A night's tale

They may have only slept a few hours a night but Winston Churchill, Napoleon and Margaret Thatcher were skilled daytime catnappers.

While sleep-wake patterns may differ widely between individuals, we all need a basic quota of sleep as a foundation for health and happiness.

As the nights draw in we naturally adjust to the reduction in light by sleeping more.

But this may have little effect on the two out of three Brits, most of them women, who suffer from insomnia and for whom tossing and turning for hours in bed can be a waking nightmare.

Bags of problems

Unfortunately it doesn't end as the sun rises. A deficient amount of sleep has a negative effect on energy levels, memory, problemsolving skills and the body.

Sleep expert Dr David Wheatley says: 'We cannot tolerate continued poor sleep without becoming extremely stressed the next day. Long term, this will adversely affect our immune systems, making us more prone to coughs and colds, which will take longer to clear up.'

The drop in immunity is accompanied by an increase in stress hormones. A recent survey by pollsters NOP found that seven out of ten people felt the pressures of a bad's night sleep the next day, with women and 25 to 44 year olds the most affected.

In fact, beyond four hours there is no set amount of sleep you need. Chris Idzikowski, Boot's sleep expert and author of Beating Insomnia says: 'The ideal is when you don't feel you need more. But if you need weekends to catch up that's probably an indication you're not getting enough.'

While it's better to stick to a routine, that extra snooze might be beneficial. 'If you look at people's performance and mood it is always improved by that extra bit of sleep,' says Idzikowski. 'It's rather like a good meal: you potentially can have a bit more and it might actually make you feel a bit better.'

Insomnia can come and go and be interspersed by periods of good sleep. And, according to Idzikowski, it's different from sleeplessness. 'Insomnia is when someone suffers from a relentless sleep disorder and doesn't understand where it comes from.

'They go to bed and can't sleep, wake up early or have very broken sleep. It may have been triggered by pain, stress or worry, but the problem has gone away and sleep is still elusive.'

A new yawn

A new insomniac drug, Estorra, offers hope to millions. It claims to improve both the ability to fall and stay asleep, and the quality of slumber without losing its effectiveness long-term.

But Idzikowski is sceptical of the effectiveness of sleeping drugs. 'Hearing GPs saying: "Take pills for a couple of weeks to kick-start a regular sleep pattern," drives me up the wall. There is no evidence this method will bring any pattern back. Sleeping pills are mild anaesthetics and will put you to sleep but no one can tell who is likely to become dependent on them.'

Idzikowski recommends learning to sleep well, alone or with a sleep expert's help, and has set up a Sleep Assessment Advisory Service for chronic insomniacs.

For less severe cases, a swift journey to the land of nod can be aided by a dark and comfortable environment, a hot milky drink and avoiding exercise and stimulants close to bedtime.

Beating Insomnia by Chris Idzikowski, Newleaf £12.99. Sleep Assessment Advisory Service, www.sleepspecialist.co.uk Tel: 0845 1300 933.