0:00:02 > 0:00:03Sleeping.
0:00:03 > 0:00:06We're told we should spend a third of our lives doing it.
0:00:06 > 0:00:07But we don't.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Making Britain one of the most sleep deprived countries in the world.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13ALARM CLOCK RINGS
0:00:13 > 0:00:16According to the British Sleep Council,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20a massive 70% of us feel we get less shut eye than we need.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22I'm Dr Michael Mosley.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I'm a medical journalist and a chronic insomniac.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I don't have any problems going to sleep,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31but at three o'clock in the morning, almost every morning, bang,
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I'm awake, and I take ages drifting off again.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37I'm simply not getting enough sleep.
0:00:37 > 0:00:44MUSIC: Can't Sleep by K. Flay
0:00:44 > 0:00:47But how much sleep do we really need?
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And if we are not getting enough, is that a problem?
0:00:50 > 0:00:53I'm convinced we are sleepwalking into a sleep crisis.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55So many of us are waking up feeling ghastly in the morning,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57but we don't do anything about it.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Could our lack of sleep cause significant risks to our health?
0:01:04 > 0:01:08There are some big studies that have suggested it is associated with
0:01:08 > 0:01:12the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16I'll be teaming up with world-renowned experts to pick apart
0:01:16 > 0:01:19cutting-edge research and conduct pioneering tests
0:01:19 > 0:01:22on sleep deprived volunteers...
0:01:22 > 0:01:24including me.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27I'm going to turn human guinea pig to try and discover what's causing
0:01:27 > 0:01:30my insomnia, and see if there is anything out there
0:01:30 > 0:01:32that might actually help.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37I'll investigate top tips for all of us to get a better night's kip.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Could dietary fibre hold the answer?
0:01:39 > 0:01:41It's coming, guys.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44What about chilling before bedtime, literally?
0:01:45 > 0:01:49And could having coffee just before a sleep help save your life?
0:01:49 > 0:01:51A lovely espresso.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55# Long nights, no peace
0:01:55 > 0:01:58# I feel like everybody's eyes on me... #
0:01:58 > 0:02:01What I've discovered has turned a lot of what I thought I knew about sleep
0:02:01 > 0:02:02on its head.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05So, if you fancy a good night's kip, keep watching.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08This is The Truth About Sleep.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19Over the last 60 years,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22the amount of sleep we've been getting every night
0:02:22 > 0:02:24has fallen by an average of one to two hours.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28And, it seems, not only are we sleeping less, we are sleeping worse.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31According to a survey by the Mental Health Foundation,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34up to a third of us say we suffer from insomnia.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37That means that either you find it difficult to go to sleep,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40or, like me, you wake up in the middle of the night.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42So, what's going on?
0:02:42 > 0:02:45# Deep in the bosom of the gentle night... #
0:02:45 > 0:02:50It's recommended we should try to get seven to eight hours' sleep a night.
0:02:50 > 0:02:56Nine hours if you're a teenager, older people a bit less.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59But it seems that we Brits just aren't getting enough.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05Insomnia is just one of the causes of sleep deprivation.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Shift work, partying and our modern lifestyle
0:03:08 > 0:03:12are all conspiring to stop us getting enough kip.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15# I can't get no sleep... #
0:03:15 > 0:03:18How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
0:03:18 > 0:03:19Around seven.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Probably six or seven.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Four hours, five hours. As little as three sometimes.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25- Six, seven hours.- Six, seven.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27- Is it enough?- No!- No.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Two nights on the trot I don't think I've hardly slept at all.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34It's clear that lots of us feel we are not getting enough sleep.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39But how can we tell?
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Well, there is an easy test to try at home.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45One way to tell if you're sleep deprived
0:03:45 > 0:03:47is to go to bed in the middle of the afternoon
0:03:47 > 0:03:50and find out how quickly, if at all, you fall asleep.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55To do that, you need a watch, a metal spoon and a metal tray.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00The fancy name for this is the sleep onset latency test.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03You check the time, then shut your eyes.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07When you fall asleep, the spoon should hit the tray. Bang!
0:04:07 > 0:04:08And wake you up.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13If you fall asleep after 15 minutes, you're OK.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Ten, you're sleep deprived.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17But if it's five minutes or less,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21then you may have severe sleep deprivation.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25CLATTERING
0:04:25 > 0:04:26Right. Blimey!
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Oh, that was just over ten minutes.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33So, I guess that's just... I'm, er...
0:04:33 > 0:04:36moderately sleep deprived.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39'As I suspected, I'm not getting enough sleep.'
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I decided to do this test on some willing office workers.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Three out of ten who fell asleep, nodded off in around ten minutes.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56That's not surprising because 40% of the UK population
0:04:56 > 0:04:59say they regularly get less than six hours of sleep a night.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02And that's not enough sleep.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Bleary-eyed workers are bad for business.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Their poor productivity and absenteeism
0:05:14 > 0:05:17cost the UK up to £40 billion a year.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20So, what's causing us to sleep so badly?
0:05:22 > 0:05:26I'm always on my phone, and I hardly get any sleep at all.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27The internet, videos.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29You always think, "Oh, one last video", and then you watch 50.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33- Do you do social media?- Yeah. - Yeah, that keeps you up.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36On my phone, laptop, there's always loads of distractions.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41My partner gets up and disturbs me.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42I just have thoughts whizzing round my head.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45I can't sleep after going to the gym or playing sports,
0:05:45 > 0:05:46that wakes me up too much.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49If something wakes me up, I can't get back to sleep.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50I know I can't.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56We all lead busy lives, but is there a more fundamental cause?
0:05:59 > 0:06:01'Sleep problems run in my family.'
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Good health!
0:06:04 > 0:06:05To sleep!
0:06:05 > 0:06:07Is it particularly common?
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Because I don't know that many people who wake up
0:06:09 > 0:06:11in the middle of the night and then can't get back to sleep.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13It tends to be more, they can't get to sleep in the first place.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16I think it is. I think, particularly as you get older,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19because I used to have no problems with sleep at all when I was your age,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23and it's kind of come on me, probably sort of 40s onwards.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26We're a family of strange sleep patterns.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28You have difficulty going to sleep, don't you?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Yeah, it's definitely one of those cases where you can be tired all day,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35and, as soon as I put my head down, everything starts going through my mind,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and suddenly it's impossible to get to sleep for the next 40 minutes or so.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40But then when I am asleep, I remain asleep.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- What, throughout the night? - Mm-hm.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44What do you do to try and go to sleep?
