0:00:03 > 0:00:06All is not well in the bedrooms of Britain.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08What's happening? What's happening?
0:00:08 > 0:00:12We're a nation in the grip of a sleep crisis.
0:00:12 > 0:00:13SHE YAWNS LOUDLY
0:00:13 > 0:00:17More than 10 million prescriptions for sleeping pills
0:00:17 > 0:00:18were issued last year.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19SNORING
0:00:19 > 0:00:23And tired workers cost business £1.6 billion.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27After spending more than a decade
0:00:27 > 0:00:30getting up before 4 o'clock in the morning to present BBC Breakfast
0:00:30 > 0:00:34and growing up with a dad who did shift work, I know how difficult
0:00:34 > 0:00:38it can be sometimes getting through the day with not enough sleep.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41But it can be a problem that affects the entire family
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and can ruin lives.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Oh dear.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Meet five Britons at the end of their tether.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Each suffers from one of the most common sleep problems.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Ranging from the all too common...
0:00:57 > 0:00:59HE SNORES
0:00:59 > 0:01:01You see what it's like - loud, isn't it?
0:01:01 > 0:01:03..to downright odd!
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Can you find a blue... a navy-blue rugby sock?
0:01:07 > 0:01:10I scream, I shout, I think something's in my bed.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15The whole normal night - no, just doesn't happen.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And they're all desperate to find a cure.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21I've tried no alcohol, so we've just gone back to alcohol.
0:01:21 > 0:01:22Sex, no sex!
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Enter two of the UK's leading sleep experts.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32From their mobile lab they'll use infrared cameras to observe
0:01:32 > 0:01:38how the volunteers sleep - or not - in their very own homes.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41It's not common to get up and bake in the middle of the night.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44They'll put them through some rigorous medical tests.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46I think I'm looking like a Cyberman!
0:01:46 > 0:01:48And use cutting edge therapies...
0:01:48 > 0:01:50ALARM BLARES
0:01:50 > 0:01:53..that'll push the volunteers to the limit.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56You're like Darth Vader!
0:01:58 > 0:02:00But can they be freed from the broken sleep
0:02:00 > 0:02:04that plagues their lives, and in the process offer some hope
0:02:04 > 0:02:08to the millions of others who crave a good night's sleep?
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Sleep is the most natural thing in the world -
0:02:18 > 0:02:21just close your eyes and drift off.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25But for millions of us, that's just a dream.
0:02:25 > 0:02:26We're about to change all that.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29This is our sleep house. It's part of an ambitious project
0:02:29 > 0:02:32to give five of Britain's worst sleepers
0:02:32 > 0:02:35the restful night they so desperately need.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Meet neurologist Dr Kirstie Anderson
0:02:40 > 0:02:44and psychologist Dr Jason Ellis.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Between them, they've spent 24 years
0:02:47 > 0:02:50investigating the hidden causes of poor quality sleep.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Their challenge is to find cures for our sleep-deprived five.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59People might not realise -
0:02:59 > 0:03:02you can go longer without food than you can without sleep.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Our bodies really must have it - it's absolutely vital.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09The sad thing is, millions of people in the United Kingdom
0:03:09 > 0:03:10suffer in silence.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12We know that we can help, and help well.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17One of the biggest obstacles Jason and Kirstie face
0:03:17 > 0:03:20is that sleep problems happen at night
0:03:20 > 0:03:22in the private world of the bedroom.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24But we have a solution for that.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31This is Kirstie and Jason's secret weapon, the sleepmobile.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35A specially-designed surveillance vehicle that will take our experts
0:03:35 > 0:03:39out on the road and into the bedrooms of Britain.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Normally, patients have to come to see us,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45but now we're going out to see them in their homes,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49in their normal sleeping space, with the people they're normally with,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and also to look at them over a long period of time,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55to work out what changes day to day and night to night.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58So what difference is there, then, Jason, viewing people
0:03:58 > 0:04:01in their own habitats as opposed to looking at them in a lab?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04We're actually getting to see how they interact with their family,
0:04:04 > 0:04:05with their friends.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07What actually happens in the bedroom?
0:04:07 > 0:04:10You can't transport somebody's bedroom into a lab, so you don't
0:04:10 > 0:04:14know quite what's going on in there that might be influencing the sleep.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Do you think, with the footage you get, you're going to be able
0:04:17 > 0:04:19to look at it and think, "I know how we can help them"?
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- Absolutely.- Definitely.- Yeah.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36So the first part of Jason and Kirstie's mission gets underway.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45They've chosen five volunteers from the problem sleepers
0:04:45 > 0:04:49all over Britain who approached us desperate for help.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Their first port of call is London and the intriguing and alarming case
0:04:52 > 0:04:55of sales consultant Kathryn.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01By day, Kathryn is completely in charge of her hectic life.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06But about once a fortnight, her nights spiral out of control.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10I scream, I shout, I think something's in my bed, I'll pull
0:05:10 > 0:05:16all the covers off, I'll go to the window, or run outside my room.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Other people have said that I'm scared,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22I'm really scared of something, I look terrified.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25The morning after these episodes,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Kathryn has no real memory of her worrying behaviour.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34But it's a different story for her flatmate, Alison,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37who's regularly woken by Kathryn barging into her room.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39SHE SCREAMS
0:05:39 > 0:05:43And her eyes would be really predominant white as if she is...
0:05:43 > 0:05:45she's seen a ghost.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47But it's scary for me.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49She is that petrified
0:05:49 > 0:05:53that if someone was to go near her, which she thought was in her dream,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56you just don't know what would happen.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Jason and Kirstie need to see what's going on for themselves,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09so they're rigging Kathryn's flat with infrared cameras.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Night-vision footage
0:06:10 > 0:06:15gives us not only a longer-term view on somebody's sleep,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18but we get to see how people use other rooms in the house.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Kathryn, for example, claims to walk around a bit, and so we want
0:06:21 > 0:06:25to see whether she's leaving the bedroom and where she's going.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28So as well as fitting two cameras in her room,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32we're also fitting rigging one in flatmate Alison's room, next door.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34For the first time,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36we'll actually be able to show her what she does,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40and give her some idea of how much trouble that might be causing
0:06:40 > 0:06:43other people in the house.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Seeing myself in my night-time antics is going to a bit weird.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Because, like... you know what I'm like.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- Hm.- But for me, seeing myself is just going to...
0:06:54 > 0:06:55I think it's going to shock you.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01I think it's going to really surprise you at how
0:07:01 > 0:07:04- scared you are when you see yourself.- Hm.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Kathryn and Alison are off to bed.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16The night-vision cameras will now record their every night-time move.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20In the sleepmobile, Jason and Kirstie settle down
0:07:20 > 0:07:22to review the night's action.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28- So lights off around 11.- Mm-hmm.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33She does look well settled for the night.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34Hm, she looks a good sleeper.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Hm.- Hm.
