Scribble and you’ll find you’ll sleep better

WHAT GETS worse the more you think about it? Sleep.

Dr Lindsay Browning, who studied insomnia treatment at the University of Oxford, says the worst thing people can do to improve their sleep is think about it too much.

Instead, she suggests creating a wind down time in the early evening, to relax the mind and work-through any challenges from the day.

The Wokingham psychologist has also written a mental health handbook called Navigating Sleeplessness: How to Sleep Deeper and Better for Longer.

It focuses on steps to improve the quality of sleep, and helps readers reflect on their own sleep habits — whether good or bad.

“It’s about putting the day to rest,” she explains.

This can help create a distinction between time to work and relax, before the head hits the pillow.

She suggests even a simple trick, writing down a to-do list for the next day, can help get it out of the brain, and avoid late-night thoughts.

For many that have turned to working in their bedroom during the pandemic, Dr Browning suggests clearing the desk away at the end of the day.

“Lying in bed looking at a pile of unfinished work isn’t going to help,” she says.

Instead, best practice is to work in a different room, or if that’s unrealistic, to work at a desk instead of on a bed — which can blur the distinction between a restful and active mind.

She also recommends free writing, which involves writing down anything and everything that comes to mind, a few hours before bed.

“This can bring up some things in the forefront of your mind that you weren’t even aware of,” she says.

It can help encourage reflection on issues or challenges while awake, instead of bringing the problems into the duvet.

Since the pandemic started, Dr Browning has seen more people struggle with their sleep, either due to increased anxiety, or lifestyle changes.

Having studied the link between worry, ruminating thoughts and sleepless nights, Dr Browning also offers Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for those whose sleep problems continually persevere.

She says the therapy can help unpick damaging habits such as taking daytime naps, going to bed earlier or staying in bed for longer in the morning. Those that spend longer trying to sleep, as less likely to do so successfully.

“Some people might buy a lavender sleepy spray, a new pillow, a weighted blanket or download an app to help,” she says. “But what they’re actually doing is spending the whole day thinking about sleep. Especially if you’ve spent loads of money you don’t have on trying to solve the problem, that is only going to make you more stressed.”

She says those tools can help, as long as they relax the mind, rather than fuelling the anxiety.

Dr Browning runs a sleep clinic at Wokingham Therapy Clinics, on Denmark Street.