Episode 2 Goodnight Britain

All is not well in the bedrooms of Britain.

-SHE SCREAMS

-What's happening?!

We're a nation in the grip of a sleep crisis.

SHE YAWNS

More than ten million prescriptions for sleeping pills

were issued last year...

HE SNORES

..and tired workers cost businesses £1.6 billion.

It can be a problem that affects the entire family

and can ruin lives.

Last time, our sleep experts used night vision cameras

to spy on the nocturnal troubles

of some of the nation's worst sleepers.

There is something magical about watching somebody fall asleep.

SNORING

The experts then brought them to our sleep house...

I think I'm looking like a cyber man.

..where state-of-the-art technology

monitored their brains and bodies throughout the night.

You've completely stopped breathing there.

I'm really worried, to tell you the truth.

The challenge sounds simple...

Fix someone's sleep,

you pretty much give them a lot of their lives back.

..and tonight, our experts will employ some surprising...

Night-night, Darth Vader.

Night-night.

SHRILL BEEPING

..even bizarre treatments.

It looks like a medieval means of torture.

From extreme make-overs...

How would you feel about not having Boo in the bedroom?

..to sleep restriction...

Time for going to bed is 2am.

..that'll push our sleep sufferers to their limits.

I can barely breathe with this thing in my mouth.

You're a very nice man, but I really don't like you very much.

THEY LAUGH

But can they be freed from the broken sleep

that plagues their lives, and, in the process,

offer some hope to the millions of others

who crave a good night's sleep?

Welcome back to the Goodnight Britain sleep house,

where, last time, our experts worked out exactly what was wrong

with our sleep-deprived five and how they were going to treat them.

Well, our volunteers are now back home with their families

and it's there that the hard work will really begin.

Our Goodnight Britain sleep experts,

Dr Kirstie Anderson and Dr Jason Ellis,

will be watching their every move

with the help of our roving sleep laboratory, the Sleep Mobile,

and they're determined that our five will be cured.

So, Kirstie and Jason, we know what's wrong with everyone.

What happens now?

Now we're going to hit the road

and we're going to deal with each of our patients one at a time.

There's definitely some which are going to be harder work,

because we're really looking at changing some quite bad habits.

And how do you change those habits?

They've been developed over years, for many of them.

A lot of the things we ask people to do initially

don't feel comfortable at first,

but make a great difference in the long term.

-You've got your work cut out, haven't you?

-Absolutely.

-And lots of it!

-Good luck.

-Thanks.

Jason and Kirstie's odyssey will take them across the UK

as they treat our five volunteers one by one.

Each poses a different challenge,

but they all suffer from sleep problems

that plague millions of Britons every night.

Their first port of call is Norfolk

and a case that has them really worried.

SNORING

When the experts first met Paul Ashbury...

-SNORING

-..his snoring could wake the dead...

HE SNORES

You see what it's like. Loud, innit?

..and it was driving his partner Clare to her wits' end.

I am really tired.

I haven't had a proper night's sleep ever since I can remember.

But when Jason and Kirstie watched the night footage,

they saw a more serious issue.

It was what was happening between Paul's snores

that really worried them.

The snoring stopped.

But, in fact, there was a pause in the breathing.

And they went on a little bit longer than I'd be comfortable with.

At the sleep house, the experts confirmed their worst fears.

Paul has a condition called obstructive sleep apnoea,

which is potentially life-threatening when severe.

HE SNORES

There's quite a prolonged pause

where it doesn't move at all.

You've completely stopped breathing there.

Right, OK.

Sleep apnoea leaves sufferers feeling so exhausted

they can be a danger on the road.

Paul could no longer drive.

And as a van driver, that meant he couldn't work.

So a major shock to my system to think, you know,

"What am I going to do now?"

It's important that Paul's treatment starts as soon as possible.

Kirstie has bought along sleep technician Ros

to introduce Paul to his new bedtime companion -

a contraption that looks more like a life support system

than a sleep aid.

Luckily, we've got a really good treatment, the CPAP machine.

CPAP, short for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure,

works by blowing a flow of air into the mouth and nose,

and that prevents the airways getting blocked.

But it does mean Paul will have to sleep

with a mask strapped to his face.

Right, that looks good. Medium looks good.

What sometimes happens is, for the first few nights,

you wake up in the middle of the night thinking,

"Oh, what's this? This feels a bit odd."

So we need to know that you're using it for most of the night

and we usually want at least four or more hours.

Can you just hold that in position? Good.

What does that feel like?

-Quite comfortable.

-Different, isn't it?

-So how does it feel?

-Good.

-Happy?

-Mmm-hmm.

Whether Paul likes it or not, there's no escape.

A chip in the machine will record

exactly how long he wears the mask each night,

and the data will be checked

before he's given the all-clear to drive again.

Now, just take the mask off, release the clips...

Paul's hopeful that just a few weeks with the mask will see him right.

What is the long term...treatment?

I mean, how long do I have this for?

I think it's better to plan in your head for taking this,

putting it into your routine, and using it long-term.

Mmm-hmm.

So, no, not just for a month.

You need to plan to use this over the years.

Right, OK.

For many sufferers, the mask is for life.

And now it's time to introduce his partner Clare to his new nightwear.