0:07:39 > 0:07:40But, after an hour...
0:07:43 > 0:07:46..Kathryn appears to wake up.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Thanks. Thanks. You're my fibble, you're my fibble.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53Game.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Hello.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02All right. Let's just log the time there.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Kirstie and Jason are almost certain she's still sound asleep.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09Can you find a blue... a navy-blue rugby sock?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12So within the first hour and a half, really abrupt arousal,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- it looks like typical sleep talking, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Can you help me get it out?
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- A bit more shouting.- Hm.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22SHE SINGS
0:08:22 > 0:08:24The singing may be a bit off-key,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26but it's still hardly the stuff of nightmares.
0:08:28 > 0:08:29Until...
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Wah! What's happening?
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Dad! Mum! Dad! Mum! Quick!
0:08:35 > 0:08:36Big scream.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41And within seconds, Kathryn's up and out of her room.
0:08:43 > 0:08:44Even though she's still asleep.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53OK. Look at me, look at me.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56It's so dramatic for other people, it's so disconcerting.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- Yeah.- I'm frightened.- Hm.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17The conversation is upsetting,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20but the experts are even more worried by Kathryn's sleepwalking.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Sleepwalking is common. About 5% of adults will very occasionally
0:09:25 > 0:09:29sit up, maybe be pushed back into bed by a partner -
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and it's often considered a bit of a joke symptom.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37But in fact, people go out of the house, people get into cars.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41One of my patients went on holiday with friends, he walked all
0:09:41 > 0:09:45the way out of the hotel room, he walked down two flights of stairs,
0:09:45 > 0:09:49he climbed up two storeys and he jumped off,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and he broke both ankles.
0:09:51 > 0:09:52So it is a potential risk.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56The job now for Kirstie and Jason
0:09:56 > 0:09:59is to find out the cause of Kathryn's behaviour.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03And then try to stop it.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Kathryn's video footage has been really helpful.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13It looks really typical of something we'd call a parasomnia.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17There's a huge range of activities that covers -
0:10:17 > 0:10:21from horrible nightmares, acting out your dreams,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23sleepwalking.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29Sleep talking, people who eat during sleep.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32That's all part of parasomnia.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38It's clear that this is a case that'll need further
0:10:38 > 0:10:41in-depth investigation at the sleep house.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Kathryn's story may seem unusual,
0:10:45 > 0:10:48but it's actually not that rare. More than half a million
0:10:48 > 0:10:52British adults experience some form of parasomnia.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Our next case, though, is something almost all of us can relate to.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04It affects some 15 million people,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07making it Britain's most common sleep problem.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14Paul Ashbury from Norfolk refused to believe his snoring was an issue.
0:11:14 > 0:11:15RECORDED SNORING
0:11:17 > 0:11:19That is...!
0:11:20 > 0:11:25As well as recording him on her phone,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28partner Clare's been gathering video evidence.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32You see what it's like - loud, isn't it?
0:11:32 > 0:11:34HE SNORES LOUDLY
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Snoring has been quoted as a common cause of divorce.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42I am really tired. I haven't had a proper night's sleep
0:11:42 > 0:11:44ever since I can remember.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49It's constant. It's a constant snoring and it doesn't let up
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and when I wake up I'm still tired.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54And she's not the only one.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Although it looks like Paul gets a solid night's sleep,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05he feels just as exhausted as Clare.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08At times, he can barely keep his eyes open.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12And because he's a van driver, it's becoming a major concern.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15I do worry about getting tired during the day, you know,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18you kind of have these little flashes where you think,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21you know, "Oh, God, did I just close my eyes there?"
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Just that second could cause an accident,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27you know, you can drift over, kill someone.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33So the sleepmobile is on its way to Norfolk to investigate
0:12:33 > 0:12:36both Paul's snoring and his exhaustion.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Jason and Kirstie suspect the two conditions may be linked.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Most people have had it for a long time - years and years -
0:12:44 > 0:12:47don't associate their snoring, which they've done forever,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51with this increasing feeling of fatigue and sleepiness.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58So - time for the cameras to go in.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05SHE YAWNS
0:13:05 > 0:13:09And by 10 o'clock, both Paul and Clare are in bed.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16THEY KISS
0:13:22 > 0:13:24But Paul's promise doesn't last long.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26HE SNORES
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Clare has been awoken.
0:13:35 > 0:13:36That is disturbing her.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37Yeah.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40OK - not a great start.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50And the cameras have now captured a bigger problem.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56Between two snores, Paul has entirely stopped breathing.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04The snoring stopped.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06But, in fact, there was a pause in the breathing
0:14:06 > 0:14:11and that went on a little bit longer than I'd be comfortable with.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12That's not good.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19If someone stops breathing while asleep,
0:14:19 > 0:14:23their brain will wake them to get the breathing started again.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25So this pause could be a vital clue
0:14:25 > 0:14:28to van driver Paul's chronic tiredness.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32These are people who could be having pauses in their breathing
0:14:32 > 0:14:36that wake them up 30, 40, 50 times an hour.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40So if you can imagine being briefly woken that amount of times,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44you know, you wake up feeling as if you have not been to bed at all.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46HE SNORES
0:14:46 > 0:14:49And if Paul waking himself up isn't enough...
0:14:51 > 0:14:54..Clare's now doing it too.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- Leaving the bedroom.- Hm.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03To the sofa.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09The night-vision cameras have captured enough
0:15:09 > 0:15:14to give the experts real cause for concern.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17HE SNORES
0:15:17 > 0:15:20So our experts are genuinely worried about Paul's health,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23but it's only when he comes here to the sleep house
0:15:23 > 0:15:27that they'll be able to run a full set of clinical tests.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Before that they've got to meet the rest of our problem sleepers.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34# Good night, sweetheart
0:15:36 > 0:15:40# Till we meet tomorrow... #
0:15:44 > 0:15:47This bed I refer to as a bed of thistles.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50It's MY bed of thistles, that's how I see my bed at night.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Gwen Young from Peebles in the Scottish Borders
0:15:55 > 0:15:58hasn't slept properly for 30 years.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I'd like to be able to go upstairs and think - bedtime,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04going to fall asleep, have a lovely night,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07wake up in the morning feeling 100%.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10But that doesn't really happen for me.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Gwen and her long-suffering husband Derek have tried everything.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21But her problem is actually getting worse.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Tapes, relaxation tapes, whales and things going through the sea.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29- Various exercises you tried... - Yeah.- ..all about deep breathing
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and relaxing from the toes up through the body.