0:06:44 > 0:06:47It's quite hard to just, like, shut my brain down,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50so I normally find it easiest listening to repeats of Blackadder.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- OK, to just try and bore yourself to sleep?- Mm.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58One of these things just to distract you from what's going on in your head.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01I have a collection of very fine economics books which I read
0:07:01 > 0:07:04at three in the morning, and they bore me into submission.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07You kind of need something that is completely non-stimulating.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Both of us have a tendency towards insomnia,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17which means we either struggle to get to sleep or stay sleep.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19But does this matter?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22What happens during the night?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24To find out what I get up to when I'm asleep,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26I've got an infra-red camera here,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and I've also got this activity monitor
0:07:28 > 0:07:30which will measure my every move.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Tonight, I'm going to go to sleep here in the spare room
0:07:33 > 0:07:35and see what happens.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38OK, this is slightly weird.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41I assume it's working.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44I'm quite tired and I'm going to bed.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45And... Yeah.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50It's going to be strange being filmed while I'm sleeping.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52I'm not entirely comfortable about it.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01I should sleep in a series of roughly 90-minute cycles.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Stage one is where you drift in and out of consciousness,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08before moving to stage two,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10when your brainwaves slow.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Then you move to stage three and four.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Deep sleep, where breathing also slows,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17and there is little muscle movement.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23You go back to stage two before REM sleep, rapid eye movement,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27when your eyes flick from side to side and you dream.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30And this cycle should be repeated
0:08:30 > 0:08:32five or six times throughout the night.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37But this is what happens to me.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Oh, dear!
0:08:51 > 0:08:52So...
0:08:52 > 0:08:55It's kind of, er...
0:08:57 > 0:09:00..3.45, and...
0:09:00 > 0:09:02In the morning. 3.45am.
0:09:02 > 0:09:03And I am...
0:09:05 > 0:09:06..reasonably awake.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08I think I might...
0:09:09 > 0:09:13..read for a little bit and try and go back to sleep again.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Doing pieces to camera at this time in the morning is not fun.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18OK.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27During deep sleep, our brains are busy laying down memories.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29It's also a time when scientists
0:09:29 > 0:09:32think our brains are being spring-cleaned.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Toxins and waste washed away.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38And our bodies should be getting some well-earned rest.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41But in my case, this clearly isn't happening.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44I'm waking up during the middle of the night,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46which is annoying and rather worrying.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50So, should I blame my lifestyle or my genes?
0:09:55 > 0:10:00To see how genetics affects sleep, I sent my blood off for DNA analysis.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05And now I've come to the Surrey Sleep Research Centre
0:10:05 > 0:10:08to meet Professor Simon Archer.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11'He's been looking for any genetic markers which may reveal
0:10:11 > 0:10:14'what kind of sleeper I am.'
0:10:14 > 0:10:20We've looked through more than 500,000 of your DNA.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21OK, that's a lot. Yep...
0:10:21 > 0:10:26And we specifically looked at your sequence variance for
0:10:26 > 0:10:3151 genetic locations that have been shown to be reliable markers
0:10:31 > 0:10:33for different characteristics of sleep.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37'Simon claims he can tell whether we are morning or night people,
0:10:37 > 0:10:41'larks or owls, simply by looking at our genes.'
0:10:41 > 0:10:43I know what I think I am,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45that's why I'll be very interested to see what this says.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47You have three genetic markers
0:10:47 > 0:10:50that would predict you are a morning-type person.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Which is absolutely right.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57OK. You then have five markers for long sleep duration.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59So, from that we would predict that, on average,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- you need slightly more sleep than usual.- Yep.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05I get really, really grumpy when my sleep is cut.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08In fact, one of the reasons I gave up being a doctor
0:11:08 > 0:11:09was because of that.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I became really quite unpleasant when I was sleep deprived,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15which is not a good thing in the medical profession, on the whole.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- So, morning person, need your sleep. - Yep.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22'These genetic markers have been identified from DNA studies
0:11:22 > 0:11:25'involving hundreds of thousands of people.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'And Simon has discovered even more about me.'
0:11:28 > 0:11:32We also then found a marker for increased insomnia.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35OK. Blimey! You're scoring well.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37So, I can blame my genes, at least in part, can I?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Yes. And also a marker which has been associated
0:11:40 > 0:11:43with poor sleep efficiency in people
0:11:43 > 0:11:47who are exposed to high levels of work-related stress.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48Right.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53So, increased insomnia, so it might take you longer to get to sleep,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56so you may have disrupted, fragmented sleep during the night
0:11:56 > 0:11:58and you might wake up during the night.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02And particularly when I'm stressed, particularly when I am very busy, that's what happens.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04- Right. OK. So that fits. - I respond very badly to stress.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07That fits. So, morning preference, slightly longer sleep duration,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10insomnia and a bit of poor sleep efficiency.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14And then lastly, there's a marker for increased sensitivity to caffeine,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16and caffeine-induced sleep disruption.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20How interesting, because I would have said the exact opposite.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I kind of assumed that I can drink caffeine with impunity.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Whereas my wife, if she drinks caffeine after midday, she twitches.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32But possibly, I'm just not recognising the effect it's having on me.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Exactly. So, it may be that drinking too much coffee is causing you
0:12:36 > 0:12:38disrupted sleep during the night.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39OK. Right.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Now, that was really interesting,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48and was also slightly spooky that he could tell so much about me
0:12:48 > 0:12:51just based on my genes, my DNA.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55It was striking how much of my insomnia was in my genes
0:12:55 > 0:12:59and the fact that I find it difficult to sleep under stress
0:12:59 > 0:13:02was also quite revealing, and absolutely accurate.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04The only thing that genuinely surprised me, though,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07was the fact that I seem to be very sensitive to caffeine,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10so I should obviously try and reduce that as much as possible.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Even without knowing what your own genes are telling you,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20caffeine really isn't a good idea if you struggle with sleep.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And there's another drink that isn't great either.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Alcohol.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29Many people use alcohol to help them get off into the land of nod,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32but the truth is it can cause interrupted sleep,
0:13:32 > 0:13:33and sleep quality will be poor.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Plus, it relaxes your throat muscles, causing snoring.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42It can then keep your partner awake, too.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49So, I can partly blame my insomnia on my genes,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and it certainly isn't helped by my love of coffee,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54plus the odd glass of wine.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59But I am worried about the long-term consequences
0:13:59 > 0:14:02of getting too little sleep.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11I know after I've had a terrible night's sleep, I become irritable,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14impulsive, and it really messes with my memory.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18A lack of sleep can also be extremely dangerous.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity are rocketing in the UK.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27They are associated, in turn, with an increased risk of heart disease
0:14:27 > 0:14:29and cancer.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31But is there a link to sleep?
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I'm on my way to Leeds University,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42where they're doing some really interesting research on diabetes.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43Now, if you are a diabetic,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47it means you're not able to properly control your blood sugar levels,
0:14:47 > 0:14:52and I'm particularly concerned because my dad was a type 2 diabetic,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55and he died early from complications.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58I know that I'm at high risk of type 2 diabetes.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07'I'm meeting Dr Eleanor Scott,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10'who is doing ground-breaking research into a possible link
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'between type 2 diabetes and lack of sleep.'
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Now, I think most people know that lack of sleep makes them tired...
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- Yep.- But what other things does lack of sleep do?
