A SURPRISING hack could be exactly what you need if you can’t sleep

Called the 15-minute or quarter-hour rule, it’s designed by experts in sleep for those who lie awake at night.

Dr Bryony Sheaves and Professor Colin Espie at the University of Oxford described the sleep hack in a guide.

Both are part of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences Medical Sciences Division, a centre for research into disorders of the nervous system.

The pair wrote: “Studies have estimated that around a third of the general population have difficulties getting to sleep or staying asleep (insomnia).  

“So whilst it can feel like a lonely experience lying awake at night, there are many people who have a similar experience.  

“Sleep difficulties are often short lasting and improve by themselves, but for some people they may require some extra help.”

Of their 10 tips was the “quarter-of-an-hour rule”, and it may sound counterintuitive at first.

Dr Sheaves and Prof Espie wrote: “If you have difficulties sleeping you’ve probably noticed that you spend lots of time in bed awake.

“This means that bed might become connected with being awake, frustrated or anxious about sleep.  

“To promote your bed-sleep connection, follow the quarter-of-an-hour rule…

“If you notice that you aren’t asleep within around 15 minutes of going to bed, try getting out of bed, go to another room go through your wind down routine until you are feeling sleepy-tired and ready to return to bed for sleep. 

Doing the latter can make you more anxious about sleep, which further makes it difficult to nod off. 

By getting up and focusing on another task, you are more likely to appreciate your bed when you return to it in a calm state of mind.

It you may worry that getting up will deprive you of precious sleep.

But it can actually help to build “sleep pressure” the next day, driving you to go to bed earlier.

The experts also gave some other suggestions to help those who find themselves tossing and turning at night.

They wrote: “Try to avoid bright light before bedtime to promote melatonin production.”

Melatonin is a sleep hormone that builds during the evening. But it relies on light being turned down, mimicking that of sundown.  

“Conversely, try to expose yourself to lots of natural daylight when it’s time to be awake (particularly early morning). This will help you to feel awake, alert and ready for the day.”

Dr Sheaves and Prof Espie also recommended at least 90 minutes of windown time before bed.

They said: “Some ideas might include reading a book, listening to calming music or practising relaxation exercises. 

“If you find that your mind is racing when you head to bed, you could use part of this time to find a way to close off the day.

“Perhaps write a diary to take the power out of your thoughts, or make a plan of the things that you would like to do the following day to stop these thoughts popping up when you are in bed.”