What are your tips to fall asleep?

QI am struggling to fall asleep before the morning hours and it is affecting work and my training programme. Do you have any tips?

A The ironic process theory, or white bear problem, says that the active attempt to suppress something makes it more likely to surface. To demonstrate: try not to think about white bears. Or yellow penguins.

The Water Cooler can, without any qualifications in sleep disorders, say with certainty that the more you worry about not falling asleep, the more you will lie awake worrying about not falling asleep. The result is, you guessed it, not falling asleep. A torture vortex. We have all been there.

When you do eventually fall asleep, you may well find that you wake up regularly still worrying about not getting enough sleep.

Stop thinking about white bears and yellow penguins.

Insomnia could be a manifestation of serious underlying issues that need to be treated. For those of you that need professional intervention, there are specialists and sleep clinics — and these sleep clinics are not security cluster briefings. They are actual facilities designed to support healthy sleep; not keep you awake at night.

WebMD gives useful tips about when to seek help. These include symptoms of insomnia lasting longer than a few weeks that interfere with your ability to function; waking up numerous times gasping for air; sleep apnoea; waking up with severe heartburn; if you have started taking new medication that affects your sleep; if you wake up in pain or to crawling skin sensations; and when you have noticed changes in your mood and appetite.

The site says increasing difficulty breathing and selfharm or homicidal thoughts are urgent signs to seek emergency care. Always rule out serious underlying problems by seeking advice from a professional.

However, maybe you are simply struggling to fall asleep because you can’t wind down. In these instances we recommend rewatching any of our president’s preinsurrection, Covid-19 family meetings or related briefings the day after. We find that slow, melodic and unenthusiastic drones generally do the trick.

The Water Cooler will share some tips that the author has used to good effect. The first is exercise. The more you exercise within reason, the more likely you will be to sleep later. Just don’t exercise too late because the endorphins will wire you up for a night of tossing and turning.

Slow down on the coffee as the day progresses and try not to drink too much of anything close to bedtime. Unless you can sleepwalk to the bathroom, this is an unnecessary distraction from peaceful slumber.

Your bedroom should be as comfortable and conducive to sleep as possible. It should be dark and quiet — and, as difficult as it may seem, keep your phone out of reach. Try it. If you sleep in the same bed as someone else, try match your routines as closely as possible. Be considerate to the sleeping partner if you lie awake — don’t make your anxiety theirs. If you can’t sleep, get up and go do something you find relaxing. Smartphone stimulation is out of the question.

Go easy on alcohol. Sure, it is likely to make you nod off quickly, but as the night progresses your sleep will become disrupted, not least when the diuretic effect kicks in. Nicotine is a stimulant, so getting up to have a smoke would also be counterproductive.

Try to set a relaxing pre-bed ritual, such as taking a warm bath, planning the next day’s activities — a useful trick to “deal with your worries” before they surface after you turn off the light — or listening to soothing music.

Whoever said counting sheep helps you fall asleep lied. Knowing there is an endless supply of sheep only adds to the anxiety! There are breathing techniques to bring on sleep, and you may want to look them up. In fact, the US military trains its soldiers to nod off on demand and enjoy strategic power naps.

The Water Cooler is yet to master that technique. Instead, we have learnt that sometimes you just need to relax. Even if you live in SA.