Professor Guy Leschziner

I think that there is still in the general population an underestimation of how important sleep is, but I think there are certain segments of the population that are much more aware of it and perhaps even, dare I say, overestimate it.

I think that there is still in the general population an underestimation of how important sleep is, but I think there are certain segments of the population that are much more aware of it and perhaps even, dare I say, overestimate it.

And I think the danger is that if you overemphasize the importance of getting eight or eight and a half hours sleep every night, then you actually risk problems later down the line, exacerbating things like insomnia.

And I think the danger is that if you overemphasize the importance of getting eight or eight and a half hours sleep every night, then you actually risk problems later down the line, exacerbating things like insomnia.

So I think that the genes that predispose to insomnia are pretty widespread. But obviously, you know, in pretty much all areas of medicine, there is an interaction between genetics and environment.

So I think that the genes that predispose to insomnia are pretty widespread. But obviously, you know, in pretty much all areas of medicine, there is an interaction between genetics and environment.

And certainly poor sleep hygiene, and that's a horrible term, I hate that term, but it's the term that is most widely used and understood, can certainly put in place certain aspects of behaviour that then can give rise to chronic insomnia in the long term. So if you've got very bad chronic insomnia, then suddenly putting good sleep hygiene in place, it's unlikely to fix it.

And certainly poor sleep hygiene, and that's a horrible term, I hate that term, but it's the term that is most widely used and understood, can certainly put in place certain aspects of behaviour that then can give rise to chronic insomnia in the long term. So if you've got very bad chronic insomnia, then suddenly putting good sleep hygiene in place, it's unlikely to fix it.

But it may be that that poor sleep hygiene in the first instance gave rise or at least predisposed you to developing insomnia.

But it may be that that poor sleep hygiene in the first instance gave rise or at least predisposed you to developing insomnia.

So I think you would probably have to set up your home office in your bedroom. You'd have to have your TV on in your bedroom all the time. Be surrounded by electronic devices. Drink a lot of coffee late in the evening. Alcohol? Drink a little bit of alcohol. So alcohol in the short term, of course, is quite sedating. It's a central nervous system depressant.

So I think you would probably have to set up your home office in your bedroom. You'd have to have your TV on in your bedroom all the time. Be surrounded by electronic devices. Drink a lot of coffee late in the evening. Alcohol? Drink a little bit of alcohol. So alcohol in the short term, of course, is quite sedating. It's a central nervous system depressant.

But it does dramatically worsen the quality of your sleep and for various reasons, the direct chemical effect, the fact that you've got a full bladder, the fact that you're probably snoring a little bit more. So alcohol is not a good thing. You know, not having a wind down period. So, you know.

But it does dramatically worsen the quality of your sleep and for various reasons, the direct chemical effect, the fact that you've got a full bladder, the fact that you're probably snoring a little bit more. So alcohol is not a good thing. You know, not having a wind down period. So, you know.

gambling on the stock market until 1am, switching your laptop and then trying to go to bed, those kinds of things. So that's, you know, the quintessential very, very bad sleep hygiene.

gambling on the stock market until 1am, switching your laptop and then trying to go to bed, those kinds of things. So that's, you know, the quintessential very, very bad sleep hygiene.

So, you know, eating is perhaps less important, but avoiding a very large carbohydrate meal, carbohydrate rich meal before you go to bed for two reasons. One is that we know that it can cause some fluctuations in terms of your blood sugar. And also, if you've got a bit of reflux, it can make that much worse.

So, you know, eating is perhaps less important, but avoiding a very large carbohydrate meal, carbohydrate rich meal before you go to bed for two reasons. One is that we know that it can cause some fluctuations in terms of your blood sugar. And also, if you've got a bit of reflux, it can make that much worse.

Well, I think that for some people, and again, this goes back to no one rule for everybody, if you've got a sleep trait termed sleep reactivity, which is where your sleep is very liable to your environment, then obviously sleeping next to somebody who's snoring loudly or who gets up in the middle of the night two or three times to urinate can be very disruptive to your sleep.

Well, I think that for some people, and again, this goes back to no one rule for everybody, if you've got a sleep trait termed sleep reactivity, which is where your sleep is very liable to your environment, then obviously sleeping next to somebody who's snoring loudly or who gets up in the middle of the night two or three times to urinate can be very disruptive to your sleep.