And here we have...

-the mask.

-It's like a Darth Vader mask!

-Oh, it is.

That's not really scary.

It's daunting. It is really daunting to see something like that.

So it's not going to hurt you, it's going to help you, so...

..I don't mind.

As long as you don't.

On here.

SHE LAUGHS

The Sleep Mobile is parked up outside,

so Jason and Kirstie can keep a close eye

on how Paul and Clare cope on his first night.

Because, frankly, the mask's not the easiest of things to wear in bed...

..or the most attractive.

That's it.

All right. Night-night, Darth Vader.

Night-night!

And may the Force be with you.

THEY GIGGLE

Most people find the mask uncomfortable to begin with,

and Paul's no exception.

Every now and then, you just get someone who rips it straight off

and, you know, if you're really claustrophobic, it's a bit tough.

Clare kisses Paul good night, hoping for her first silent night in years.

There is something magical about watching somebody fall asleep.

Paul is now deep asleep and there's not a snore to be heard.

When you know about sleep apnoea, I hate listening to the pauses.

You're sitting there going, "Come on, breathe."

The mask might look scary, but it seems to work.

For the first time in years, silence reigns in Paul and Clare's bedroom.

Until...

But there's...

The snoring could be a sign the mask isn't working...

GENTLE SNORING

..that is, if it's Paul who's snoring.

Well, we were a bit distracted because we heard snoring,

but it's Clare.

We're just trying to work out where the snoring is coming from

but Paul definitely isn't guilty this time.

But one night's successful sleep

doesn't mean the treatment has worked.

About 30% of people who are prescribed the mask

eventually give up on the device.

Paul's first night with the CPAP machine appears to have been

a success, but he'll have to wear it a while longer to see

if it's worked well enough to get his driving licence back.

In the meantime, the Sleep Mobile is on its way to Scunthorpe

to catch up with the human whirlwind

who was surviving on hardly any sleep at all.

When we first met Sheila Bowie, she was busy cramming being a mum,

wife and town councillor into a hectic schedule.

But when Jason and Kirstie watched what Sheila got up to at night,

they discovered that, if anything, she was even busier.

Not common to get up and bake in the middle of the night.

Some nights, you can see the dogs and they're looking really exhausted

and they're like, "Oh, God, she's up again."

And it's like, "For the love of God, woman, go to sleep."

It was the sleep house that provided a vital clue.

She's only just settling, look, now four in the morning.

OK.

So... Boy, she's gone straight into deep sleep, though.

The reading showed that when Sheila finally did feel tired,

she fell immediately into a deep, nourishing sleep.

Kirstie and Jason's diagnosis was that Sheila's body clock was broken.

She didn't follow the normal routine of feeling sleepy at night

and awake during the day.

The experts' challenge is to reset her body clock,

so Sheila can sleep at the same time as the rest of her family.

And the first thing they want to do

is check out where she spends her hectic nights.

As you can see, it's full of all my bits and bobs, you know.

-Wow, it certainly is.

-It is, I'm afraid.

Sheila's room is every bit as busy as she is.

-Cook books, making things, and that's work.

-Yup. Yup.

If I'm sort of struggling with my sleep,

then I make keyrings and things and I might do a bit of crochet.

And you - we've seen you on the cameras already.

-You're on here every night, aren't you?

-Yeah.

I don't sleep, but he sleeps.

Jason and Kirstie's surprising approach is to tackle the room

before they deal with the patient.

There's just too much in here for a quiet night's sleep.

Sheila's bedroom, yeah, if it's a scale of one to ten,

she's about a 25.

We have pretty much everything in there.

She's moved things in from the kitchen, from the bathroom,

from the living room... It's a disaster zone.

So Jason is taking Sheila to task.

-Let's go into the bedroom.

-Yes, yes.

He's demanding that she removes anything in the bedroom

that might keep her awake at night.

He wants to improve what the experts call the room's sleep hygiene,

and it's got nothing to do with cleanliness.

Sleep hygiene is things like making sure that the bedroom is cool,

dark, and quiet, cos those things disrupt your sleep.

But it's also what you bring into the bedroom.

Taking your laptop into your bedroom has two problems to it.

Not only does it have light, which tells you that you're awake,

but also waiting for that midnight email is going to disrupt your sleep.

Well, it's easy enough to get rid of the laptop.

But how will Jason fare with Sheila's most precious night-time companion?

Boo the terrier.

How would you feel about not having Boo in the bedroom?

Er, no, no. I'm sorry, cos I would literally fret all night

and I'd worry about him.

And if he gets a bit restless, he's going to make you a bit restless.

I'm sorry. I have said I've changed his name to Mr Non-Negotiable, so...

OK, so you're going to de-clutter the rest for me?

-Yes, I promise.

-I'm not going to stand over your shoulder.

-No, no, no, I promise, yeah.

I will be coming back to have a look,

-but this one's down to you, it's your health, at the end of the day.

-Definitely.

All right?

Jason and Kirstie leave Sheila to get on with the mammoth task

of de-cluttering her bedroom.

I'm reasonable at being told what to do.

Obviously, I get to keep my little furry companion,

so that was the main sort of sticking point.

But can a bedroom makeover really be the cure for Sheila?