0:15:20 > 0:15:23This is a really interesting area of research.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27We know that a lack of sleep alters the levels of different hormones
0:15:27 > 0:15:31that are involved in how we perceive appetite and hunger,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33so we get more of the hormones that cause us to feel hungry,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and less of the ones that cause us to feel full.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40And an additional effect may be to do with the stress hormone cortisol.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42And we know that if you don't sleep as well,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44that it effects the levels of that,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and that may be another factor as well.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52There are some big studies suggested that people who sleep too little,
0:15:52 > 0:15:54and, indeed, those who sleep too much,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58its associated with the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01I really feel that people don't, at the moment,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05realise quite how profound the effects are.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Dr Scott has agreed to undertake an exciting study for us.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13She'll monitor the glucose levels of a group of volunteers,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16and then deliberately disrupt their sleep.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18We'll see if their levels rise,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22an indicator of the increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26What we want to do is to get some healthy participants
0:16:26 > 0:16:29who are just living ordinary, everyday lives,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and get them to sleep two nights where they sleep as normal,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36two nights where they restrict their sleep, just by three hours,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40and then two nights where they are allowed recovery sleep,
0:16:40 > 0:16:42and we want them to wear a continuous glucose monitor
0:16:42 > 0:16:46so that we can see, every five minutes, what that's actually doing
0:16:46 > 0:16:49in real life to their glucose levels,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52and also to wear an activity and sleep tracker,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55so that we can check that they do alter their sleep.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Fingers crossed, OK?
0:16:58 > 0:16:59I shall catch up with you in a few weeks' time.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- By then you should... - By then we'll know!
0:17:01 > 0:17:03For better or for worse.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Exactly. Thank you very much. Bye-bye.
0:17:07 > 0:17:12It will be the first time a study like this has been undertaken
0:17:12 > 0:17:14outside the lab, in the real world.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18People going about their daily lives, but on less sleep.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Right, let's check some blood.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Pull back...
0:17:23 > 0:17:25and brace for the pain.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Ooh!
0:17:30 > 0:17:31BEEPING
0:17:31 > 0:17:33There we go, that's done it.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Oh, 4.2!
0:17:36 > 0:17:39We'll all record our sleeping patterns for a week,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41and keep a diary of our progress.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Didn't get that good a sleep last night for whatever reason,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48so I'm going to put it down to a three.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Restricting your sleep isn't pleasant,
0:17:51 > 0:17:54especially when you're ready to go to sleep,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56but it's hours before you are allowed to hit the hay.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02It's 10pm, and I'm absolutely ready for bed...
0:18:04 > 0:18:07..but I don't get to go to bed for another three hours now.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11This morning, I'm so groggy.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Miserable. Lethargic.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Tired.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Fed up with the whole world.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22And all the time, we're busy monitoring our blood sugar levels.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25I had about three-and-a-half hours of interrupted sleep,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and that was part of this experiment.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I've just taken my blood sugar levels.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32I had breakfast recently, but, nonetheless,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35I think you can probably see that that's 9.8.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Actually, about the highest I've ever seen them.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41I mean, they do go up after breakfast, but not that much.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43That's pretty bad.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52I'm back in Leeds to see Dr Scott and our volunteers
0:18:52 > 0:18:56for the results of our sleep deprivation experiment.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00I wonder if, like me, they found cutting back on sleep
0:19:00 > 0:19:01really hard going.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08I have never felt such craving for sugar, and I felt really limp,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10and I couldn't be arsed.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13My mental capacity wasn't on it, but also the hunger,
0:19:13 > 0:19:14I really wasn't expecting.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16I wanted, like, lots of biscuits.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20And I didn't just have one. I'd go for, like, ten.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21And I wrote it down in my diary.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Ten Custard Creams.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25- Is that abnormal? - Yeah, that's abnormal...
0:19:25 > 0:19:26for a breakfast.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28LAUGHTER
0:19:28 > 0:19:29OK, results time.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Yeah. Absolutely.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36What we've done here is, as a group, so all six of you,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39we've taken your average glucose across the 24 hours
0:19:39 > 0:19:41for your two normal nights.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43And you can see that on the black line here.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47So, you can see that your glucose normally dips overnight,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49but you get a slight peak when you have your breakfast,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52another peak when you have your lunch,
0:19:52 > 0:19:53and then another one with your evening meal,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55and then it falls down again.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57But then on the purple line, here,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59you can see what happens to your glucose level
0:19:59 > 0:20:02when you've had your two nights of short sleep.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06And you can see that your glucose level is running higher
0:20:06 > 0:20:08across the 24 hours.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09Why is that a bad thing?
0:20:09 > 0:20:14Because we know that raised glucose is one of your biggest risk factors
0:20:14 > 0:20:15for going on to develop diabetes,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and if it's over a certain threshold,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19it means you have got diabetes.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I found that when I was sleep deprived,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25my blood sugars went up into what's called a pre-diabetic range.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27And that was kind of worrying.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Certainly, a lot of the other evidence from big studies suggests
0:20:30 > 0:20:32that people with short sleep,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37they are more likely to become obese and also develop type 2 diabetes.
0:20:37 > 0:20:38Were you surprised by those results?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I think to be able to show it in a small group of subjects,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45and for everybody to have exactly the same response,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48that they raised their glucose, I was surprised to see that.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51And reassured, because it suggests that we are on the right track
0:20:51 > 0:20:52- of understanding. - Yes.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I want to know, why is it that I felt hungrier
0:20:54 > 0:20:56with a higher level of sugar in my system?
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Yeah, I suspect it was more the fact that you were sleep deprived
0:20:59 > 0:21:01that made you feel hungrier.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04And we know that that alters your appetite hormones.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07So, it makes you more likely to feel hungry and less likely to feel full.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10We also know that people crave very sweet,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12very high carbohydrate content foods.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15So, as you did with the Custard Creams.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Also, if you're awake when you're not meant to be,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20actually, that's quite stressful to our bodies.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23And we know that you produce more of the stress hormone cortisol,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26and that can influence your glucose level as well, the next day.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30I certainly found I was both incredibly irritable, very hungry,
0:21:30 > 0:21:31craving carbs, but resisting them,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36but even despite the fact that I didn't change my diet at all,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38my blood sugars just went crazy.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41And the other thing is that, over time, we know that the amount
0:21:41 > 0:21:44of sleep that the population has been having has been declining.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47So, over the last 50 years or so,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50people have been curtailing their sleep by about two hours.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53So, given that you have done it just for three hours for a short term,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56if that's what's happening to the nation, then, potentially,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59that's increasing their hunger, increasing their obesity,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01increasing their risk of type 2 diabetes.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Early night for me tonight, then!
0:22:07 > 0:22:11I was really struck by the way our volunteers all reported having these
0:22:11 > 0:22:15desperate, sugary, carby cravings when they were sleep deprived.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19And also the way this played havoc with their blood sugar controls.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Now, this was only a few days,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24but longer-term studies have shown that people who sleep for less
0:22:24 > 0:22:28than seven hours a night are at significantly greater risk of both
0:22:28 > 0:22:31obesity and type 2 diabetes.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39So, it seems that our blood sugar levels really can be
0:22:39 > 0:22:41seriously affected by a lack of sleep.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43But why is this happening?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46And what is going on in our bodies?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49There is a lot of really interesting research going on at the moment
0:22:49 > 0:22:51into the impact that your gut bacteria,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53also known as your microbiome,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56has on your health and also your weight.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Now, I'm particularly interested in the effect that sleep,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02or lack of it, has on those gut bacteria.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06So, what I've done is, I took poo samples after a good night's sleep
0:23:06 > 0:23:10and then after a bad night's sleep, and sent them off to be analysed,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12and I'm off now to find out what the results are.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14It should be really interesting.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19'This is Dr Jonathan Cedermaes.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23'He's been doing research into the impact of lack of sleep
0:23:23 > 0:23:24'on gut bacteria.'
