© Getty imagesPerhaps the worst aspect of spending the night feeling you¿re unable to sleep is the anxiety it causes. Over the course of a night, this anxiety disrupts your sleep even more, creating a vicious downwards cycle
If this sounds familiar, the first thing to remember is that you are probably getting more sleep than you think. Research shows that we all tend to underestimate how much of the night we spend sleeping.
In one study, for instance, the time insomniacs spent actually sleeping during the night was compared with how much they thought they had slept. The insomniacs were convinced that they had slept for only an average of about three hours per night, whereas in reality they had been asleep for an average of nearer seven hours.
Psychologist Jeremy Mercer, from Flinders University in South Australia, has attempted to discover the cause of this strange phenomenon. In one study he invited insomniacs to his sleep laboratory, woke them when tests showed they were in the 'dreaming' stage of sleep known as Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and asked them whether they had just been asleep.
Remarkably, many of the volunteers believed that they had been wide awake despite having been sound asleep, thus raising the intriguing possibility that they were essentially dreaming about being awake.
Whatever the explanation, other research suggests that simply showing insomniacs data proving that they had indeed had a good night's rest causes them to feel less anxious about getting to sleep.
If you regularly struggle with insomnia, sleep scientists have developed lots of other techniques to help you nod off. But first it's important to understand what the cycles of sleep are, and why they matter.
Stage 1 (2-5 minutes)
Soon after you climb into bed, and close your eyes ready for sleep, the frequency of your brainwaves starts to decrease as your brain starts to calm itself.
After a few more minutes, your breathing will slow down, your eyes will roll from side to side and the frequency of your brainwaves decreases even further. If you are woken up during this stage you are likely to feel like you weren't really asleep at all.
This stage is also associated with a rather strange phenomenon known as the hypnagogic myoclonic twitch, which often starts with the sensation that you are falling before you suddenly find that your entire body has jolted itself awake.
Around 70 per cent of people experience these twitches, and they are thought to be associated with exhaustion or sleeping in an uncomfortable position.
Stage 2 (20 minutes)
As you drift into the next stage of sleep, your brain blocks out any external stimuli (such as a noise outside on the street) and internal stimuli (such as feeling hungry) that might otherwise wake you up.
Almost all of your muscles, including those in your throat, start to relax, which can cause you to mumble or snore.
Your brain is also taking a well-earned rest, with a lowering of activity in areas associated with thought, reasoning, language and problem-solving.
This stage is particularly vital to those learning a new physical activity, such as mastering a musical instrument, new dance, or sporting skill, as it helps embed their new techniques in the brain.
Researchers often group the first two stages of sleep together and refer to them as 'light sleep'.
Stages 3 and 4 (30 minutes)
At this point your brain activity is at a minimum. During this time you will be in deep sleep, almost completely cut off from the outside world (unless you happen to smell burning, someone says your name, or you hear a very loud noise).
It's extremely difficult to wake up someone when they are in deep sleep, and if you do manage it, they are likely to feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes.
Deep sleep stages are vital to your psychological and physical well‑being because they are associated with the production of growth hormones that help repair damaged tissue. Without these stages you would wake up feeling tired and grumpy.
Stage 5, REM (10 mins to an hour)
Now, instead of being relaxed, your heart starts to race, your breathing becomes shallow, and your eyes dart from side to side. You are experiencing Rapid Eye Movement - the dream phase of sleep.
During this time, your brainstem completely blocks any bodily movement to prevent you acting out your dreams. If you were to be woken up now you would almost certainly describe a vivid dream.
It is also quite likely that your sexual organs will be going into overdrive, with men gaining an erection and women showing increased blood flow to the vagina.
The length of each REM phase varies through the night - getting progressively longer towards waking time. Typically, most people are in this REM state, on and off, for about a quarter of the night, and this is sometimes referred to as 'paradoxical sleep', because the brain is almost as active as it is when you're awake.
This stage plays a vital role in enhancing your memory. Your unconscious mind is now busy sifting through your thoughts, deleting those you no longer need and replacing them with new information accrued during the day.
Having completed your first REM stage of sleep, you move back down through the stages, and this sequence repeats itself again and again throughout the night.
Each cycle typically takes around 90 minutes, resulting in an average of five dreams per night.
After each dream you might experience a very brief 'micro-awakening', when you are actually fully awake but for such a short time that you will not remember it in the morning.
In a typical night, about 50 per cent of the time is spent in light sleep, 20 per cent in deep sleep, 25 per cent in REM, and 5 per cent in brief awakenings.
The trouble starts when you can't start these cycles at all - or you find them interrupted in the night by an extended period of wakefulness. There are some simple but effective methods to help...