And if it is all about emptying the room of distractions,

what does that mean for Boo?

Right.

The Sleep Mobile's next port of call

is the Scottish Borders town of Peebles, and Gwen.

Like Sheila, Gwen gets very little sleep,

but it's not because of the night-time baking.

Gwen's chronic insomnia means each night is a tortuous endurance test.

Gwen and her husband Derek have lived with her sleeplessness

for 30 years.

The Sleep Mobile's last visit captured another night of anguish.

I never, ever look forward to going to bed.

This bed I refer to as a bed of thistles.

Just didn't look like she fell asleep at all there.

No. She looks miserable.

Gwen's stay at the sleep house continued that painful theme.

She's drowsy.

She's drowsy, but she's just not connecting into the sleep.

Hmm.

But by monitoring her brain activity,

Jason and Kirstie discovered a surprising result.

You're sleeping for just over 50% of the time you're in bed,

so a rotten night's sleep,

but still, in fact, just under four hours of sleep.

That amazes me that I actually slept for four hours.

Although Gwen was only sleeping in tiny chunks throughout the night,

it was a ray of hope for the experts.

Jason has a plan of action to get her sleeping longer and more deeply.

-Hello.

-Hello.

But first, he wants to see Gwen's so-called bed of thistles

to check that bad sleep hygiene isn't causing the problem.

So, Gwen, do you get light streaming through in the morning?

-They are blackout blinds.

-Radiator.

-Mmm-hmm.

-On or off?

-Off! I like a cold room.

You've got to have a cold room. Excellent, that's a great start.

The alarm clock, do you watch it, do you...?

No, cos I'd rather not know the time.

Clocks are not good things for people with insomnia.

Both the main and spare rooms

are perfect examples of how a bedroom should be

and yet they don't seem to help Gwen sleep at all.

Out in the Sleep Mobile,

Kirstie is hearing husband Derek's side of the story.

Do you always start off together and she shifts? Is that what happens?

We used to always start off together.

Yeah. How many years going into the spare room?

Oh, 20 years.

-To be fair, the norm is we don't wake up together.

-No, absolutely.

Ever. But it's a nice feeling to have someone in bed with you.

Definitely, yeah.

I suppose I've just become accustomed to that not being the case.

It's believed that 15% of couples now spend the night apart

because of sleep problems.

But there is one place Gwen can fall asleep.

Why can I sleep on the sofa with the TV on full belt,

-lights on, lots of noise...

-Mmm-hmm. Absolutely.

..go upstairs to bed, complete silence, comfortable bed,

-soft pillow and I can't sleep?

-Mmm-hmm. Yeah.

Very common for people with insomnia to say they'll fall asleep

on the couch, and then they head to the bedroom

and as soon as they get to the bedroom

or even something as simple as brushing their teeth...

-Yeah.

-..the act of brushing the teeth...

-Yeah.

-..switches everything up.

-Yeah.

That's so true.

So, essentially, you've now got an association between the bedroom

-and no sleep.

-It makes such a lot of sense, that, doesn't it?

Because every time that you go to the bedroom,

you're going to feel more anxious,

you're going to feel your pulse racing,

-you're going to feel angry sometimes, I would imagine?

-Yeah, very.

-And fearful.

-Yeah, absolutely.

That's what we need to break.

And to do this, Jason has another radical solution -

one that sounds ridiculous to someone who craves sleep.

-Bed, you, sleep.

-Sleep.

He's banning insomniac Gwen from the bedroom for most of the night.

Your time for going to bed...

is 2am.

-2am, oh, God.

-Two o'clock in the morning.

-I'll be on my knees.

-You will for a couple of days.

I'll be honest with you, it's the hardest part of this whole therapy,

because I've got to prevent you from sleeping.

-And no napping elsewhere.

-Yeah.

You're a really nice man, but I really don't like you very much.

BOTH LAUGH

For a chronic insomniac, this regime couldn't be more punishing.

Gwen will only be allowed in bed between two and seven

in the morning.

Even Kirstie is shocked.

-It's a little aggressive.

-Five hours is tough.

I have allowed her to either bedroom.

-Although her ideal is to get back into the marital bed.

-Yeah.

Jason is unrepentant.

The thing is, Gwen and Derek,

they've tried lotions and potions for years. They haven't approached it

from a behavioural perspective before,

and these are the things that we know work,

there is evidence to say that it works, but it's not easy.

The Sleep Mobile is off to the next problem sleeper,

but Gwen's new regime starts tonight

and the cameras will record whether she sticks to the rules.

She's banned from the bedroom until 2am.

I just have to accept what he's given me

and we'll just sort of...

SHE SIGHS

You know, what can I do?

I'm willing to try anything.

-TV:

-'That's it till tomorrow. I'm back then. Till then, good night.'

Husband Derek sticks it out until 11.20...

..but then leaves Gwen to it.

She's still got almost three hours to get through.

-TV:

-'So it'll be a blustery day on Thursday. Sunshine and showers...'

By 1.30, Gwen has nodded off.

It's only for ten minutes, but she's still broken the rules.

When she finally goes to bed at two, it's yet another sleepless night.

Jason warned it would be tough,

but has Gwen got the willpower to stay the course?

Our next case involves Kathryn

and some very strange night-time behaviour.