0:23:26 > 0:23:30You've got all these microbes living in your gut.
0:23:30 > 0:23:31Yeah.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32What are they doing? What are they?
0:23:32 > 0:23:34You can basically sum them up in this,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38which is over a kilogram of gut microbes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40This is about 100 trillion cells,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43which equals approximately the number of cells that you yourself
0:23:43 > 0:23:44are composed of.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49So, you can say that we are equal bacteria as we are human cells.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51So, what are these gut bacteria doing?
0:23:51 > 0:23:54They're helping us absorb nutrients
0:23:54 > 0:23:58and they are a barrier against infectious agents
0:23:58 > 0:24:00that might otherwise enter our body,
0:24:00 > 0:24:04and they basically help us promote both a normal metabolism,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06but also a normal immune system.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12But what is the link between how I sleep and my gut bacteria?
0:24:12 > 0:24:16So, what I did is I took a poo sample,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20I was sleep deprived for a couple of nights, took another one, sent it to you.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- You had the pleasure of looking at it.- Yes.- What did you find?
0:24:23 > 0:24:27We found an increase in the ratio of two sets of bacteria that have
0:24:27 > 0:24:32also been found to be shifted in a similar direction in obese humans.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35The mechanism by which they change, or why they change,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38is that they promote an increased energy uptake.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41So, basically, when you eat food,
0:24:41 > 0:24:46the bacteria greatly determine how much calories your guts absorb,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and that is then circulating in your system.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Basically, your gut becomes more efficient in absorbing nutrients.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57You might think that if you had less sleep,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59your gut bacteria wouldn't work as well.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02But it seems to be the reverse.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04When you are sleep deprived,
0:25:04 > 0:25:09you appear to extract more calories out of the same amount of food.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Do you think there is a link between the fact that we are reducing
0:25:12 > 0:25:14our sleep and obesity rates are going up?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I do think that, yeah.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20The concurrent rise of obesity and sleep deprivation in society
0:25:20 > 0:25:23would certainly suggest that there is a link.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26So that would obviously be good if you were out in the jungle
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and don't have very much access to food,
0:25:28 > 0:25:34but in modern society where we have a hamburger or chips and pizza,
0:25:34 > 0:25:35it's obviously not a good thing,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39and that's also what the high rates of obesity tell us.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42The thing which strikes me, making this film,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45is that people have no idea, or very little idea,
0:25:45 > 0:25:49of how widespread the impact of sleep deprivation really is.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50Exactly. It's very new,
0:25:50 > 0:25:55so we definitely need more studies to see how sleep
0:25:55 > 0:25:57influences the gut microbiome
0:25:57 > 0:26:01and how we can utilise changes in our gut microbiome
0:26:01 > 0:26:04in association with changed sleep to promote better health
0:26:04 > 0:26:06and perhaps reduce the risk of obesity.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15So, the experts really are finding new and unexpected ways
0:26:15 > 0:26:17in which lack of sleep affects our bodies.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21The link between sleep and weight is getting stronger.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23A recent study, for example,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26found that half of those who sleep for less than five hours a night
0:26:26 > 0:26:28are obese.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33If lack of sleep really is a hidden cause of one of the biggest health
0:26:33 > 0:26:36crises we currently face,
0:26:36 > 0:26:41then we need to take sleep very seriously indeed.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44But these days, there are more and more obstacles to getting
0:26:44 > 0:26:46a good night's sleep.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47Our technology.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Our work patterns.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51The stress of everyday life.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53So, what's the solution?
0:26:53 > 0:26:55What do people turn to?
0:26:55 > 0:26:56A glass of water for me.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- Nesquik for me.- Or sometimes, like, lavender oil on your pillow.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01I sometimes take a paracetamol.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03A little bit of mindfulness stuff.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Put the radio on and listen to some white noise.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Recently, I've been reading, like, an easy-read novel.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12I think one glass of red can help you go to sleep.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Anything more than that is a different question.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16It can be a sleeping pill.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19And I have been taking sleeping pills for ten years.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24A medical solution might be sleeping pills...
0:27:26 > 0:27:28..but are they a good solution?
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Over 15 million prescriptions are issued every year.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Last year, the NHS spent more than £50 million treating insomnia.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I'm meeting a GP in south London, Dr Sara Kayat,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48to find out what she thinks of sleeping pills.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Do you prescribe many sleeping pills?
0:27:52 > 0:27:56I try not to. Usually, if I do prescribe it, it is short courses.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01It'll be a matter of prescribing it if, for example, they're jet-lagged,
0:28:01 > 0:28:04or they've had a really bad week at work and they're just not getting
0:28:04 > 0:28:05back into their rhythm of sleep.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Or if they're having a really acute time with depression,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10or a bereavement, something like that.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14But we try not to prescribe it as a long-term solution.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16What's wrong with sleeping pills?
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Unfortunately, they are addictive, and you do build a tolerance.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23So, you end up needing to use more of them in order to get the same
0:28:23 > 0:28:26quality of sleep, and at some point you're going to hit a wall where
0:28:26 > 0:28:28you can't have any more, and then what do you do?
0:28:28 > 0:28:30You need to find the underlying solution.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33If we know that sleeping pills are pretty bad for you,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36certainly in the long-term, why are prescriptions still doing that?
0:28:36 > 0:28:39There's going to be a group of people that will doctor shop,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41for example, and, eventually, the next thing you know,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45they've had a whole month's worth and we don't know how it's happened.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47I think it's also a matter of desperation.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Patients are going to be so desperate to get a night's sleep,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53and when you've got that patient in front of you, you know, crying,
0:28:53 > 0:28:57getting really upset, you feel bad, and you want to be able to help them,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00and you know that a short course will.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04So, I think it's a matter of trying to manage your own patients,
0:29:04 > 0:29:09and manage their expectations as well as their emotions.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11It's a tricky one with sleep.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Sleeping pills are addictive.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17They're for short-term use only, and they don't solve the problem.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Could the answer lie instead inside our heads?
0:29:25 > 0:29:28I've come to the University of Oxford to meet neuroscientist
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Russell Foster.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36Professor Foster is trying to help us sleep better by doing
0:29:36 > 0:29:40pioneering research into a mechanism we all have within our brains.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Our internal body clock.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46This, I think, has been one of the great success stories
0:29:46 > 0:29:48over the past 20 years.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51The master clock within the brain resides right at the base
0:29:51 > 0:29:53of the brain in the hypothalamus.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56So, I suppose, an intersection between the bridge of my nose and my temple.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59- And there is a clock there? - It's about 50,000 cells,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02and what we discovered is that there's a third light-sensing system
0:30:02 > 0:30:04within the eye. We have the rods and cones,
0:30:04 > 0:30:08which are grabbing light to give us an image of the world,
0:30:08 > 0:30:10and yet there is another light sensor,
0:30:10 > 0:30:12and it acts as a brightness detector.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16And it's those cells that are picking up the dawn-dusk signal,
0:30:16 > 0:30:19and firing the information off to the brain.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21So, our eyes aren't just seeing things,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25they're also sending a signal to this clock in the brain, basically,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27telling it to reset?
