Unlock better sleep, These 7 changes transformed my nights, received from Saga, 2026 02 27

[Colin Howard]

Greetings,

I am thankful I rarely suffer this, usually fall asleep with little or no
problems.

Tried everything for your insomnia? So did I. Here are the no-nonsense,
practical solutions which finally delivered real results.
By Jayne Cherrington-Cook | Published - 25 Feb 2026

Sleep and I have always had a fractious relationship. As a young child, I
vividly remember struggling to fall asleep, lying awake until the early
hours of the morning, tossing and turning. As an adult, my sleep has been a
battlefield, facing everything from hormonal shifts to the tiny, demanding
form of a child.

I'm also one of those people who, while they may go to sleep easily, don't
stay asleep and as I've become older, the 3am wake ups seem to be even more
frequent.

My years of sleep disruption though have weirdly served me well as during
this time I've tried everything to improve my sleep. Now as I near my 52nd
birthday, I can truly say I've got this sleep thing sorted. This not to say
I always get the holy "eight hours" of sleep or have disruption-free sleep,
but I have now arrived at a state which allows me to function and feel at my
best 90% of the time.

If you are one of the 37% of people in the UK who suffer with insomnia or
sleep issues, these tips may help.

1. Only go to bed when you feel tired

This may seem obvious, but as a working mum of a teenager, my bedtime was
quite routine, as soon as I had managed to get my son to bed, I would turn
in alongside my husband. However, while he was always happy to go to sleep
around 10 pm, it didn't always work for me. In fact, sometimes, I found
myself lying awake for a good two hours, willing myself to sleep.

"Lying awake in bed can worsen insomnia," says Dr Zoe Schaedel, a sleep
expert for menopause platform Issviva. "If you're not tired, engage in a
quiet, relaxing activity until drowsiness sets in."

This is exactly the approach I've adopted. Now, I sometimes let my husband
go to bed on his own, using the extra time to watch TV or do some easy
chores. On other occasions, I'll go to bed with him but spend some time
reading. This, I feel, makes it much easier for me to wind down and fall
asleep.

"Spending too long in bed can fragment sleep," says Dr Schaedel. "If you
struggle to fall asleep or wake frequently, try shifting your bedtime
slightly later or waking up earlier."

2. Understand what kind of sleeper you are

Understanding your personal sleep needs is key to working out the ideal
bedtime. Much like our diverse tastes in music and food, sleep is a uniquely
individual experience. Whether you're an early bird or a night owl often
depends on your chronotype, your natural preference for sleep and wake
times. This is tied to specific genes and can even change over time,
explaining the teenage tendency to stay up and wake up later.

I monitored my sleep (and still do) with my Fitbit smartwatch. Each month,
it tells me my animal sleep profile. Most months, I am a giraffe, which
means I have shorter, yet deeper sleep periods and early wake up times. This
means I can go to sleep later and still feel as fresh as someone who needs a
longer sleep.

Knowing this has helped me feel less stressed about having to be in bed at a
set time and when you're less stressed, it's easier to drift off.

Therapist Rachel Meo Klint says many of her clients come to her with a fear
they're not getting enough sleep. She believes removing the pressure to get
a prescribed amount of sleep actually improves sleep quality.

"For me and some clients I have worked with the freedom to not worry about
falling asleep at a specific time means it begins to occur naturally when
the body and mind are tired," she says.

How to work out how much sleep you need

If you don't have a smartwatch, you can still figure out your ideal sleep
duration by paying close attention to your body's natural cues.

Try going to bed at a consistent time each night when you feel genuinely
tired and then allow yourself to wake up naturally without an alarm for a
few days. Once you consistently wake up feeling refreshed and alert
throughout the day, the amount of sleep you were getting is likely your
sweet spot.

You can also keep a notebook by your bed so you can note these times and
work out the perfect sleep schedule for you.

3. Try magnesium

It was a happy accident I discovered the power of magnesium. After receiving
a gift set with magnesium body lotion, I applied it one night to soothe
tired feet and legs. The good night's sleep which followed inspired me to
look into it. I found out, magnesium is often a vital mineral our bodies
require, especially when stressed.

"Magnesium is a very important mineral to help muscles relax and can ease
restless legs and cramps and overall greatly help ease tension and stress
and improve sleep," says Dr Naomi Newman-Beinhart, a nutritionist (BSc) and
specialist in health psychology (PhD), who works with supplement brand
Better You.