She can't remember a thing about it.

That can't be said for her poor flatmate, though.

Once every couple of weeks, the night-time peace

of Londoner Kathryn's flat was shattered.

Aaargh! What's happening?

I scream, I shout, I think something's in my bed.

And flatmate Alison was bearing the brunt of the outbursts.

Aaargh! Aaargh!

As if she's seen a ghost.

It was clear to the experts

that Kathryn suffered from some sort of parasomnia,

a condition where people do all manner of strange things while asleep.

Kathryn had never really taken her condition that seriously...

until her visit to the sleep house,

when, for the first time, she saw for herself what she did at night.

Oh, no!

Oh, no.

SHE GASPS

Kathryn has decided not to take medication to control the condition,

so Jason and Kirstie have to come up with a more creative solution.

One of the problems is that people can do incredibly complicated things

and appear extremely agitated,

and sometimes they're charging around the bedroom at high speed.

We need to look at her environment. Can we make it safe?

Can we do anything to keep her in her bedroom?

So it's safety first,

as Kirstie aims to make Kathryn's bedroom sleepwalk-proof.

-There's not much space, is there, bed to door?

-No.

It won't take you long to sort of wander there if you're doing

something in the night.

There's a few sharp edges that you can crash into, bump into.

You know, people wake with sort of blood dripping down their chin.

And the window, some of my patients have climbed out,

-jumped out of windows and things like that.

-Gosh.

-So, sometimes, you know, window locks...

-Yeah.

..making sure there's nice thick drapes so they can't smash glass.

Kirstie's plan is to make Kathryn a virtual prisoner in her own bedroom.

We sometimes use simple things like window and door alarms.

They simply beep, buzz,

they wake you up briefly and you go straight back to bed.

Most people put alarms in their house to keep people out.

But will these alarms keep Kathryn in her bedroom and out of Alison's?

Before I go to sleep, I have to do the on-off button.

That's on. And then when you open the door...

ALARM WAILS

-ALARM STOPS

-Really annoying.

It's a bit strange with the alarm, I've got to be honest.

I will hear the alarm go off, so it is a bit odd, but it's worth a go.

Kirstie and the Sleep Mobile have now left,

but the cameras stay to record Kathryn over the next couple of weeks

to see if the alarms are successful.

ALARM WAILS

ALARM WAILS

It's bedtime, and once again the cameras capture

Kathryn sleep-talking...

This is...

..and one half of imagined conversations.

No, I'm not...

This is not... This is not what I need, really.

But will this lead to any sleepwalking?

It looks better like that.

Well, by the end of the night, it looks like her flatmate

won't have any rude awakenings, after all.

-ALARM WAILS

-Oh, my God!

-BLEEP

-hell!

That is, until Kathryn gets up the following morning.

If Alison wasn't awake before, she certainly is now.

Our last case is Chris from Flitwick in Bedfordshire.

Now, he's been working shifts for 30 years,

and on the face of it that seemed to be at the root cause

of his and his new partner's sleeping problems.

But when Jason and Kirstie got him n his own in the sleep house,

it turned out it was a bit more complicated.

The Sleep Mobile's visit to Chris' house revealed another problem.

His incredibly loud snoring was disturbing new partner Charlie.

Once at the sleep house,

the experts discovered that Chris was capable of a very good night's sleep...

when by himself.

Yeah, you can see bouts of snoring going on.

But at home, new girlfriend Charlie was banishing him to the sofa.

And it was happening more and more.

How often is it that you're actually ending up on the couch?

-How many nights a week?

-Five.

-About five out of seven?

-Four or five, yeah.

-Mmm-hmm.

It's a double challenge for the experts.

They have to make sure Chris can sleep no matter what

time of the day or night he's working, and solve his snoring.

It looks like they've got their work cut out.

See, the irony is, it's been worse

-since he got back from the sleep house, actually, it's...

-OK.

-Before then it was bad, but it's been really bad, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

Jason's first job is to create

the perfect bedtime environment for Chris, day or night.

But he's appalled by Chris' sleep hygiene.

-I've had that one since I was very small.

-Yeah.

Yeah, I quite like my flat pillow.

-Yeah, let's just talk about this, shall we?

-Yes.

Hold a pillow like that, if it bends in half...

-Mmm-hmm. It's had it.

-..it's not so good.

Pillows are actually quite important.

-They don't cause sleep problems...

-Mmm-hmm.

..but they're not going to make you have a brilliant night.

You're going to be shifting a lot, trying to get comfortable

-and it's resulting in some of those awakenings during the night that we see.

-Ah.

And it can actually lead to some horrible problems with your neck.

It's an even worse story down in the living room,

where Chris tries to do most of his sleeping.

-It's got so much light coming in.

-Yes.

And looking at these curtains...

-Very thin.

-They're very thin.

-They are.

The other thing is, it's a couch.

It was never designed for you to sleep on it.

-You can't even fit in it.

-No!

Chris, I think the sofa is going to be off-limits...

-I think you're right.

-..for any sleeping.

-Oh, good.

The living room is a sleep no-no from now on.

If you are going to sleep during the day, make sure it's dark,

cool and quiet. The simple rules.

Chris needs a room he can comfortably nod off in,

no matter what time it is.