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Absolutely. So, the eye is both the organ of space,
0:30:30 > 0:30:33it gives us our visual sense, of course, but it's also,
0:30:33 > 0:30:37by its detection of the dawn-dusk cycle, an organ of time.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40It sets the internal time to the external world.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42And that's the master clock.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Right. So it's like Big Ben, just basically sending out signals...?
0:30:45 > 0:30:48- Dong!- Yes.- It's midday, go and have lunch... Dong!
0:30:48 > 0:30:49It's nine o'clock, go to bed.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53Exactly. But every cell in the body also has the capacity to generate a
0:30:53 > 0:30:57- 24-hour oscillation. It has its own endogenous clock.- OK.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00And so, the master clock is sending out a signal which is then
0:31:00 > 0:31:04coordinating the rhythmic activity of billions and billions of individual
0:31:04 > 0:31:07cellular oscillators, organised throughout the organ system.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10So, to continue my analogy, you have Big Ben, who is the central one...
0:31:10 > 0:31:13- Mh-hm.- ..But we all have our own, if we're all little cells,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16we all have our own watches and sometimes they're running a bit fast,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19- a bit slow...- Exactly.- ..And Big Ben is basically dictating it.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22So, it's a bit like the conductor of an orchestra sending out a rhythmic
0:31:22 > 0:31:24- beat.- OK.- Now, if you shoot the conductor,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26if you blow up Big Ben,
0:31:26 > 0:31:30then all these peripheral clocks in the gut and the liver and all the
0:31:30 > 0:31:31others, start to drift apart.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35- Yes.- So, instead of this beautiful symphony, we have this cacophony,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37and a smear of time.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46One of the reasons for my insomnia could be that my body is out of sync
0:31:46 > 0:31:48with my body clock.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52Anyone who has ever had jet lag will know what that feels like.
0:31:53 > 0:31:59Professor Foster and his colleagues from Oxford University are looking for solutions...
0:31:59 > 0:32:02in Denmark, strangely enough.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06They are using natural light and an extreme living concept.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12With this, they hope to reset our master clock, our Big Ben,
0:32:12 > 0:32:14to get our bodies back in harmony again.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18This is the appropriately named Sunshine Island,
0:32:18 > 0:32:20off the Baltic coast.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25Bornholm gets more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in Denmark.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30And that's one of the reasons why Oxford University
0:32:30 > 0:32:34has built a house here made entirely of glass.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38'I'm joined by Dr Katarina Wulf
0:32:38 > 0:32:40'who is leading this project.'
0:32:40 > 0:32:41Hi, there!
0:32:41 > 0:32:43It is fantastic.
0:32:43 > 0:32:44I had no idea what to expect.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46- It's really good.- Hello, very nice to see you.
0:32:46 > 0:32:47Hello. Good to see you.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Is it nice and warm inside?
0:32:49 > 0:32:52- Yeah, let's go inside. - It's just fantastic, though,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55the amount of light you get in a place like this.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00So this is a house that's basically trying to mimic a normal house but
0:33:00 > 0:33:01without the walls.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06So, you have the kitchen, you have a bathroom, and you have a bedroom.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08It has a really spacious feel, doesn't it?
0:33:09 > 0:33:14So what exactly is the link between light and sleep?
0:33:14 > 0:33:18Sleep and light come together in terms of our body clock.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23So, really, when we are exposed to the natural light in the morning,
0:33:23 > 0:33:25that would wake you up.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Equally, in the evening, when the light goes down,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30it makes you more sleepy and you go to sleep.
0:33:30 > 0:33:35'I'm going to spend the night here, going to bed when the sun goes down,
0:33:35 > 0:33:37'and then letting the rising sun wake me.'
0:33:38 > 0:33:42You have to be a bit of an exhibitionist, and I'm guessing this is my bed,
0:33:42 > 0:33:45as well, because presumably people can stare in.
0:33:45 > 0:33:46There are not many people around.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49OK, so it's a bit like camping, but much more civilised.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50- Yes.- Much more civilised.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53Let me know how you sleep.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56- Thank you very much, I will. See you in the morning. - See you in the morning.
0:33:58 > 0:33:59Now, this place is absolutely amazing.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03There's nearly 5,000 units of light coming in.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07It should be about ten times more than in a normal bedroom,
0:34:07 > 0:34:09and that's the whole point about this place.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14It's to let lots of natural light flood into you throughout the day.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18And by doing so, that helps to reset your internal clock.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21And one of the biggest problems we have in modern society is the fact
0:34:21 > 0:34:24that our internal clock, which is driven by the light,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27is completely out of sync with our sleeping clock.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34Katarina believes that modern, artificial light, from TVs, phones,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38tablets and computers is interfering with our body clocks,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41shifting them out of phase.
0:34:41 > 0:34:46It seems many of us are suffering from a state of almost permanent jet lag.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57Since I'm trying to minimise the impact of 21st-century technology,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59then I suppose I'd better hand these over.
0:35:00 > 0:35:01Night!
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Time to bed down for the night.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12Katarina is charting my sleep with an activity monitor,
0:35:12 > 0:35:14to see what effect, if any,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18sleeping in this glasshouse has on my body clock and my general
0:35:18 > 0:35:19wellbeing.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25As dawn breaks, it's natural light,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28and not an alarm clock, that wakes me.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38'Soon, Katarina arrives to download the data from the monitor...'
0:35:38 > 0:35:39- Good morning.- Good morning.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41'..which I was wearing during the night.'
0:35:41 > 0:35:45I kind of slept OK, but not the best night's sleep, but not bad.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47So I shall be interested to see what this says.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54So what you see is that you go to sleep around 9.30pm,
0:35:54 > 0:35:58then you have a little bit of movement just after midnight,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and then you probably wake up around four o'clock.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Yeah, that's kind of when I woke up
0:36:03 > 0:36:06and I turned on the light and read for a little bit.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09Yeah. But then you went back to sleep for another two hours,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11and your final wake is about six o'clock in the morning.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15I woke up feeling really quite perky and alert and I'm feeling quite good
0:36:15 > 0:36:18at the moment. So, you think that maybe because I'm getting a good old
0:36:18 > 0:36:19dose of morning sunlight?
0:36:19 > 0:36:22That's what I think, and it's nice waking up.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27So far, Katarina has only tested this house on volunteers,
0:36:27 > 0:36:32but she's hoping that her research will make us all re-evaluate how we
0:36:32 > 0:36:35use daylight to control our body clocks and sleep patterns.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42What I would like to see is that we pay more attention to the 24-hour day,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and not just for when we are awake,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49and that we in particular pay attention to how much light we
0:36:49 > 0:36:50expose ourselves to in the morning.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54So you'd like to see, basically, more windows and more light, generally,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56coming into gloomy British houses?
0:36:56 > 0:36:57Exactly. Exactly.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00So I can see if I can persuade my wife that we should leave the curtains
0:37:00 > 0:37:03open, as long as the neighbours can't see you!