Magnesium is also said to help with the production of melatonin, the hormone
controlling your sleep-wake cycle. Some studies have shown it to be
particularly good for older sleepers, increasing total sleep time and better
sleep efficiency (the ratio of time spent asleep to total time in bed).

Dr Newman-Beinart, who also uses magnesium on her skin before bed, certainly
credits her nightly pre-sleep step with helping her sleep better: "Just
massaging the lotion into my feet feels so soothing and immediately relaxes
me," she says.

The benefits of melatonin

If magnesium or herbal teas aren't helping you get to sleep, you could
consider taking melatonin. While here in the UK it is a prescription-only
medicine, it can be a better choice than sleeping tablets, as it has fewer
and milder side effects.

"Medications like melatonin can be used to regulate circadian rhythms and
are non-addictive," says Meo Klint. "It helps the body to get back into a
routine of sleep, particularly when you also manage light exposure by
reducing it at night and increasing it upon waking."

4. Harness the power of background noise

I have never been good at sleeping in silence. I grew up near the seaside so
had waves and seagulls to lull me to sleep. Then when I moved to London, I
lived in built-up areas, right under the flight path. The irony is these
things have always helped me sleep better. When I was fighting a
particularly bad case of insomnia, I decided to download the Calm app, it's
been the best money I've spent on my sleep.

On nights when I'm struggling to sleep or when I've woken up at 3am, I plug
into the app and either listen to soothing soundscapes of rain or, my
favourite, a sleep story. It helps take my mind off the fact I can't sleep.
I focus on the noise and before I know it, I'm asleep.

"Background noise, I would say, is the key element in drifting off for
many," says Meo Klint. "It masks other noises and reduces auditory
sensitivity, but I personally believe it is the routine of listening to
familiar and consistent background noise which adds to the calming
ritualistic sleep routine a lot of people need to have, as a trigger to
switch off."

5. Get some fresh air

"Regular physical activity, such as walking, swimming or yoga promotes
better sleep," says Dr Schaedel. I'll take this one step further and say if
you can get exercise out in the fresh air, you'll improve your sleep no end.

I'm lucky I get out of the house most days to walk my dog, but on the days
when deadlines are looming and my husband takes over, I never sleep as well.
An hour's walk outside, whatever the weather, always improves my sleep. I
find it easier to drop off and I don't wake as much.

You don't just have to take my word for it. One UK study showed, each
additional hour spent outdoors during daylight reduced insomnia symptoms,
made it easier for participants to wake up and lowered levels of tiredness.

6. A weighted blanket

A solution intended for my son's sensory needs has become one of my most
effective sleep hacks. He's autistic and finds the deep, consistent pressure
of his weighted blanket helps him sleep, it's like a comforting hug, very
grounding for his sensory processing differences.

One cold evening, I tried it myself on the sofa and was amazed by the sense
of calm and relaxation I felt. This led to my own purchase and it has really
enhanced my sleep. The only snag is the weight, making them less than ideal
for travel, I definitely feel the absence of it's comforting pressure when I'm
away from mine.

While definitely not conclusive, a few studies have indicated weighted
blankets do help improve sleep and some research has even shown it actually
helps increase the production of melatonin. It's definitely a personal
preference though. My husband tried it and hated it, so perhaps borrow one
before investing, as they're not cheap.

7. Accept your sleep situation

While this technically shouldn't improve sleep, somehow, accepting my
situation, I won't sleep for eight hours a night and my sleep may well be
disrupted, has actually made me sleep better. And I'm not alone in this
thinking. Meo Klint, who herself has experienced sleep issues, said when she
removed the pressure, she slept better.

"It was only when I stopped worrying about them and turned the 'issue'
around in my head, I realised I did not need the nine hours I had clung on
to for years every night," she says. "Rather I could actually manage quite
happily on six most days, and I began to see sleep as something my body
would take when it needed it."

For me, I now accept, some days I will feel tired (and might even take a
little nap), but on the whole, this shift in mindset has resulted in better
and more consistent sleep than when I was constantly striving for
perfection.

Written by: Jayne Cherrington-Cook

Jayne cut her online journalism teeth 24 years ago in an era when a dialling
tone and slow page load were standard. During this time, she's written about
a variety of subjects and is just at home road-testing TVs as she is
interviewing TV stars.
A diverse career has seen Jayne launch websites for popular magazines,
collaborate with top brands, write regularly for major publications
including Woman&Home, Yahoo! and The Daily Telegraph, create a podcast and
also write a tech column for Women's Own.

Colin Howard, living in Southern England.