-OK, Chris, so this is the new environment.

-Yep.

This room, normally used by Chris' kids when they stay over,

is his temporary new bedroom, and with blackout on the windows

and it's cool, quiet atmosphere,

it's the perfect refuge for a shift worker.

-Just use this room for sleep.

-Yeah.

-Nothing else, all right?

OK. That sounds a good idea.

But this is just stage one.

The key aim is to get Charlie and Chris back in bed together.

That requires another bizarre night-time accessory.

So the thing we're going to try is a device called

a Mandibular Advancement Device.

Here we go.

This mouthguard will push Chris' lower jaw slightly forward,

clearing his airways and hopefully stopping any snoring.

-Oh, good look(!) Can I do that?

-Mmm!

Mmm-mm-mm-mm!

SHE LAUGHS

-Very rubbery.

-Hmm, it's like kissing an old man.

-Oh, charming(!)

And so Kirstie and Jason leave Charlie and Chris

to their first night under their new regime.

Charlie gets to stay in the main bedroom, while Chris retreats

to the bunk beds with just his new mouthguard for company.

It's felt like a right punishment having to sleep in here,

it's like being in quarantine. But, then again,

I don't mind being in quarantine if the results are OK.

For the moment, it seems that Chris' future happiness with Charlie

will be decided by this little piece of plastic.

But he's finding it hard to get comfortable.

Cor, I can barely breathe with this thing in me mouth.

I'll give it another go.

But it's absolutely horrible.

Can he stay the course?

I just can't... can't get used to this thing.

Keeps on making my heart race,

due to the fact that I can't breathe through me nose very well,

which isn't very good.

Chris gives up and soon he's snoring again.

SNORING

Ever the optimist, Chris is hopeful that this

is the beginning of a new chapter in his and Charlie's lives,

and he's prepared to put his money where his mouth is.

Due to the fact that we're going through this process

has shown that I am committed to Charlie,

and, basically, I'm doing it for both of us,

so we can get a better sleep, and I thought it would be nice

to get engaged as well, just to show more commitment.

His plans for the big day now rely on him

getting back into the same room and bed as Charlie.

And that means getting used to the mouthguard.

Come on.

Back in Lincolnshire,

cake-baker Sheila is warming to the task of de-cluttering her room.

Come on, fishies!

It's amazing the amount of junk you collect over the years.

She's even given it a makeover, but will it be enough to convince

Jason she's serious about calming her night-time activities?

The finishing touches are a new bed for Sheila,

and Jason's brought a new bed for someone else.

-We have a brand-new bed for Boo as well.

-What's that?

-What's that thing?

-Come on.

Are you going to go in it? Look, what's this?

Oh, look at that, do you like it?

This is a really nice, calming bedroom.

Exactly, this is a sleep room now,

-as opposed to the workroom that it was before.

-Absolutely.

The experts have created the perfect, peaceful room

for Sheila to sleep in.

Now for their next challenge.

Jason and Kirstie suspect that Sheila's body has forgotten

when to sleep, because her bedroom was such a hive of activity.

Now that's changed, they need to discover the perfect time

for Sheila to go to bed to get the best night's sleep.

It's really important to realise that the best time to go to bed

is when you feel really sleepy.

-It's not an issue of insomnia here.

-No.

This is a body clock problem.

Absolutely. We've got to let her find the time

when she's most comfortable falling asleep.

Then it'll give her better quality sleep

and then we can work out how best to get the night-times right for her.

The experts' plan is to ban Sheila

from all her regular night-time antics from now on.

We actually need to get your mum not to cook at night.

BOTH: Awww!

-It's very time-orientated.

-Yeah.

Once you've started it, you don't stop.

-No, that's it, you've got to see it through, haven't you?

-That's right.

For the next four days, I want you to go to bed when you are tired.

-Right.

-Not before.

-Not before.

So I want you to stay up until you're absolutely ready for your sleep.

-So even if it's the early hours?

-Absolutely.

Until I'm so tired that I really think I'm going to drop off.

As the sun sets, Sheila faces up to her first gadget-free,

cookery-free and almost dog-free, night.

Come on...

By 10.30, the family are safely tucked up in bed.

But until she's tired, Jason's confined her to the living room.

'I'm not sure what time I'll be sort of starting to get sleepy.'

Hopefully it won't be four or five in the morning,

cos that's going to be make for a very long and boring evening.

Usually, Sheila would be emailing into the early hours,

but Jason's strict rules means she must be off the tablet by 11.

I shall switch off and do as I'm told.

There you go.

Boring.

Deprived of her distractions,

something strange is happening to Sheila.

She's starting to feel tired.

And it's only 1.15.

Come on. Come on, baby.

Right, so it's now 1.30ish

in the morning.

Everybody else is fast asleep

and I'm going to settle, I think.

Nearly four hours earlier than normal, Sheila falls fast asleep.

Jason's treatment plan seems to be working like a dream.

# Lullaby and good night

# With roses... #

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for our problem sleeper

230 miles north of Sheila.

Because in Scotland, Gwen is struggling with her sleep regime.

It's 1.20 and I've got another 45 minutes to go

and I just can't keep my eyes open. I'm knackered.

She's only meant to sleep between two and seven in the morning,

but it's proving impossible.