Have a warm bath
It's not just an old wives' tale. Research has shown that having a warm bath just before bed really does help you sleep - probably because when we climb out of the water, there is a slight decrease in body temperature, which is a cue to the brain to start snoozing.
... and a snack
You can easily increase your chances of getting a good night's sleep by eating a small portion (under 200 calories) of food that is rich in carbohydrates, such as a few biscuits, one slice of toast, a small muffin, a banana, or a small bowl of wholegrain cereal. This will help suppress the hunger hormone ghrelin which could keep you awake.
Comment: Extremely bad advice! Above all, you want to avoid gluten so that your brain doesn't get assaulted with its damaging properties. Fruit is also a bad idea since it creates a spike in your blood sugar levels which you will regret later. For more information see The Obesity Epidemic, Courtesy of the Agricultural Industry.
Rather, substitute a bit of sweet potato for the cookies.
Do some maths
Think counting sheep is hokum? Stephen Haynes from the Southern Illinois University asked insomniacs and good sleepers to carry out moderately difficult mental arithmetic problems (such as counting backwards from 100 in threes) as they tried to fall asleep.
Those without sleep-related problems took longer than usual to nod off, but the insomniacs did indeed get to sleep quicker.
If you are not good with numbers, try thinking of a category (such as 'countries' or 'fruit and vegetables') and then coming up with an example of that category for each letter of the alphabet.
Think happy
In one experiment, Allison Harvey, at the University of California, randomly allocated insomniacs to one of three groups and gave each group different bedtime instructions.
One group was asked to imagine a pleasant and relaxing situation, another group was told to try to forget about their worries and concerns, and the final group received no guidance at all.
The results were remarkable. The insomniacs who hadn't been given any special instructions took more than an hour to get to sleep, while those trying to forget about their concerns took just over 40 minutes. However, the volunteers who had been asked to think pleasant thoughts nodded off in just over 20 minutes.
To follow this technique, try creating a wonderful fantasy world in your head. Avoid any imagery that is too exciting or sexually arousing. Instead, perhaps plan your perfect holiday, how you would spend a lottery win or think about a great evening.
Start yawning
When you behave as if you are sleepy, you become tired. To take advantage of this strange effect, let your eyes droop, your mouth hang open and your arms and legs feel heavy. Sink into your bed as if you have had a long and tiring day in the office. Even fake a yawn or two. In short, fool your body into thinking that it is time for bed.
Try to stay awake
© AlamyOne of the most effective relaxation techniques involves starting off by tensing your toes for about ten seconds, then letting them relax
Broomfield assembled two groups of volunteers and monitored their sleep for two weeks. One group was asked to spend each night trying to stay awake for as long as possible, while the other group didn't receive any special instructions.
Those trying to stay awake felt less anxious at bedtime and reported falling asleep quicker.
So, if you want to fall asleep, try to stay awake! However, remember that you have to rely on the power of your mind. You are allowed to keep your eyes open, but no reading, watching television or moving about allowed.
What if you wake?
If you've suddenly woken up because you have remembered something that you need to do the next day, simply make a note of your thought on a piece of paper and try to go back to sleep.
However, if you do wake for more than about 20 minutes, most sleep scientists recommend getting out of bed and doing some form of non-stimulating activity.
Although many people read a book or magazine, experts recommend an activity that uses your hands as well as your head, such as a jigsaw or art project.
Whatever you decide to do, avoid bright lights and computer screens.
Don't Panic!
Still awake? Don't worry. Even if you can't sleep, just relaxing in bed is good for you. Rather than focusing on nodding off, try a simple relaxation exercise to make the most of the downtime.
One of the most effective involves starting off by tensing your toes for about ten seconds, then letting them relax.
Use the same procedure as you work your way up the body, tensing and relaxing your legs, arms, hands, chest, shoulders and head. You may find you've dropped off before you've even finished.
A history lesson
Your night-time wakening may have its roots in our pre- industrial sleep patterns and so be perfectly normal.
Before the industrial revolution, many people didn't take their sleep in one solid block at night, but instead slept for about four hours (first sleep), woke up for roughly an hour, and then went back to bed for another four hours (known as a 'second sleep').
The time between the two periods was used for various activities, including reading, smoking, praying, chatting, having sex and sometimes even visiting neighbours.
Some researchers have argued that this pattern of 'segmented sleep' may be good for the mind. The period between people's first and second sleep tends to coincide with when the brain produces large amounts of a hormone called prolactin.
This chemical has various effects, but can help generate a positive mood and so help to lessen the stresses and strains of everyday life.
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