On a weekly basis, I usually take an afternoon nap three to five days out of the week for around 30-45 minutes – it helps me to stay on top of everything I have to do during the day, from tending to my business to looking after my kids and trying to exercise. It’s worth noting that I live with an underactive thryoid and take thyroxine to manage that.

“I’ve implemented some healthy habits over the years, but I know I could do better. Currently I work out three to five times a week (a mixture of walking, swimming and going to the gym) and try to keep my caffeine intake to a minimum (I never have a caffeinated drink after 1pm). I’ve also been trying intermittent fasting, so I rarely eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. On the other hand, my alcohol intake isn’t good (I have at least three days off a week but drink around a bottle of wine every other night) and I don’t really have a wind-down or relaxation routine, so I usually go to bed straight after I’m done watching TV in the evenings. 

“My work/life balance could also be playing a role in my sleep disruption. My husband and I both work for my business, so we’re completely reliant on it, which is stressful. I often work in the evenings and on the weekends to get things done – there is no off switch.

“I’m interested in hearing whether there are some key habits I can change to improve my sleep quickly – or at least that stop me from needing to nap so often. What would you advise?” 


So, what does it all mean? Sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan shares her thoughts…

Dr Nerina Ramlakhan Stylist's sleep expert

Credit: Dr Nerina Ramlakhan

“You have some of the classic sleep problems, but you also have some great things going for you – exercising regularly, drinking minimal caffeine and having supportive relationships around you should all help with your sleep,” says sleep expert and physiologist Dr Ramlakhan

“You also work hard running your business with your husband, but you say that’s something you enjoy, so I doubt that’s causing any issues.

“That said, I spot a few red flags in your diary – the main being that you could be over-napping. Sleeping for too long in the day will deplete your sleep drive, thus affecting your nighttime sleep. If possible, you need to reduce the length of your naps to no more than 20 minutes, and make sure they happen at some point between 2pm and 4pm (but no later).”

She continues: “Otherwise, I’d argue that your alcohol intake could be affecting your sleep quality and causing those vivid, stress-laden dreams, as too could your fasting in the morning. I tread carefully here but I’ve seen some compelling evidence to suggest that fasting during the perimenopausal and menopausal years, which you may be in, may not be good for hormonal balance and sleep. 

“Your cortisol levels could also be affected by fasting, which in turn could affect your thyroid function and melatonin production. 

“Alongside eating a nutrient-rich breakfast, I would advise you to look at the excellent work of Dr Stacy Sims, author of the bestselling books Roar and Next Level, to learn more about how to take care of your body during this pivotal time. Hope this helps!”


Images: Ami O’Callaghan; Dr Nerina Ramlakhan

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