Jason has said, "If you fall asleep

"then I'm going to put you on a dining room chair," he said.

Dining room chair!

That's like... Well, it is like the naughty step.

Gwen's exhausted, but once she gets to bed,

the sleep she craves disappears.

Quarter past three and I'm still awake.

I can't fall asleep.

Poor Gwen's getting less sleep now

than she was before she went to the sleep house.

Terrible, terrible, terrible night.

I really struggled at one o'clock in the morning to keep my eyes open.

One till two is like another two...

It feels like another two hours.

And long-suffering husband Derek has noticed Gwen's rapid decline.

It hasn't really worked for her at all.

She hasn't been able to get into the pattern,

albeit it's early days.

It's just a complete break of pattern for her,

which she's had for years and years and years and years.

Jason's treatment seems to be failing. Gwen is giving up.

I would challenge anybody to do it,

but it certainly won't be me,

and it certainly won't be me sitting here tomorrow night.

No way on this planet.

She's on her way to Newcastle for an emergency appointment

with a concerned Jason at his sleep surgery.

Trying to stay awake to two o'clock in the morning is a real problem.

I mean, if you'd seen me that day... I was crying,

-I was...I was good for nothing.

-Hmm.

And I thought, "If this is the way it's going to go on..."

You don't want to do it.

No, I can't do it. I'd rather have sleepless...

I'd rather not be able to sleep.

Jason agrees to let Gwen go to bed at 12,

but she must get up an hour earlier, at six.

He also brings in a new rule.

If you're in bed

and you're not asleep for more than 15 minutes,

or, at least, how long it feels to you, 15 minutes,

you've got to get out of the bed.

So now if I'm awake with my head full of mush - get up.

Get up, go downstairs.

We're re-establishing bed equals sleep.

-Confident?

-Yeah.

I think the 15-minute rule does make sense, because, yeah...

You know, 15 minutes, you toss and turn

and then 15 becomes 30 and then 30 becomes 45.

So you're right - out of bed, downstairs.

This new routine may be Jason's last chance

to conquer Gwen's chronic insomnia.

And the experts' treatment plan for shift-worker Chris

is also proving a struggle.

He just can't get used to the mouthguard.

Hopefully, I might have a bit of success tonight.

It's the third time I've tried it.

It's only lasted 45 minutes so far, cos I can't breathe with it.

Until he can use it,

he isn't allowed back in the bedroom with Charlie.

Here we are, it's about day five or six now

of this sleeping apart lark,

and, I have to say, I'm not enjoying it at all

and I miss him.

I wish he was here.

The whole point of this is to try

and find a way that we can sleep together more productively,

and that's not happening and I'm missing him a lot.

With Chris hoping to propose to Charlie soon,

he's called Jason and Kirstie for help.

The mouthguard hasn't been a good success at all.

In and out, in and out, not... Well, I'd say after five minutes

of really feeling like I was going to suffocate sort of thing.

-Right.

-OK, so the key problem is you can't even keep it in

-without feeling claustrophobic. Is that the problem?

-That's right, yeah.

And is that because of that feeling of not being able

to breathe through the mouth, is that...?

Yeah, that's half the problem,

but it also feels like I've got a tennis ball in me mouth as well.

It's just not very comfortable.

Jason and Kirstie aren't giving up.

They've sent Chris to be fitted for a top-of-the-range bespoke device

that will allow him to breathe through his mouth.

-I've got one that, actually, I wear myself.

-OK.

So there it is, I can still talk OK with it,

I can have a little sip of water.

As you see, look, there's really little in my mouth.

-Yeah, that's quite impressive.

-It's all down on the outside.

In spite of appearances, this mouthpiece is meant to be more comfortable,

although the fitting certainly isn't.

I'll just put something in your ears.

You keep that nice and still for us.

Looks like a medieval means of torture, this,

but I promise you, it isn't painful.

You get a much better chance of a really comfortable affair.

OK, that's lovely. Good.

It will now take a week to turn this mould into Chris' new mouthpiece.

Until then, he and Charlie must endure their nights apart.

But what about lorry driver Paul in Norfolk

and his own instrument of torture?

Try and get this comfortable, so...

it doesn't let any air out.

He must wear this mask for at least four hours a night

if he's to pass an assessment that will allow him to drive again.

-How do you feel today?

-Full of life.

-More refreshed?

-Full of beans, could go and do the marathon.

But as the days have gone on, it's not always been easy.

What are you doing now, just adjusting it?

Right, good night, God bless.

By two o'clock in the morning, Paul's had enough.

The machine will record this,

and it could go against him at the assessment.

PAUL SNORES

With partner Clare at the wheel, it's time for Paul to discover

if he's had enough hours with the mask

to get his driving licence back.

Come on, then, tell me, how are you feeling?

I'm feeling OK.

A bit of the old... The old tummy's going a bit,

but, you know, I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

-That's all you can do, at the end of the day, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Kirstie's referred Paul to his local sleep consultant

for his ongoing treatment.

So how have you been?

I'm feeling very well, really alert.

I haven't felt this much, you know,

awake for a long time, and I've been getting loads of sleep

and I've just got loads of energy now, I don't know what to do with it.

It's important to look at the data,

because we can't just take people's word for it.

