SLEEP BETTER — TONIGHT

WHATEVER form your insomnia takes, however intermittent or relentless, there are simple steps you can take TODAY to guarantee you a better night’s sleep tonight.

NO FALLING asleep on the sofa. Any snooze after 4pm will dangerously dilute your urge to fall asleep later. So no matter how exhausted you are, falling asleep in front of the TV in the evenings sets up bad sleep habits that can be difficult to break.

If you are finding it difficult to stay awake on a comfy sofa, perch on the edge of a hard chair instead. When you go to bed you’ll fall asleep faster and sleep better as a result.

INVEST in a soft fabric eye mask (they are given away free on long-haul flights, or buy Go Travel’s silky sleep mask, £7, boots.

com) and wear it at night to block out light. The sleep hormone, melatonin, is suppressed by light, so total darkness at night is the best possible way to protect it and ensure good sleep.

A SET of disposable foam ear plugs (£6.99 for 20 pairs, boots.

com) will erase any background noise that might be waking you up in the night, or causing you to sleep very lightly — it will help mask a partner’s snoring, too.

SHIFT your pets off the bed. Animals tend to be nocturnal and a common source of allergies, so no matter how comforting you find them snuggling up with you at night, a cat or dog on your bed will disturb your sleep.

TURN your alarm clock to face the wall. Clock-watching can trigger escalating stress levels if you can’t resist the urge to try to work out how little sleep you’ve had, how little time you’ve got until morning, and how tired you’re going to be. You’ll fall back to sleep faster if you can’t see the time.