0:37:03 > 0:37:05I think it's a very simple solution.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Now, we're not going to be living in glasshouses any time soon,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14but this research should encourage architects to bring a little bit
0:37:14 > 0:37:16more light into our lives.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18And if you want to reset your own internal clock,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22one of the best things you can do is go and get lots of early morning
0:37:22 > 0:37:23light. I'm off for a stroll.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Other ways to reset your body clock which our sleep scientists recommend
0:37:33 > 0:37:36include removing technology from your bedroom.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41Take the TV out and stop answering e-mails or going on social media at
0:37:41 > 0:37:42least an hour before bedtime.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48And turn the clock away to stop yourself obsessing about time.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51This is called sleep hygiene.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54It's a set of rules for good sleeping,
0:37:54 > 0:37:57like decluttering the bedroom and making it just for going to bed.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04But what else can we do to try and improve our sleep?
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Are there more surprising or unusual solutions out there?
0:38:11 > 0:38:13I think I will just put "cures for insomnia"
0:38:13 > 0:38:16into Google and see what happens.
0:38:16 > 0:38:21Right. That comes up with 109 million possible websites to visit!
0:38:21 > 0:38:23I'm going to narrow it down a bit.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Now, there are an awful lot of things that are blindingly obvious,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30but I found four things that are slightly more unusual and which
0:38:30 > 0:38:32actually have some science behind them,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36they've actually had papers published on them.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38I've asked GP Dr Sara Kayat to find me
0:38:38 > 0:38:41three sleep-deprived patients to
0:38:41 > 0:38:43try these treatments on.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45I'll also be doing one of them.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Meet shift-worker Daniel,
0:38:47 > 0:38:52pilates instructor Yolanda and events manager Jasmine.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56Like me, they are all desperate for a good night's sleep.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58I have been a bit of a bad sleeper all my life.
0:38:58 > 0:38:59I think it runs in the family.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01I have trouble sleeping,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04getting my body clock back from sort of working night shifts.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07I haven't really slept for 20 years.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12OK, so top of my list here is mindfulness,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14which is very fashionable at the moment.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18'It's mostly used to treat stress, but could it help you sleep better?'
0:39:18 > 0:39:20You concentrate your mind on the present.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23It's about breathing and focusing on your breathing and thinking about
0:39:23 > 0:39:25what's happening right there and then.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28'What's next?' Now, this is quite a simple idea.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32You have a hot bath or a shower around an hour before you go to bed.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34You come out into a cooled-down environment.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37It's a bit of an old wives' tale, but there is some science behind it.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39According to this study,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42this led to an increased likelihood of sleep initiation, in other words,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45they fell to asleep faster.
0:39:45 > 0:39:46Kiwi fruit.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Yeah, I don't mind kiwis.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51Try two kiwi fruit an hour before you go to bed.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55They took 24 people and made them eat two kiwi fruit an hour before
0:39:55 > 0:39:59bedtime for four weeks, and it really did seem to make a difference.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Now, this is an unusual one.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05It's from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07Dietary prebiotics improve sleep.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11What they found is that eating a particular type of fibre seems to
0:40:11 > 0:40:14help sleep. At least, it does in rats.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18Well, I think it's probably time for a human to give it a go.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Welcome to lab rat number four.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28What I've got here is something that's called a prebiotic,
0:40:28 > 0:40:31and what it consists of is a white powder,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35and it's a bit like a fertiliser for the bacteria in my gut.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38It looks a bit like dried milk powder.
0:40:38 > 0:40:39I'm told it's completely tasteless.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43It's gone into a slightly disgusting-looking lump.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48But apparently my bacteria are going to love this.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50It's coming, guys!
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Ah!
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Doesn't add to the flavour.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00'I'm going to persevere with my prebiotic fibre drink for a week
0:41:00 > 0:41:02'and then catch up with the other lab rats.'
0:41:04 > 0:41:08In the meantime, I'm off to investigate a short-term fix for
0:41:08 > 0:41:13those times when being sleepy is really, really dangerous.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22Up to a quarter of all accidents on major roads are caused by drivers
0:41:22 > 0:41:25falling asleep. Many leading to death or serious injury.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30# I've been driving all night... #
0:41:32 > 0:41:35We've all had that experience of micro-sleeps, when you kind of nod off,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38a bit like that, and you may not even be aware you've done it.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43It lasts for a second or two seconds, whatever, and it's really,
0:41:43 > 0:41:46really scary. You can travel an awful long way
0:41:46 > 0:41:47along the motorway while
0:41:47 > 0:41:50you are sitting there with your eyes closed.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Around one in three of us admit at some point to having fallen asleep
0:41:56 > 0:41:58at the wheel.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Clearly, you shouldn't be driving if you are feeling sleepy,
0:42:04 > 0:42:08but if it happens to you on a long journey, then there is a neat fix.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13Research suggests that having a strong coffee just before a nap
0:42:13 > 0:42:16could actually help you feel more rested.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18But how does it work?
0:42:21 > 0:42:25'To find out, I've got a ruler and three volunteers.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28'Dave, Carl and Jo.'
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Are we feeling that sort of late afternoon slump coming on?
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- Getting there.- Getting a little bit sleepy?
0:42:33 > 0:42:36Now, have any of you ever fallen asleep at the wheel?
0:42:36 > 0:42:37I have.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41- Your eyes closing, yeah?- Absolutely. - It's terrifying, isn't it?- It is.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44So, what I wanted to do is show you a way that you can deal with it if that
0:42:44 > 0:42:48happens to you again. And I'm going to start by measuring your reaction
0:42:48 > 0:42:51time. So I'm going to drop it, and you're going to try and catch it.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53And I'm not going to tell you when.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54THEY LAUGH
0:42:54 > 0:42:55And do it again.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59''m using the ruler to measure reaction times.
0:42:59 > 0:43:04And finally. '20cm is 0.2 of a second.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06'I'm taking an average of three goes.'
0:43:06 > 0:43:09You think you can beat Jo?
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Very good. And David.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15- Very good, yeah, yeah.- OK, whoa! And again.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19Whoa! Very good. So, I'm going to take you out to your cars now,
0:43:19 > 0:43:20and I want you to have a snooze,
0:43:20 > 0:43:23but just before you go and try and snooze,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26I'm going to give you a big cup of black coffee. OK?
0:43:26 > 0:43:30OK, and here you go, a lovely espresso.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35- And now a snooze. Knock 'em back in one.- Thank you very much.
0:43:35 > 0:43:36MUSIC: Daysleeper by REM
0:43:43 > 0:43:46'If you drink coffee immediately before taking a nap,
0:43:46 > 0:43:50'then you'll fall asleep before the coffee has time to hit your brain.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57'Well, that's the idea.'
0:44:01 > 0:44:03Hi, there. How are you feeling?
0:44:03 > 0:44:04Did you manage to have a snooze?
0:44:04 > 0:44:07- I think so, yeah. - Oh, my God, it's so bright!
0:44:07 > 0:44:09THEY LAUGH
0:44:10 > 0:44:14- Did you manage to get a little bit of a snooze in, do you think? - I did. Miraculously, yes, I did.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18Surprising, isn't it, considering you had an espresso running around your system?
0:44:18 > 0:44:20The dog was also having a little sleep.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22THEY LAUGH Right, I'm going to redo your reaction times again,
0:44:22 > 0:44:25and I will start with Jo, I think.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27OK, here we go, Jo. Let's see if we're feeling more perky than we were.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Whoa! OK, I got that.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32Now we'll do Carl.