0:16:32 > 0:16:33We've tried no alcohol,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36so we've just gone back to alcohol again cos it makes no difference.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38That's right. Sex, no sex!
0:16:45 > 0:16:49So the sleepmobile is heading north to investigate
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Gwen's inability to sleep.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55It's a plight that plagues over a third of adults in Britain.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59The infrared cameras will give the experts their first look
0:16:59 > 0:17:01into the world of an insomniac at home.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10By 10.30, Gwen can barely keep her eyes open.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16What we commonly see is, the individual will be on the couch,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20early evening and they'll have this nodding,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- the nodding dog behaviour.- Yeah.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26It's time to go to bed cos I feel so tired.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32By 11 o'clock, Gwen and Derek are both in bed.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37It seems like Derek has gone straight out to sleep.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41But this is when the problems start.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Gwen's having a bit of a difficult time...
0:17:47 > 0:17:50..getting herself all worked up.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- She looks cross, doesn't she?- Hm.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Gwen now moves to the spare room.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06It's where she's ended every night for the last 10 years.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09I wonder if she'll do any better here.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Try as she might, sleep simply will not come.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Jason and Kirstie now understand why Gwen feels her bed
0:18:30 > 0:18:32is made of thistles.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37It just didn't look like she fell asleep at all there.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41No. She looks miserable.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48By the end of this tortured night,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Gwen has had three hours of broken sleep.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55It's been the same for years.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00It's like moving through jelly, it's, oh, it's just slow,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03everything's slow and I'm slow today.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06I should be able to get up and go, but today I can't.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10And actually I think I'm going to cry, it's awful.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Long-term insomnia can have a devastating effect on mood,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19health and relationships.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's no wonder Gwen is at her wits' end.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28One of the important things about doing the sleep house
0:19:28 > 0:19:31with Gwen is rule out what's happening during the night.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Is there something that is waking her up, is there something
0:19:34 > 0:19:37that's physically preventing her from getting to sleep?
0:19:37 > 0:19:40That's where we're going to get some really good information
0:19:40 > 0:19:42about the potential causes.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51But what if you don't seem to need any sleep at all?
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Our next case also seems to be an instance of horrible
0:19:54 > 0:19:58sleep deprivation, but perhaps there's more to it than that.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05To look at Sheila Bowie,
0:20:05 > 0:20:08you wouldn't think she had a sleep problem at all.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Wuzzy-wuzzy-wuzzy!
0:20:13 > 0:20:16A wife, mother of two, and a town councillor,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19her life is all about being busy.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21But she doesn't switch off at night.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26The whole normal night...
0:20:26 > 0:20:28No, it just doesn't happen.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29SHE CHUCKLES
0:20:29 > 0:20:31No, I don't get normal.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34My worst nights are when I literally don't sleep at all,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37I mean, you know, I literally get into bed
0:20:37 > 0:20:41and I'm awake and watch the sun come up.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Sheila now survives on an average of just three hours a night
0:20:46 > 0:20:49and her family are getting worried.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53She always seems to be tired when she wakes up,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55huge big purple bags under her eyes
0:20:55 > 0:20:58and she looks like a Walking Dead zombie.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00'I struggle to concentrate.'
0:21:00 > 0:21:03So what are you going to make us for breakfast?
0:21:03 > 0:21:05I sort of reach a point where I'm sort of, literally,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09if I don't get a sleep I'm going to sort of either pass out or throw up.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Two or three hours of sleep, it's clearly not enough.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15She is absolutely exhausted, she's very, very tired.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19What's wrong with her? Is, is she poorly or something?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Cos... Cos if you keep getting kept awake,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24there's something wrong with you
0:21:24 > 0:21:27and I was wondering, is Mummy all right?
0:21:37 > 0:21:41Time for Jason and Kirstie to investigate.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47The cameras are going into Sheila's very own nocturnal lair.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Years of odd night-time antics
0:21:54 > 0:21:58means she no longer sleeps with husband Neil.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01But she does still have a bedtime companion.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04There's a dog on the bed.
0:22:04 > 0:22:10And Boo the dog isn't the only thing vying for Sheila's attention.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Wool and craft things there.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19It's a really busy bedroom, I bet she's not sleeping at ten o'clock.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And indeed, three hours later,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Sheila is showing no signs of sleep.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34She's fixed herself a snack.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Where's she off to now?
0:22:41 > 0:22:43She's about to make some...
0:22:43 > 0:22:45something to eat.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49Then, Sheila does something the experts have never seen before
0:22:49 > 0:22:51in one of their sleep labs.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Not common to get up and bake in the middle of the night.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06It's not a normal behaviour
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- that we would see within our insomnia populations.- No.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12They're more likely to be fretting in bed.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Yes, exactly.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- I mean, she doesn't look groggy, she doesn't look like...- No.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20..she's doing it on autopilot.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- No.- She looks as if she's wide awake.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26I'm really hungry, those cakes look fantastic, don't they?
0:23:26 > 0:23:28She looks pretty good at this.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33Two hours and three dozen cupcakes later,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Sheila heads back to bed and finally gives in to sleep.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40I think it's going to be really important
0:23:40 > 0:23:42to look at Sheila in the sleep house.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I want to know if there's anything physical stopping her
0:23:45 > 0:23:47getting off to sleep in the first half of the night.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50How is she going to manage without all of that electrical equipment
0:23:50 > 0:23:52she was using at night?
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Is she actually going to get off to sleep?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03For Sheila, going to sleep seems like a choice,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06but, for many of us, getting to bed at odd hours
0:24:06 > 0:24:09is something we have to do in order to earn a living.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13The UK is now a 24/7 society
0:24:13 > 0:24:18with some 3.5 million of us regularly working shift patterns.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21And that can play havoc with our sleep.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Our final volunteer, Chris Lockley, from Bedfordshire,
0:24:27 > 0:24:31has been a shift worker for the last 30 years.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34But he's finding it increasingly hard.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Twenty to six,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40just about to get up to go to work.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49It's half past seven in the evening and I'm going to bed,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52cos I've got to be up for midnight.
0:24:52 > 0:24:58It's 11:30 and I'm going to go and work and see how I get on.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00HE YAWNS
0:25:01 > 0:25:02To be honest with you,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04last night I spent some of the time in bed
0:25:04 > 0:25:06wondering what day it was.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11cos working these night shifts has confused my body somewhat.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Chris feels permanently exhausted,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19but he also finds it difficult to sleep when he's not working.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22You go to bed and, all of a sudden, your brain switches on
0:25:22 > 0:25:26and it goes round and round with random thoughts,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29and you think, "I just want you to turn off so I can go to sleep."
