An always-on work culture and increased screen time can lead to disturbed nights. We investigate the world’s leading restorative retreats and treatments to ensure peaceful sleep
I HAD A GLORIOUS RED-LETTER DAY RECENTLY. Bouncing into the office with a spring in my step and a gleam in my eye, I modestly accepted the admiring comments from my colleagues on how great I was looking, and then let them in on my secret: I’d slept through the night and woken, refreshed, before the alarm went off.
It sounds like such a little thing. As a child, I experienced this extraordinary luxury every night. Now, alas, such repose is hard to find – and not just for me. In a recent large-scale survey published by Nuffield Health, it was found that the average Briton was now getting fewer than six hours’ sleep a night, significantly less than in previous years. (Even in the midst of World War II, we were apparently slumbering for an average of 7.9 hours.)
‘There are likely to be many factors playing a role, but the biggest one is considered to be the development of technology, leading us to find it easy to plug ourselves into TVs, phones, laptops and so on,’ says Dr Maja Schaedel, one of the UK’s leading sleep psychologists. ‘Social media can also make it very difficult to fall asleep, as it’s very stimulating. And many reports show that people experience significantly more stress, so this may be a contributing element.’
Meanwhile, there’s an ever-growing body of scientific research on the dangers of insufficient sleep, ranging from the unpleasant effects we all experience firsthand, such as being forgetful and grumpy, to an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, dementia and depression. It’s more than enough to keep you up at night worrying.
There are, of course, practical steps you can take. Dr Schaedel’s tips include keeping to a strict waking schedule, reducing alcohol consumption and putting your phone out of reach at bedtime. I’ve taken the radical step of switching my favourite coffee beans for a decaffeinated variety, and I try to avoid eating or drinking alcohol after 9pm. My bedroom is unheated, the window stays open in all weathers, and the bedside table boasts an array of pillow mists, soothing essential oils and eye masks. Loaded onto my phone are a variety of self-hypnosis and meditation apps that I can use when, despite all my efforts, my eyes once again snap open in the silent watches at 4am. Even so, I still resort to sleeping tablets sometimes, but although the subsequent matutinal grogginess is less unpleasant than the heart-racing panic I feel after a white night, I can’t pretend it’s the same as waking naturally refreshed.
No wonder, then, that a growing number of wellness programmes have been launched to tackle this epidemic of insomnia. From a jet-lag cure in Rome to a sleep school in Sussex, here are our picks of the best sleep