0:44:32 > 0:44:33OK. Can you beat her?
0:44:33 > 0:44:35Whoa! Very good.
0:44:35 > 0:44:37HE LAUGHS
0:44:37 > 0:44:39And Dave.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43And that was an average of 15.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47OK. So what I did beforehand, is I averaged what you had scored,
0:44:47 > 0:44:49and you were all pretty much the same.
0:44:49 > 0:44:5119, 19, 20.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53Having had your snooze and your cup of coffee,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55I'm pleased to say you all improved.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57- A lot.- Very good.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59You all went to 15, 14, 15.
0:44:59 > 0:45:00Above average.
0:45:00 > 0:45:06So you move from the kind of slower end of average to the higher end of
0:45:06 > 0:45:08above average, so you're obviously perkier now.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10- Are you feeling perkier?- I do.
0:45:10 > 0:45:16- Yeah.- Yeah. I think the surprising thing is that the caffeine didn't
0:45:16 > 0:45:17- stop you falling asleep.- Not at all.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21And the reason is because it takes a while to hit your brain.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23Typically about 20 minutes.
0:45:23 > 0:45:24Enjoy the rest of your day.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Your caffeine-fuelled day.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32OK, so that wasn't the most rigorous of scientific experiments,
0:45:32 > 0:45:37but it was absolutely consistent with other studies which have shown
0:45:37 > 0:45:42that if you have a cup of black coffee followed by a 15 or 20-minute snooze,
0:45:42 > 0:45:46then this will make you far more alert than either just having the coffee
0:45:46 > 0:45:48or just having the snooze.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51So if you are driving down the motorway and you are feeling a bit sleepy,
0:45:51 > 0:45:53it's something I would thoroughly recommend.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03This is obviously a quick-fix solution to a particular problem.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08But quick fixes aren't the answer for those of us with ongoing sleep
0:46:08 > 0:46:12problems, so we've been putting some longer-term remedies to the test.
0:46:16 > 0:46:17Over the last few days,
0:46:17 > 0:46:20I've been taking a dietary fibre drink to help me sleep.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29Yolanda has been having mindfulness lessons.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31- Hi.- Hi, Yolanda.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35Mental exercises designed to calm the brain down.
0:46:38 > 0:46:43Jasmine has been having a hot bath every night before bed.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55While Daniel has been eating two kiwi fruit every night.
0:47:06 > 0:47:07As part of the experiment,
0:47:07 > 0:47:09we've set up a thermal-imaging camera
0:47:09 > 0:47:12to monitor Jasmine's body temperature.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14# I can't sleep, I hope I stay awake
0:47:14 > 0:47:17# Cos I've been running, running, running all day
0:47:17 > 0:47:21# Long nights, no peace
0:47:21 > 0:47:24# I feel like everybody's eyes on me
0:47:24 > 0:47:26# I can't sleep
0:47:26 > 0:47:28# I hope I stay awake
0:47:28 > 0:47:31# Cos I've been running, running, running all day
0:47:31 > 0:47:34# Long nights, no peace
0:47:34 > 0:47:37# I feel like everybody's eyes on me
0:47:37 > 0:47:39# I can't sleep... #
0:47:48 > 0:47:52So, mindfulness is actually about bringing our awareness into the present moment.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54What's happening here and now.
0:47:56 > 0:47:57Once she's out of the bath,
0:47:57 > 0:48:02Jasmine lowers the room temperature to around 17 degrees.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06It's thought that this cooling of her core body temperature will tell
0:48:06 > 0:48:07her brain to go to sleep.
0:48:22 > 0:48:26We've given them apps to record how well they're sleeping.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Now, it's time for bed.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30Goodnight.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34# I can't sleep, I hope I stay awake
0:48:34 > 0:48:37# Cos I've been running, running, running all day
0:48:37 > 0:48:41# Long nights, no peace
0:48:41 > 0:48:45# I feel like everybody's eyes on me... #
0:48:45 > 0:48:48I'm not sure if anything's working or not,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51but then again it is quite early to tell.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54# Long nights, no peace
0:48:54 > 0:48:57# I feel like everybody's eyes on me
0:48:57 > 0:49:00# I can't sleep... #
0:49:02 > 0:49:05I'm really looking forward to finding out the results,
0:49:05 > 0:49:07although I'm sceptical as to whether
0:49:07 > 0:49:10any of these techniques will really work.
0:49:16 > 0:49:17'It's night number seven,
0:49:17 > 0:49:21'and I'm having my last prebiotic fibre drink,
0:49:21 > 0:49:24'which acts like a fertiliser for my gut bacteria.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28'Not to be confused with a probiotic, which is live bacteria.'
0:49:28 > 0:49:32Much to my surprise, it appears to have been working.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37And, yeah, I've been finding that,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40whereas normally I would wake up at about three o'clock every morning,
0:49:40 > 0:49:43since I've been taking this stuff, it's been more like five o'clock.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47And I've also been able to get back to sleep much more easily, so...
0:49:49 > 0:49:52..that has been surprising and really encouraging.
0:49:52 > 0:49:53So far, so good.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06Time to find out how the other volunteers have been getting on.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11I'm back with Dr Sara Kayat.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15The plan was to take a bath and then go into another room where it was
0:50:15 > 0:50:17quite cool, and I think it made quite a good bedtime routine,
0:50:17 > 0:50:22actually. I think the quality of my sleep was better throughout the week.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25- OK.- Out of ten, what would you give it?
0:50:25 > 0:50:26About four out of ten.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28OK. So, OK, but not fab.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30- Yeah.- I did the mindfulness.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33OK, and do you think there was any change?
0:50:33 > 0:50:36The first few nights I slept like normal...
0:50:36 > 0:50:41So, badly. And then I have been sleeping quite well,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43just waking up really early.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45I'm going to sleep a bit quicker,
0:50:45 > 0:50:49and I think I'm getting more hours together, sleeping.
0:50:49 > 0:50:50So, out of ten?
0:50:50 > 0:50:52Maybe a six or a seven.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55- And Dan.- I tried the kiwi fruit.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58It worked all right. On the days when I did have to get up early,
0:50:58 > 0:51:00which is where I struggle sleeping the most,
0:51:00 > 0:51:01I did sleep relatively well.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03I'm probably going to keep doing it.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05- I give it a seven.- OK.
0:51:05 > 0:51:06- As high as seven?- Yeah.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10So, Michael, tell me a bit about your fibre experiment.
0:51:10 > 0:51:11It was really, really interesting.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14At the moment I'd give it probably a nine out of ten.
0:51:14 > 0:51:15I could feel it very clearly.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18- Brilliant.- And then I stopped taking it,
0:51:18 > 0:51:21and within three or four days, I'd returned to my previous routine.
0:51:21 > 0:51:23- What a good score.- No, absolutely.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25But I'm going to give it another go.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29My journey to find the ultimate solution to insomnia is not over,
0:51:29 > 0:51:32but it's certainly been given a good old kick along the road.
0:51:32 > 0:51:36'It's a small sample, but they to do all seem to have worked a bit.
0:51:36 > 0:51:38'Some more than others.'