-Precaution.

-That's why we have the chip.

-And the chip never lies.

-No, the chip doesn't lie, unfortunately.

You started therapy on the 10th

and on the first night you went for about 45 minutes

and then had a little break,

and then you went for a straight seven-hour, four-minute sleep.

Paul's first two nights were good.

But it's clear by night three

he was beginning to find the mask irritating.

It was a bit more fragmented.

-Probably adjusting the mask and getting used to things.

-Yeah.

So has Paul done enough to get back his licence and his career?

Looking at your compliance data

and also the fact that your fatigue score has dropped

from 17 down to two, it would mean that you are complying with therapy,

and you've responded very well so you've had a positive outcome.

From my point of view, you'd be compliant to drive.

This is a brilliant result for you. It's lots of positive support -

you're feeling better, you're keeping all your numbers right,

and you want to continue doing that.

Jason and Kirstie's treatment has been a success.

I'm feeling very relieved.

Excited, as well, that I can return back to work

and do what I know I can do best, which is obviously driving.

So I'm really pleased that the results have gone my way.

Better than to be expected, actually.

# Dream, lover

# So I don't have to dream alone. #

Back in Scotland, Gwen is now two weeks

into her 12 till six sleep routine,

and at least one member of the family

is already reaping the benefits.

Getting up at this time in the morning is a new regime for me,

getting out of bed at six.

And if somebody had said to me two weeks ago, which I've done,

"You have to get out of bed at six,"

I'd have said, "No, I can't do that,"

and certainly can't go to bed at 12 and get up at six.

But I can, and I've done it,

and we're getting up at six every morning

and we're coming here.

We're in the park, quarter past six, 20 past six.

If it's like this, there's absolutely nothing better.

An advantage of going to bed at 12

is that husband Derek can stay up and give Gwen some moral support.

And if I do fall asleep, which I sometimes do,

Derek shouts at me, "Come on keep, awake until 12!"

YAWN MUFFLES SPEECH

Gwen and Derek are turning a corner.

But will this be the routine

that will eventually let them spend the whole night together?

Someone else who's keen to fall back in step

with the rest of her family is baker Sheila.

Jason's ban on night-time activities

now means Sheila regularly goes to bed at half past one

and sleeps for five to six hours a night.

Wind-down time, how's that working?

No, it's good. The girls and Neil go off and settle,

and then I settle and sit and read my mags.

So I'm having a good couple of hours of actual sort of wind-down,

as opposed to sending emails at three o'clock in the morning.

Literally, straight into bed, lights off, and that's it.

The next stage will be more challenging.

The experts want to try to reset her body clock

so she can eventually go to bed

at the same time as the rest of her family.

You're going to move 15 minutes earlier to bed.

Right, right.

If you tolerate that, move it forward again by another 15 minutes.

So let's play with that and see where we get.

The aim is to slowly push Sheila's bedtime back,

in the hope her body clock will gradually adjust

and she'll eventually feel sleepier much earlier.

The first step is a gentle move

from Sheila's current 1.30 bedtime to 1.15.

So we're going to see if we can bring me forward 15 minutes,

and then hopefully more, and then that will be really nice

if I can then maybe go to bed at the same time as the rest of the family,

which would be lovely,

instead of sitting up on my own for hours while everyone else is asleep.

But just that 15-minute block has a disastrous effect.

I've had a really crappy night tonight.

Erm... I don't know what's going on.

I came up as normal, then, for some reason, just can't sleep.

So I don't know what's the matter.

I can't decide whether to get up or try and go back to sleep again,

but at the minute I'm thinking there's not much point, really.

# Mr Sandman

# Bring me a dream... #

Jason and Kirstie return to find that moving Sheila's bedtime earlier

hasn't had the desired effect.

But for them, it's the final piece of the jigsaw.

Sheila is what sleep experts call a night owl -

someone whose natural bedtime is in the small hours of the morning.

It appears that the half past one

-is the time that is good for you to get to bed...

-Yeah.

..in time for you to get up in the morning, ready for the girls.

Cos you wanted that six-hour window, didn't you?

-Yeah.

-Absolutely.

Not many people are really comfortable going to sleep at 1.30,

but, for you, it's where your body clock is naturally set.

And Sheila is not just a night owl, she's also a short sleeper -

one of the 10% of people

that need just four to six hours of sleep a night.

We're taught from the media, from lots of different people,

that eight hours is the standard norm that people should get.

And it actually simply isn't true.

-It's never going to be absolutely plain sailing.

-No.

And there's always going to be things to work through.

-We found the point.

-Yeah.

You need six hours, but if you try getting into bed before that,

-it's not going to work for you.

-No, that's right.

It's part of your biology and who you are.

Well, that's just me, then!

Jason, Kirstie and the Sleep Mobile

are now on the final tour of Britain,

as the treatments for our problem sleepers reach their conclusion.

They're now back in London where it's been six weeks

since parasomniac Kathryn had alarms installed in her bedroom.

The cameras have captured lots of sleep talking.

SHE MUMBLES

But something else strange has happened.

Since the alarms have been put in place,

I haven't sleepwalked.

-Excellent!

-And I do actually think that subconsciously, perhaps,

in some way, I know those buzzes,

that the alarm is on the door and...