0:25:31 > 0:25:34It's not going down well with his new partner, Charlie,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36who's recently moved in.
0:25:36 > 0:25:42I'd like there to be a way that you could just...press a button
0:25:42 > 0:25:45- and Chris would just go to sleep and then, I could go to sleep... - Yeah.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47..and then, you could press another button
0:25:47 > 0:25:50and he'd just wake up refreshed.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Chris has coped with shift work for decades.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01It's this new exhaustion that makes Kirstie and Jason suspect
0:26:01 > 0:26:03this is a complicated case.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07They'll need to unpick Chris's problems layer by layer.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Starting with his ever-changing work schedule.
0:26:10 > 0:26:16We are programmed to feel awake in the day and to feel sleepy at night.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18So if you do shift work,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21you are fighting against your biological clock.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Chris needs to be up at a quarter to three in the morning
0:26:30 > 0:26:31for an early shift,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35so, while most of Britain enjoys their evening, he heads to bed.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45But going to bed and going to sleep are two very different things.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56- He just looks restless and awake, doesn't he?- Yeah.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05At ten o'clock, Charlie joins Chris and things seem to settle down.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10But once they're both asleep, the experts discover another problem.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14HE SNORES
0:27:16 > 0:27:18OK, we're getting a bit of snoring.
0:27:18 > 0:27:19- 'Hm.- Charlie's awake.'
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I have to say it doesn't look to be bothering him,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27- it's more Charlie getting increasingly...- No...
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Yeah, Charlie's actually moving him this time.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39It seems it's not just the shift work
0:27:39 > 0:27:42that's disturbing Chris's sleep.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45He looked, before he woke up because of his snoring,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47- to be sleeping quite well.- Yeah.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- He's been kicked out there though. - That's the thing.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Go and sleep on the sofa.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55After just five hours of broken sleep,
0:27:55 > 0:27:59it's time for a disorientated Chris to go to work.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02- I think Chris is going to be quite a tough one.- Hm.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04- There's so many different things going on.- Absolutely.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06- There's behaviour.- Mm-hm.
0:28:06 > 0:28:07- There's biology.- Hm.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09You know, and environment.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12HE SNORES
0:28:12 > 0:28:16With a bit of insomnia, er...snoring, restlessness
0:28:16 > 0:28:20and slightly...strange shifts.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23I'd imagine I could be a challenge to cure.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24HE LAUGHS
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Good luck to you, experts, that's all I can say.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29HE LAUGHS
0:28:38 > 0:28:41The sleepmobile has given the experts some clues
0:28:41 > 0:28:44into what's been plaguing our problem sleepers.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49Tomorrow, they'll come here to undergo a series of rigorous tests,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52and it's those, together with the surveillance footage,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56which will help Kirstie and Jason find out exactly what's wrong
0:28:56 > 0:28:58and how to fix it.
0:29:03 > 0:29:09All five of our volunteers pose their own special challenges for our experts.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11- Take care.- Hm.
0:29:12 > 0:29:13See you soon.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15I'll see you soon!
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Their problems are typical
0:29:18 > 0:29:21of the sleep issues endured by millions of us.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27The sleep house we've created has the perfect conditions
0:29:27 > 0:29:29for a good night's sleep.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32All the rooms are free from the distractions of modern life,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35they're quiet, calm and clutter free.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41And tonight, we won't just be watching them on night-vision cameras,
0:29:41 > 0:29:45we'll also be using a whole raft of sophisticated scientific equipment
0:29:45 > 0:29:49to monitor what happens to our volunteers throughout the night.
0:29:50 > 0:29:54We'll be looking at their brain and their heart and their muscles
0:29:54 > 0:29:56and getting a really detailed picture
0:29:56 > 0:29:58so that we can inform the treatment.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07First to arrive is the case that worries Kirstie and Jason the most -
0:30:07 > 0:30:12van driver Paul, a man whose snoring could wake the dead.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Oh, oh, this is lovely.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22I should think I should get some sleep on here tonight somehow.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25Next is shift worker Chris,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28who seems to have all sorts of sleep problems.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32They can actually work out what they need to do to improve my sleep.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Cos I must admit I'm at my wits' end now.
0:30:35 > 0:30:36I really hope they can sort it out
0:30:36 > 0:30:39cos I don't like sleeping on the sofa.
0:30:39 > 0:30:40HE CHUCKLES
0:30:40 > 0:30:43For insomniac Gwen the question is,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47can she be cured of a problem that's blighted her life for 30 years?
0:30:47 > 0:30:50It's certainly a lovely bedroom,
0:30:50 > 0:30:54it lends itself to a lovely night's sleep you would think, erm,
0:30:54 > 0:30:57but we'll see how expert they are.
0:30:57 > 0:30:58There's also cake-baker Sheila.
0:30:58 > 0:31:03A woman who'll do anything at night except sleep.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05It's a power cord for me to do me bits if I'm not sleeping,
0:31:05 > 0:31:07make me key rings and things, so...
0:31:07 > 0:31:11As I wasn't allowed to bring the real Boo, I brought the little replacement.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13I might have to go and check out the kitchen
0:31:13 > 0:31:16to see what supplies they've got in,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18just in case I do, you know, get the midnight wandering.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21And finally, there's Kathryn -
0:31:21 > 0:31:24with her sleep talking, sleepwalking night terrors,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28she's the most extreme case of the five people staying at the house.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30Very nice.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34The bed, it seems very nice and comfy.
0:31:35 > 0:31:40Oh, yes, I think I'll sleep very well in here tonight.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Yeah, very, very nice.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46But Kathryn seems to think she doesn't have a sleep problem at all.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51And that may be because she's never seen her night-time behaviour.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Our cameras have now captured
0:31:53 > 0:31:56two weeks' worth of Kathryn's parasomnia.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00Kirstie and Jason want her to see the evidence.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03- Come and take a seat.- Hi, Jason. - Hello, Kathryn.
0:32:03 > 0:32:04- Hello.- Hi.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06- Shall we have a look?- OK.
0:32:06 > 0:32:07THEY CHUCKLE
0:32:08 > 0:32:10'Thanks...'
0:32:10 > 0:32:11Nice fibble, you're my fibble.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13SHE CHUCKLES
0:32:14 > 0:32:16SHE LAUGHS
0:32:20 > 0:32:21..baked in the oven.
0:32:23 > 0:32:24Oh, no!
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Oh, no.
0:32:39 > 0:32:40Oh!
0:32:40 > 0:32:46SHE SCREAMS
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Calm down, wait, look at me.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52I need my mum and dad.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Something really weird happened.
0:32:55 > 0:32:56Wake up.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59Are you OK?
0:32:59 > 0:33:00'Poor Al.'
