Getting the Nation Sleeping Again 

With National Sleep Awareness Week running 2-9 March, and being a lifelong bad sleeper myself, it's a good time to try out some traditional and non-traditional methods of getting enough shuteye.

With more than half of the UK struggling to get a full night's kip, it's no wonder us British have a reputation for being a nation of moaners (and not in the good way!).


ACUPUNCTURE: This is believed to alleviate sleeplessness by increasing melatonin, a hormone that aids sleep. It can also reduce sympathetic nervous system activity, which will reduce stress and induce relaxation.

COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY: CBT is used for long term sleeping problems. It can help the patient change thoughts and behaviour that could be affecting their sleep. If you don't have time for a few sessions with an actual person, you can try out Sleepio, an online CBT sleep improvement programme.

Sounds: Relaxing music and background noise have been proven to help. Some of us can drift away with the tide, or slither deep into the Amazon rainforest.

Cool & Dark: Your bedroom should ideally be dark and quiet, with the temperature at 16-18 C.

NATURAL SOLUTIONS: If, like myself, you're not a fan of sleeping pills, there are several alternatives. These can include Vitamin B, which controls the release of tryptophan, essential for sleep. And also the herb Valerian. Research in Germany found it reduced insomnia symptoms after a month.

CATNAP: If you're able to nap, or lucky enough, keep it to 20-30 minutes and before 3pm.


Of course, there are so many other things to try. Give them a go and, hopefully, happy sleeping all!

Extra calories & how to burn them!

Think your 30 minutes of exercise a week will burn off all your indulgences? Think again!


A slice of chocolate cake could be about 200 calories. To burn that off you'd need to dance continuously for approximately 30 minutes.

A slice of a meat feast pizza will typically contain around 330 calories. You're going to have to power walk for one hour.

My shameful habit is crisps. Most weeks, I'll shove about 5 packs down my pie hole! I love McCoys and each pack contains 252 calories, so that's 1260 extra calories right there. To burn all that off in one go, I'd have to do about 120 minutes of kickboxing....

When you unwind with a bottle of white wine, just remember that's about 600 calories. An hour of swimming is needed after that. (Preferably when sober!)

These exercises are aimed at people of average weight, so for us heavier people we have to do more. However, I'm happy to start off slow....