0:51:38 > 0:51:42I do feel as if the prebiotic I've been taking has made a difference to
0:51:42 > 0:51:45my sleep. What I want to do now is find out whether it has made
0:51:45 > 0:51:48a measurable difference to my sleep.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52- Hi, there.- Hello.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54'I'm meeting Professor Phil Burnett,
0:51:54 > 0:51:59'a neuroscientist specialising in the effects of gut bacteria and
0:51:59 > 0:52:01'prebiotics on brain function.
0:52:03 > 0:52:08'He's been analysing data from the activity monitor I've been wearing every night.'
0:52:08 > 0:52:11I've been trying this sort of fibre supplement,
0:52:11 > 0:52:14and I've been surprised because it does seem to affect the quality
0:52:14 > 0:52:16of my sleep, or it would seem so to me.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19I felt as though I was sleeping better,
0:52:19 > 0:52:24- and then when I stopped taking it I felt as though fairly soon I started sleeping worse.- Wow.
0:52:24 > 0:52:25That how it feels to me.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28But is that what the activity bracelet shows?
0:52:28 > 0:52:31If we look at the day before you took the supplement,
0:52:31 > 0:52:3479% of your time in bed you spent sleeping.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38- Right.- Inactive, which is what the watch measured.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41And 21% of your time in bed is spent awake.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43Is that a lot?
0:52:43 > 0:52:44That's about average.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48But, interestingly, five days after taking the supplement,
0:52:48 > 0:52:51your sleep went up to 92%.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54- Wow.- And 8% you spent awake.
0:52:54 > 0:52:55- Right.- So that is very interesting
0:52:55 > 0:52:58that you should say that you did sleep better.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01When you see the raw numbers, it just makes you think, "Blimey."
0:53:01 > 0:53:04It kind of felt like that. but there's something quite impressive about seeing it.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07The only thing that I was puzzled about, was on night three,
0:53:07 > 0:53:08it went down a bit.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10So, that was actually a Saturday night,
0:53:10 > 0:53:12- so I don't know what you were doing...- I had a few drinks!
0:53:12 > 0:53:15- All right, OK!- That may have undone some of the good.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18I wondered at the time whether you'd notice.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20- Oh, yes!- I can't get away with anything!
0:53:20 > 0:53:24So, what is in that white powdery, fibre-y stuff I was eating?
0:53:24 > 0:53:28Right. Well, that powder you are taking is a prebiotic.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31It's a food for your good gut bacteria.
0:53:31 > 0:53:36Basically, your good bacteria break down this fibre to produce molecules
0:53:36 > 0:53:37called short-chain fatty acids,
0:53:37 > 0:53:41and these are the things that might be having an effect on your sleep.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44Of course, when this prebiotic grows good bacteria,
0:53:44 > 0:53:47the bacteria themselves have beneficial effects,
0:53:47 > 0:53:50like synthesised vitamins and so on,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53and beneficial effects to the bowel and the immune system.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56So, the white powder is acting a bit like a fertiliser for the good
0:53:56 > 0:53:57bacteria in my gut, is that right?
0:53:57 > 0:54:00- Absolutely. Yeah.- These bacteria are in turn producing something?
0:54:00 > 0:54:06We think it is the short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, butyrate, propionic acid.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10We think that's one way that good bacteria can affect the brain and
0:54:10 > 0:54:11affect your health overall.
0:54:11 > 0:54:15OK. But what's that to do with my sleep?
0:54:15 > 0:54:20Well, the breakdown of the fibre itself is producing beneficial
0:54:20 > 0:54:22molecules, and the bacteria themselves,
0:54:22 > 0:54:24once they're established,
0:54:24 > 0:54:26actually produce other molecules
0:54:26 > 0:54:28that benefit your gut and your brain.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31So, perhaps it is because of these short-chain fatty acids being produced
0:54:31 > 0:54:33that it is affecting your sleep.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37So, what I was doing was using a commercial dietary fibre.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42- Yeah.- If I was looking for this substance in food, where would I look?
0:54:42 > 0:54:46Well, the best ones for that particular prebiotic are lentils,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49red or green, and chickpeas, or hummus.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52- OK.- But it's also present in beans, different types of beans,
0:54:52 > 0:54:56- butter beans, lima beans, that sort of thing. - OK, I hate butter beans.
0:54:56 > 0:54:57OK, well, you don't have to eat them.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00I hate, hate, hate butter beans, but I do like lentils,
0:55:00 > 0:55:02and I love hummus. It's funny, because there are so many sort of
0:55:02 > 0:55:04legendary things around food,
0:55:04 > 0:55:06most of which turn out to be utter nonsense...
0:55:06 > 0:55:10- Yes.- But I've never heard of lentils or hummus as being a sleep aid.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14And yet, this one actually seems to have at least some decent theory
0:55:14 > 0:55:16behind it.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Yeah. And don't forget you had a supplement,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21so this is probably 100 times
0:55:21 > 0:55:25more fibre than a bowl of hummus, or...
0:55:25 > 0:55:29OK. Does that mean the food is not going to work,
0:55:29 > 0:55:32- or just means it would take longer? - It just means it would take longer.
0:55:32 > 0:55:33This is really new science, isn't it?
0:55:33 > 0:55:35- Oh, yeah.- Where you surprised by this?
0:55:35 > 0:55:36I was surprised by it.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38I was quite surprised because I thought
0:55:38 > 0:55:41you needed to be on the supplement longer.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43Do you know of any studies in humans?
0:55:43 > 0:55:45Or am I the first who's looked at this?
0:55:45 > 0:55:46No, no.
0:55:46 > 0:55:52This is quite novel, and I think it warrants further investigation...
0:55:52 > 0:55:54THEY LAUGH
0:55:54 > 0:55:57In other humans as well.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Now, there could be other reasons why I'm sleeping better.
0:56:00 > 0:56:05Obviously, we need proper human trials, but it is a promising start.
0:56:07 > 0:56:12We're always being told just how important fibre is to a healthy diet,
0:56:12 > 0:56:17so wouldn't it be great if it turned out that it also helped us
0:56:17 > 0:56:19get a good night's sleep?
0:56:24 > 0:56:29What I've learned about sleep is that its key not only to our mood and immediate alertness,
0:56:29 > 0:56:34but it's more important for our long-term health than I had ever imagined.
0:56:39 > 0:56:41If you do want a good night's sleep, there are things you can do.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44For starters, make sure your bedroom is nice and cool,
0:56:44 > 0:56:46ideally around 17 degrees.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50And also ensure there is absolutely no electronic equipment in here to
0:56:50 > 0:56:52distract you.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54At least an hour before bed, switch off all social media.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58That way, by the time you go to bed, you'll be ready for sleep.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02Earlier in the day, you will have been out for a walk to get that early morning light
0:57:02 > 0:57:06which will reset your internal clock and wake you up.
0:57:06 > 0:57:07For your evening meal,
0:57:07 > 0:57:10do ensure you get something which is really rich in fibre.
0:57:10 > 0:57:14As we've just seen, that is incredibly important.
0:57:14 > 0:57:16And also, do avoid alcohol.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19I've incorporated all of these things into my night-time routine,
0:57:19 > 0:57:22and they really do make a difference.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24So, goodnight. I hope you sleep really well.