 So that's obviously a very common problem for patients that I see in clinic, but I think for all of us I don't think there's anyone who hasn't had problems sleeping at some stage Sleeps are very natural very healthy process. It is something that We shouldn't be chasing after or obsessing over So that's the first thing to say Don't worry if you have a bad night's sleep nothing bad is going to happen But there are a few things that we can do to try and improve our sleep overall We all are governed by light and dark cycles what we call the circadian rhythm and you everyone's circadian rhythm is slightly different But never quite 24 hours So we rely on certain cues throughout the day to make sure that our circadian rhythm stays in check And waking up at the same time is probably probably the most important if you take away one tip So having a time that you wake up and it's got to be the same weekdays and weekends I'm afraid people who sleep in at the weekend is something we call social jet lag And that means you haven't slept properly during the week so prioritizing Sleep and wake times is important Getting lots of light in the morning is very important because that tells your brain that it's morning And during the day as well getting exposure ideally just sunlight Ditto at night time so I tend to tell people they should have a sort of 60 to 90 minute buffer zone before bedtime where you're preparing for sleep Some of that is making sure that your bedroom is a sanctuary a haven a nest Which promotes good sleep so dark cool no flashing lights No electronic devices and really you just go there to sleep and nothing else And preparing for sleep means winding down from the day I tell people to write down their problems there to do lists so that it's out of their brain and Can be dealt with and not ruminated on before they go to sleep Caffeine's a problem. So no caffeine after lunch time It takes six hours for half of the amount of caffeine to leave your body. So it hangs around for a long time So definitely no caffeine after lunch time if you're having trouble sleeping Try to avoid heavy meals just before bed. So ideally a couple of hours of not eating before you go to bed And then having some relaxing wind down time. It's what I tell people you should be doing holiday activities So whatever you whatever you do So you go to an airport and you buy your favorite magazines You sit somewhere quiet and comfortable outside of the bedroom ideally And you relax you reflect And then you go to the bed to sleep when you're tired and sleepy Exercise is important. So if you can manage 20 to 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a day Then that helps enormously with sleep quality Ideally not just well definitely not just before bedtime. It has the opposite effect. So at least a couple of hours before bedtime and if you can do most of those and Stick to a regular sleep schedule sleep shouldn't be a problem But it's important to not obsess over it too much Those would be my top tips