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Hot water bottle under your feet (wrap in towel, or wear thick wool socks if heat too much)

My mind is a bit active, so any talking radio station (i.e. no music) is on a cheap radio with a single ear bud in one ear) This distracts me and I fall asleep. I know all the local stations.

[ Sony ICF-P27 Portable Radio (Analogue dial). with Speaker and AM/FM Tuner. AA batteries last about 3 weeks. Do turn off if time to wake up. ]

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I sleep so, so much better since my nutritionist put me on ZMA. For nigh on 15 years my sleep was constantly interrupted. I woke up at stupid o'clock and worried for hours at a time. Within a few weeks of ZMA once my body and mind adjusted (after a few lucid dreams!) I can easily sleep right the way through now. I no longer dread going to sleep; every night felt like a battle. Apparently a lot of people lack magnesium which helps us sleep.

If I do struggle at all I recite a nursery rhyme over & over in my head. This sends your brain onto autopilot. It has to be something you know really well - Baa Baa Black Sheep is a classic. The Grand Old Duke of York is an alternative.

Good luck!

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Hi Rory. I’ve not recently had sleep problems but when I did - from stress or time-zone shifting - I used Melatonin short-term to kick me into a regular sleep pattern. Works for me and others I know. As a natural hormone it has few side-effects for most. Much better than sleeping pills. Take care. Colin

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I know the feeling Rory but getting out of bed after being awake for more than 15 minutes doesn’t work for me. It just makes sure I don’t get back to sleep. I’d rather take the chance in the warmth and cosiness of the bed. I don’t have devices apart from a radio in the bedroom but read a little before I go to sleep. My Fitbit suggests my sleep quality isn’t good most of the time even when I think it is!

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Cheers for this Rory.

I've pretty much got my sleep sorted at home now. When disciplined. Like you the devices and external worries can play havoc with sleep patterns but when away from home it's worse. Unless the hotel has really thought things through. Weirdly I don't have the same issue in a tent. Perhaps it's my fancy silk sleeping bag. :-)

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