0:33:01 > 0:33:03So, Kathryn, what was your reaction?
0:33:03 > 0:33:07- It's quite shocking seeing yourself in a subconscious state.- Hm.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12And hearing what you say, it's a bit weird to...
0:33:12 > 0:33:14to see that and it's a bit weird to do it as well.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19Seeing the footage has suddenly made Kathryn nervous
0:33:19 > 0:33:22about what tonight's investigations will reveal
0:33:22 > 0:33:26about the cause of her strange behaviour.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29I feel a little bit worried that they tell me
0:33:29 > 0:33:32that there's something really bad or really wrong up there,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34'something not working properly.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38'It would be fantastic if it could be resolved.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40'But time will tell.'
0:33:42 > 0:33:45We now have five of Britain's worst sleepers
0:33:45 > 0:33:47about to spend the night together.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52What'll happen is anyone's guess.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Welcome to the sleep house.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59You've all come here because you've been sleeping badly for years
0:33:59 > 0:34:03and are exhausted, so we're going to try to sort out
0:34:03 > 0:34:04your sleep problems for good.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Our experts have been monitoring your sleep,
0:34:07 > 0:34:09they know how difficult your nights are
0:34:09 > 0:34:12and now, they're going to try to find out why.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17- I'll be getting straps in a minute. - I might have to hold your hand.
0:34:17 > 0:34:18THEY LAUGH
0:34:18 > 0:34:23All these wires and sensors are part of a polysomnogram test.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26Is this going to hurt?
0:34:26 > 0:34:27We'll be very kind.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30- It's not pulling tight anywhere? - No, it's OK.
0:34:30 > 0:34:32It'll allow Jason and Kirstie
0:34:32 > 0:34:36to monitor each volunteer's breathing, brain activity, eye movement
0:34:36 > 0:34:39and even how much they toss and turn throughout the night.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45Polysomnogram is the gold standard of sleep tests.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46So the electrodes going on
0:34:46 > 0:34:49are recording the brainwave activity, the EEG,
0:34:49 > 0:34:53so we can precisely determine when someone's awake,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55when they're asleep, and what type of sleep they're having.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57So, Paul, how are you feeling?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Bit worried at the moment now. I feel like Hannibal Lecter, actually.
0:35:00 > 0:35:01Do I look like that?
0:35:01 > 0:35:03SHE LAUGHS
0:35:03 > 0:35:04THEY ALL LAUGH
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Insomniac Gwen is already nervous about the night ahead,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13but now, it's just all too much.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18SHE SIGHS
0:35:22 > 0:35:25- I'm just not feeling very well. - OK.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30From his years of experience,
0:35:30 > 0:35:32Jason knows how daunting this must be for her.
0:35:35 > 0:35:36It's OK, carry on.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39- You sure?- Mm-hm.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Sleep problems are debilitating,
0:35:41 > 0:35:43people suffer and, in a lot of cases,
0:35:43 > 0:35:47they're suffering in silence, because they don't know what to do.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50If you can actually fix someone's sleep,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53you pretty much give them a lot of their lives back.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56The equipment won't go live until they go to bed -
0:35:56 > 0:36:00until then, there's a chance to swap sleep stories.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06No, no, cos I'm very quiet.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08How do you have a quiet mixer?
0:36:08 > 0:36:11- No, I don't have a mixer. - Do you do it by hand?
0:36:11 > 0:36:12I've got an arm. I use my arm.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14- ..stand there and...?- Yeah.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17I, I'm an old-fashioned kind of girl, me.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20I can quite often stay in hotels
0:36:20 > 0:36:23and I think I have, at some point, screamed in my sleep
0:36:23 > 0:36:25and, you know, been up in my room.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28The poor people sleeping in rooms next door to me...
0:36:28 > 0:36:30must have thought, "Oh, she's having a good time."
0:36:30 > 0:36:32THEY LAUGH
0:36:39 > 0:36:41Good night, everyone.
0:36:41 > 0:36:42It's bedtime,
0:36:42 > 0:36:46but will Kathryn's screaming keep our two insomniacs awake?
0:36:46 > 0:36:51And how will they all cope with our two world-class snorers?
0:36:51 > 0:36:55Will anyone get any sleep with the amount of kit they're connected to?
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I think I'm looking like a Cyberman.
0:36:58 > 0:36:59It is quite nerve-racking,
0:36:59 > 0:37:02cos you just don't know what the...what they'll find.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05They're testing me for near enough everything here,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08see if my brain works properly, whether my heart works properly
0:37:08 > 0:37:11and whether I do kung-fu kicks in bed as well.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14Could be a very interesting night, I'd say.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23All the data will be fed out into the sleepmobile.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26So far, Jason and Kirstie have hunches,
0:37:26 > 0:37:31but the polysomnogram, or PSG, will give them answers.
0:37:31 > 0:37:37And to get those, they'll have to track all five volunteers' readings throughout the night.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41We typically think about sleep as an on-off, almost like a switch.
0:37:41 > 0:37:43But sleep doesn't work like that,
0:37:43 > 0:37:48there are various stages of how deep and refreshing sleep can be,
0:37:48 > 0:37:50and how recuperative it can be,
0:37:50 > 0:37:57and so, a PSG allows us to look at exactly how much each of those stages the individual is getting.
0:38:01 > 0:38:07And so, their long night starts with everyone getting into bed quickly -
0:38:07 > 0:38:09apart from our night owl, Sheila.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14There's been so much going on today, I'm pretty wired so...
0:38:14 > 0:38:17so it doesn't take much to put me off, really.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Surprisingly, a short while later,
0:38:19 > 0:38:23insomniac Gwen is one of the first to turn out the lights.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26- She looked tired just sitting downstairs, didn't she?- Yeah.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30The readout suggests Gwen could already be entering
0:38:30 > 0:38:33the lightest stage of sleep.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37Maybe the calm quiet surroundings of the sleep house are having an effect
0:38:37 > 0:38:39because, down the hallway,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42sleepwalker Kathryn is now also in the land of nod.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47She's got really nice sleep staging, very even.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49- And she looks very content.- Hm!