Yeah. Yeah.

..and I haven't activated it, or gone to leave the room.

The relief of knowing a bit more about it

and of Alison not being so bothered subconsciously feeds back,

and you've got a bit less stress about it, so you're doing it less.

The goal of this was to have you sleep well and Alison sleep well,

and, at the moment, that's happening.

With Kathryn's treatment successfully completed,

the Sleep Mobile is moving north.

Next stop, a final visit to shift-worker and snorer Chris,

who's now the proud owner

of some sophisticated anti-snoring hardware.

As easy as that.

It's not uncomfortable, fits perfectly,

it's been designed for my particular mouth,

and, yeah, I wholly recommend them to everyone.

It makes a big difference on our whole lives, basically.

Actually waking up feeling really good,

Charlie feeling pretty good as well, and actually smiling.

Thanks to Jason and Kirstie, Chris conquered his snoring,

meaning he can be reunited with Charlie.

And if that wasn't enough...

We have got one other bit of news, haven't we?

-Mmm-hmm.

-Yeah. We got engaged.

Congratulations!

So mission accomplished.

One couple separated through sleep,

now reunited through a small piece of metal.

-Cheers!

-Cheers!

And a snore guard means more to me than an engagement ring!

Exactly, yeah.

Up in Lincolnshire,

a revitalised Sheila is back in the kitchen,

but, this time, it's most definitely during the day.

# Mr Sandman

# Bring me a dream... #

So it's a win-win situation.

Night owl Sheila has stuck

to Jason and Kirstie's strict night-time rules,

and the whole family is reaping the benefits.

She doesn't get as grumpy as she used to.

I think the number of hours

that she's actually sleeping now is amazing.

And it's really good for her to get six hours,

because she's been a lot happier and jollier.

# Mr Sandman

# Bring me a dream... #

And Sheila now has the energy for yet another venture -

a homemade cake stall at the local market.

Comparing how I am now to how I was

before I started treatment is amazing, really.

I mean, you know, I'd be so tired all the time

and I kept feeling dizzy

and my appetite was shot to pieces.

And now I'm sort of waking up feeling pretty chipper

and sort of ready for a new day.

So, you know, it's brilliant.

And Sheila's made sure the children haven't lost out.

We still do get our cake, but not in the morning.

We get it in the day time.

Over in Norfolk, someone else is also enjoying a new lease of life.

Since getting the all-clear,

things have just got better and better for lorry driver Paul.

Thanks for listening!

When I first wake up, I notice a change straightaway.

I don't wake up feeling as if I've been shaken or woken.

I'm waking up more naturally, not feeling tired.

Right.

I've actually lost near enough half a stone.

It was like a disease

that overtook my body.

Sleep doesn't control me now.

I control the sleep.

Paul's now feeling so good about himself,

he's decided to fulfil his lifetime ambition

and to train to become a fully-licensed HGV driver.

Jumping in there, I was a bit nervy at first.

Once I was out on the open road, it really felt good.

There's no going back now for me.

This is what I've been building up for,

so this is my goal now and this is my aim.

This is it.

It will have been four, six weeks ago

I couldn't even think about it,

so today's just like... It's my life starting today.

# Time to hit the road

# Time to hit the road. #

And that now leaves us with just our final case

up in Peebles in Scotland.

It's six weeks since Jason put Gwen on a strict sleep regime,

and by this time of the morning she should be out of bed,

but today she's breaking the rules.

# Cuddle up a little closer... #

For the first time in ten years,

Gwen has woken up beside husband Derek.

-Hello!

-Hello, Gwen! How are you?

-I'm fine, how are you? Nice to see you.

-Good to see you.

Come on, in you come.

-Thank you.

-Come through.

I'm doing really well.

Most of the time I go to bed at 12.

I actually go to bed, into bed, turn the light off,

and within 10, 15 minutes, I'm generally sleeping.

-I'm sleeping much better.

-Mmm!

I feel much better.

Mmm-hmm.

I think I look a bit better.

Is it still a bed of thistles?

No, no. No, it's not.

It's not quite a bed of feathers, you know,

which is what we were aiming for.

But I don't just have any dread any more, as such.

I don't panic coming up the stairs, thinking, "Here we go again."

And it's not just Gwen who's had to adapt to this new routine.

Oh, it's a culture shock to me, Jason.

I mean, you know, I can't starfish in the bed any more!

-THEY LAUGH

-I used to have plenty of room!

But, no, joking apart...

I didn't think it could ever have happened this quickly.

I thought it was too deep-rooted.

-As I did.

-And you did as well.

A really dramatic improvement in her mood,

in her energy levels.

This solution isn't the solution that we expected,

but you're such a persuasive man...

-THEY LAUGH

-..we fell in with it!

-Bed?

-Yeah.

Come on. Turn the lights off.

Jason and Kirstie's work is done.

At times, the treatments may have seemed bizarre,

but all five of our volunteers

have achieved what they once thought was impossible...

..a good night's sleep.

I've had to almost be taught to sleep again,

and with the tools I've been given, I've been able to do it.

And hopefully we've all picked up a few tips

on how to get a better night's sleep.

Good night, Britain. Oh, and sweet dreams.

That bother you?

SHE LAUGHS

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