0:38:49 > 0:38:52She's pretty much out for the count.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55According to the polysomnogram,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Kathryn is already into deep sleep.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Thanks to the cameras at Kathryn's house,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Jason and Kirstie expect that her strange behaviour should happen
0:39:03 > 0:39:05during her first two hours of sleep.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08So this is when the other volunteers are most at risk
0:39:08 > 0:39:10of an unexpected visit.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17- It's early days.- Hm.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19But, you know, we should be seeing something,
0:39:19 > 0:39:20if we are going to see it,
0:39:20 > 0:39:22in the first third of the night.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28HE SNORES
0:39:28 > 0:39:32By 11:30, shift worker Chris is out too.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34So is lorry driver, Paul.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36HE SNORES
0:39:36 > 0:39:39Oh, the snoring is coming in for Paul there.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43- I can just see the pressure sensors starting to pick it up.- Hm.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47HEAVY SNORING
0:39:47 > 0:39:50And that means trouble for Gwen in the room next door.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55SNORING
0:39:57 > 0:40:01She may have dozed off for a while, but she's wide awake now.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Jason and Kirstie can see from the readouts
0:40:04 > 0:40:06that she hasn't achieved any deep sleep so far.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Gwen's trying and she's trying and trying and trying
0:40:11 > 0:40:14and I think it's eluding her more and more and more.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Jason and Kirstie suspect both men's snoring
0:40:19 > 0:40:22could be a major cause of their sleeping problems.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24HE SNORES
0:40:24 > 0:40:26They're now paying close attention
0:40:26 > 0:40:29to the sensors measuring Paul and Chris's breathing,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32starting with shift worker Chris.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35You can see bouts of snoring going on,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38but there's no pressure and air flow issues.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Shift worker Chris gets the all clear.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43But for lorry driver, Paul,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46it's a very different story.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48The snoring has got louder
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and, look, the breathing's just started to tail off.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55HE SNORES HEAVILY
0:40:55 > 0:41:02Paul stops breathing for almost ten seconds before he wakes himself up.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04HE SNORES
0:41:04 > 0:41:08- That's the first convincing prolonged apnoea I've seen.- Yeah.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13The sensors confirm Jason and Kirstie's suspicion
0:41:13 > 0:41:16that Paul has a condition called, sleep apnoea,
0:41:16 > 0:41:21where a sufferer's airway relaxes too much during sleep and shuts,
0:41:21 > 0:41:22stopping his breathing.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26For the rest of the night,
0:41:26 > 0:41:30our experts will be paying very close attention to this patient.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33HE SNORES
0:41:36 > 0:41:39It's now 1:30,
0:41:39 > 0:41:41and Sheila is at last in bed.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45Or, at least, on it.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47She's not really trying to sleep.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Sheila may not be bothered about being awake.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52But insomniac Gwen certainly is.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56- Almost like it's typical for both of these women...- Hm.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57..but in very different ways.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59- Hm.- Sheila seems very content
0:41:59 > 0:42:02with this, you know, up and down, up and down.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04She wasn't trying to get into bed early at all.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07And then, you've got Gwen, who's in and out of bed...
0:42:07 > 0:42:11- Hm.- ..in the vain hope that sleep will come.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13HE SNORES
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Down the hall, shift worker Chris is still in a deep sleep.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21The fact he's alone may be a vital clue for Kirstie and Jason.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23Well, this is interesting,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26- because the quality of it is really rather good.- Yeah.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- And he's not sleeping with Charlie. - Hm.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33- So maybe this is the occasion where she'd be waking him up with the... - Could be, yeah.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35..the little pat on the side.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37HE SNORES
0:42:37 > 0:42:41At home, lorry driver Paul would also be on the sofa by now.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Our concerned experts are now waiting for his dream sleep -
0:42:46 > 0:42:51when the body's muscles are at their most relaxed.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54This is when sleep apnoea is at its worst.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59- He looks deep into dream sleep there and...- Oh, yes.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02- ..it's all worse and the breathing's worse.- Hm.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05HE SNORES
0:43:07 > 0:43:11Paul stops breathing for an alarmingly long time.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26HE SNORES
0:43:29 > 0:43:34- That's...25 seconds, that one. - OK.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38This really worries Jason and Kirstie.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41Paul's condition affects 4% of British men
0:43:41 > 0:43:44and it's been linked to all sorts of life-threatening complications.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47I mean, the long-term effects of sleep apnoea,
0:43:47 > 0:43:51it's not just the fact that you feel rotten and you're sleepy,
0:43:51 > 0:43:54these are people with high blood pressure
0:43:54 > 0:43:58and an increased rate of things like heart attacks and strokes,
0:43:58 > 0:44:01when sleep apnoea is really severe.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03HE SNORES
0:44:03 > 0:44:07They may have identified the root cause of Paul's problem.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09But there's no rest for Kirstie and Jason,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11they've now got night-baker Sheila to deal with.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16So lights off at around...two,
0:44:16 > 0:44:17but she's not asleep...
0:44:17 > 0:44:20- I mean, those are wide awake rhythms, aren't they?- Hm.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25She's disappeared off, she's out of the bedroom now.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Where's she going?
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Oh, she's into the kitchen now.
0:44:38 > 0:44:39Oh, she looks very content.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41- Hm.- Pottering around.
0:44:41 > 0:44:43Not satisfied with cupcakes,
0:44:43 > 0:44:47a wide-awake and busy Sheila has gone
0:44:47 > 0:44:49for the full Victoria sponge.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54It's now the wee small hours of the morning
0:44:54 > 0:44:57and it should be the most peaceful time in Britain's homes.
0:44:57 > 0:44:58HE SNORES
0:44:58 > 0:45:00But not here.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02The whole building is filled with the sounds of snoring,
0:45:02 > 0:45:05cooking and general activity.
0:45:05 > 0:45:10Maybe we shouldn't have called it the sleep house after all.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13Sheila heads back upstairs.
0:45:14 > 0:45:19And now, it's Gwen's turn to set off for the kitchen.
0:45:26 > 0:45:30Meanwhile, Sheila is finally calling it a night.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35I mean, she's only just settling, look, now four in the morning.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36HE CHUCKLES
0:45:36 > 0:45:39- OK.- So, boy, she's gone straight into deep sleep though, she's...
0:45:39 > 0:45:41Like you would.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43According to the monitors,
0:45:43 > 0:45:48Sheila has dropped almost immediately into deep sleep.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52And Kirstie thinks she's worked out just what's going on.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55- So it's two different sleep disorders here, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59- Typical insomnia with nothing physical to disrupt her sleep.- No.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01And then, this is someone
0:46:01 > 0:46:03who's doing lots of things she shouldn't around bedtime
0:46:03 > 0:46:08- and isn't even trying to fall asleep till about four in the morning. - Yeah.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13Sheila finally joins our two snorers
0:46:13 > 0:46:15in the land of nod.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19Along with sleepwalker Kathryn, who hasn't stirred all night.
0:46:19 > 0:46:22Only poor Gwen is still awake.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25For her, the night has been a disaster.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27Gwen's tried to get back to bed.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31- Hm.- And you can see some slow rolling eye movements.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33- She's drowsy.- She's drowsy, but there's...
0:46:33 > 0:46:36- she's just not connecting into the sleep.- Hm.
0:46:37 > 0:46:42It's a quarter to six in the morning before Gwen finally falls asleep.
0:46:45 > 0:46:47Morning in the sleep house
0:46:47 > 0:46:50and our five volunteers are waiting for their diagnosis.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58For Jason and Kirstie,
0:46:58 > 0:47:02the time and effort they've put into the night have been worth it.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07Hi, guys!
0:47:07 > 0:47:09How do you think it's gone in the sleep house?
0:47:09 > 0:47:11I think it's gone really well.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14It's been really tiring for us and our contributors,
0:47:14 > 0:47:18but what we have is five definite sleep disorders.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20We know exactly what we have to do.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22How hard are they going to have to work
0:47:22 > 0:47:25in order to solve these sleep problems?
0:47:25 > 0:47:27They're all going to have to work hard,
0:47:27 > 0:47:30I suspect they don't know quite how hard just yet,
0:47:30 > 0:47:34but we just have to keep the explanations really consistent
0:47:34 > 0:47:38about long-term gain for short-term pain.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43Jason and Kirstie may feel optimistic,
0:47:43 > 0:47:45but, for insomniac Gwen,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48the whole sleep house experience has been a nightmare.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51'I feel like I've never had such a bad night's sleep.'
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Sheila, God bless her, I could,
0:47:54 > 0:47:58I could smell the cakes that she was making at, I think it was about two.
0:47:58 > 0:47:59And I feel terrible.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03In fact, I feel so bad er, I think I'd just like to go home.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05SHE CHUCKLES
0:48:05 > 0:48:08But Jason swears that he can help me, so...
0:48:12 > 0:48:15..so here's hoping, fingers crossed.
0:48:16 > 0:48:2130 years of bad sleep have made Gwen suspicious of any treatment.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27But the polysomnogram has recorded some surprising details
0:48:27 > 0:48:29about what Gwen did last night.
0:48:31 > 0:48:32- Hello, Gwen.- Hello.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Hello, hello.
0:48:35 > 0:48:36So what this tells us
0:48:36 > 0:48:42is that actually you spent quite a lot of your night awake.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44- Mm-hm.- Which, I think, you probably know that?
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Yeah, I do, yeah.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48And then, there's quite a big portion here
0:48:48 > 0:48:50of very, very light sleep.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54Gwen actually dozed off numerous times during the night -
0:48:54 > 0:48:59she was officially asleep for a total of four hours.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02So those four hours that you see,
0:49:02 > 0:49:04which I'm quite shocked at that it was four hours,
0:49:04 > 0:49:07so could they be sort of...ten minute slots or...?
0:49:07 > 0:49:10- Absolutely.- That's not like I'm sleeping for four hours.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12- No.- Not at all.
0:49:12 > 0:49:16She's never achieved the deep, refreshing sleep we all need.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20So a rotten night's sleep,
0:49:20 > 0:49:23but still, in fact, you're sleeping
0:49:23 > 0:49:25for just over 50% of the time you're in bed.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29That, that amazes me that I actually slept for four hours because...
0:49:29 > 0:49:31I think one of the... Yes, absolutely.
0:49:31 > 0:49:36You don't remember being in the lighter stages of sleep sometime.
0:49:38 > 0:49:43This surprising result gives Jason hope that a cure is not so far away.
0:49:43 > 0:49:48He believes if he can make those four hours one continuous block of sleep,
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Gwen will make a breakthrough.
0:49:50 > 0:49:55We're going to squash it so that it's a consistent period of time
0:49:55 > 0:49:57and that'll actually lead you, hopefully,
0:49:57 > 0:49:59to feeling, "I've had some sleep."
0:50:00 > 0:50:02That's, that's the...
0:50:02 > 0:50:03HE CHUCKLES
0:50:03 > 0:50:06..that's all I wanted to hear actually that, that, erm...
0:50:06 > 0:50:09you can help me, that's all I want at the end of the day.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14Someone who stayed up most of the night
0:50:14 > 0:50:17was phantom cake-baker Sheila.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20- Right, let's start getting this off. - Yeah.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24In spite of just a few hours' sleep, Sheila seems remarkably chipper.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27So what sort of night did you have, did you get any sleep?
0:50:27 > 0:50:31Erm, I think I got some, around two and a half hours, I think,
0:50:31 > 0:50:35but erm, you know, there was this strange apparition in the kitchen at one point
0:50:35 > 0:50:37making Victoria sponges.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38SHE CHUCKLES
0:50:38 > 0:50:42- Oh, I noticed the Victoria sponges downstairs.- Yeah, they're nice. Bizarre, you know.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47The overnight study has convinced the experts
0:50:47 > 0:50:50that Sheila doesn't have insomnia, like Gwen.
0:50:50 > 0:50:53So you can just about see you in the bed there.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56But can the polysomnograms solve the puzzle
0:50:56 > 0:51:01of why she stays up all night and how she survives on so little sleep?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04So, last night, when we did the overnight polysomnogram...
0:51:04 > 0:51:05Yeah.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08..you actually slept for only two and a half hours.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10I know, it wasn't good.
0:51:10 > 0:51:11But I will put a caveat in that.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13- Mm-hmm. - The two and a half hours you got,
0:51:13 > 0:51:15- that we monitored through all of those wires...- Yeah.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17..was actually of really good quality.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20When you do sleep, you sleep very well.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23I think you've acquired a really disrupted sleep pattern...
0:51:23 > 0:51:27- Yeah.- ..and very much a broken clock.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:51:27 > 0:51:31It means that the body clock is not really giving you the right signals
0:51:31 > 0:51:34as to what time you should be in bed and what time you should be awake.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38Kirstie and Jason realise Sheila has no problem
0:51:38 > 0:51:39getting good quality sleep,
0:51:39 > 0:51:41but her broken body clock means
0:51:41 > 0:51:44she doesn't follow the normal daily cycle
0:51:44 > 0:51:47of feeling sleepy when darkness falls.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49To make matters worse,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52she's filling more of the night with busy pastimes,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55so much so she's running out of time to sleep.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57You're just about managing,
0:51:57 > 0:52:00but I think the cracks are starting to show.
0:52:00 > 0:52:01They are, that's right.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04- So there's lots that we need to get in there and fix.- Definitely.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Otherwise, I think you're really going to struggle.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10If the experts are to cure Sheila,
0:52:10 > 0:52:13it'll mean changing habits that have developed over years.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20Right, so I'll just take these...
0:52:22 > 0:52:25One of the shocks of the night has been shift worker Chris.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28He's had one of his best sleeps in a long time.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33I look dead.
0:52:33 > 0:52:34SHE LAUGHS
0:52:34 > 0:52:36- We haven't pressed play yet... - Oh.- Don't worry.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38THEY LAUGH
0:52:38 > 0:52:39You fell asleep at midnight.
0:52:39 > 0:52:40Yep.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43- You took less than ten minutes to fall asleep.- Mm-hmm.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47- And you woke just after six, so you had six hours' sleep.- Mm-hmm.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50And it was really good quality sleep.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53- You take a chance to sleep well when you can.- Yeah.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57But Jason and Kirstie have seen that, at home,
0:52:57 > 0:53:00those chances are few and far between.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06As well as his shift work,
0:53:06 > 0:53:09his snoring is annoying new partner Charlie,
0:53:09 > 0:53:12and nights on the sofa are fast becoming the norm.
0:53:14 > 0:53:19How often is it that you're actually ending up in the couch?
0:53:19 > 0:53:23It, it seems to happen quite often now, yeah.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25So how often, how many nights a week?
0:53:25 > 0:53:27- Five.- About five out of seven?
0:53:27 > 0:53:29Four or five, yeah.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37Chris, what did you think when you saw that video footage,
0:53:37 > 0:53:39the night footage back?
0:53:39 > 0:53:42I must admit, I did actually start to think to myself,
0:53:42 > 0:53:44- "Am I really that bad?!"- Really?
0:53:44 > 0:53:48And er, I didn't realise I disturbed Charlie so much in the night,
0:53:48 > 0:53:52it was quite, quite an eye-opener actually, yeah.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55When I am sleeping, the quality of sleep I'm getting is really good,
0:53:55 > 0:53:58but the thing is it's just a matter of making Charlie as well
0:53:58 > 0:54:01getting a good night sleep as well, from me not snoring, so...
0:54:01 > 0:54:04If they can solve those issues, then I'll be a happy man.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10Sleepwalker Kathryn didn't exhibit any unusual behaviour last night,
0:54:10 > 0:54:13but, on the basis of the footage recorded at her flat,
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Jason and Kirstie have a definitive diagnosis.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21You're much more likely to have trouble in the first couple of hours,
0:54:21 > 0:54:26and we know that you're very likely to be in your non dream,
0:54:26 > 0:54:27your slow-wave sleep.
0:54:27 > 0:54:31You're coming out of this stage of sleep,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34so body awake, brain not really.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36What are the options for, say, treatment,
0:54:36 > 0:54:38if you wanted to go down that route?
0:54:38 > 0:54:40There's certainly medication that we prescribe -
0:54:40 > 0:54:44- Temazepam, Clonazepam, drugs you might have heard of...- Hm.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48..are effective for a large number of sleepwalkers.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50Of course, you have to weigh that up
0:54:50 > 0:54:53against the potential side effects of tablets.
0:54:53 > 0:54:57I mean, I don't, I don't want to take any drugs for this.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59With drugs not an option,
0:54:59 > 0:55:03Jason and Kirstie will need to come up with a creative solution
0:55:03 > 0:55:06to make sure Kathryn is kept safe while she sleep walks.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13That leaves Paul,
0:55:13 > 0:55:16the last of our volunteers to get his results.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20He came to the sleep house hoping to find a cure for his snoring.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22But the night study has confirmed
0:55:22 > 0:55:24there's something much more serious going on.
0:55:30 > 0:55:33These bands down here were the monitors
0:55:33 > 0:55:36- around your chest and your abdomen. - OK.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39And, normally, you'd expect those to move gently up and down.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43In fact, there's quite a prolonged pause where it doesn't move at all.
0:55:43 > 0:55:44Mm-hmm.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46You've completely stopped breathing there.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Right, OK. A bit worrying.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53And if we look, the oxygen level is starting to drop.
0:55:53 > 0:55:5896, 95, 94...
0:55:58 > 0:56:01And we absolutely know the reason,
0:56:01 > 0:56:05- the pressure builds up as you snore. - Mm-hm.
0:56:05 > 0:56:10All of those soft tissues at the back of your throat close.
0:56:10 > 0:56:11Right.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15- And there's a big snort and a jerk and you wake up again.- Mm-hm.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19This is happening between 15 and 20 times an hour
0:56:19 > 0:56:22and each time you are waking.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24I'm real...really worried, to tell you the truth.
0:56:24 > 0:56:25HE CHUCKLES
0:56:25 > 0:56:27And if that wasn't bad enough,
0:56:27 > 0:56:31this condition puts Paul's career as a lorry driver in jeopardy.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34Obstructive sleep apnoea is something
0:56:34 > 0:56:37you HAVE to let the DVLA know about.
0:56:37 > 0:56:43They know that people with untreated sleep apnoea are worse drivers.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48From this point on, Paul can no longer work.
0:56:48 > 0:56:50- It's a lot to take in... - It is, yeah.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52..when you thought this was just rotten snoring.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57It's devastating news.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02I've been driving lorries for 22 years now.
0:57:02 > 0:57:07Er... It's like the only job I know I can do properly,
0:57:07 > 0:57:09give 100% commitment,
0:57:09 > 0:57:11so...and a major shock to my system
0:57:11 > 0:57:14to think, you know, "What am I going to do now?"
0:57:15 > 0:57:18Paul may be leaving in shock,
0:57:18 > 0:57:20but he's not leaving without hope.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27Like all our volunteers, Kirstie and Jason have a treatment plan for him.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29But it isn't going to be easy.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33HEAVY BREATHING
0:57:33 > 0:57:34Next time...
0:57:34 > 0:57:37It is really daunting to see something like that.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39Night-night, Darth Vader!
0:57:40 > 0:57:44The five volunteers begin some bizarre new sleep regimes.
0:57:44 > 0:57:46ALARM BLARES
0:57:46 > 0:57:49It's like a medieval means of torture.
0:57:49 > 0:57:51- Let's go into the bedroom. - Yes, let's.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55But can they change the habits of a lifetime?
0:57:55 > 0:57:59No, the irony is, it's been worse since he got back from sleep house.
0:57:59 > 0:58:00ALARM GOES OFF
0:58:00 > 0:58:01SHE SCREAMS
0:58:01 > 0:58:05You actually need to get your mum not to cook at night.
0:58:05 > 0:58:07CHILDREN: Oh!
0:58:07 > 0:58:11And will they finally be able to get a good night's sleep?
0:58:11 > 0:58:13You're a very nice man, but I really don't like you very much.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15SHE LAUGHS
0:58:15 > 0:58:17If Jason and Kirstie manage
0:58:17 > 0:58:20to give our sleep-deprived five a good night's rest,
0:58:20 > 0:58:23then, maybe there's hope for us all.
0:58:23 > 0:58:24But that's in the next programme.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27Until then, good night, Britain.
0:58:50 > 0:58:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd