Following the feature of our best-selling Sleep formula at this weeks GQ Heroes Event, we reached out to sleep expert Kathryn Pinkham to see if she had any advice for those of you struggling to fall asleep.

So grab yourself a hot mug of our double chocolate and salted caramel Sleep, snuggle down and have a read of this: If you find yourself lying in bed struggling to sleep, it can feel incredibly lonely. However, the truth is, you’re not alone. In fact, research shows that one in four people are suffering with poor sleep.

However, the good news is there are steps you can take to improve your sleep. Based on the CBT for insomnia programme recommend by the NHS, these steps are consistently proven to help those struggling to sleep, often in under four weeks. Kathryn Pinkham, founder of The Insomnia Clinic, one of the UK’s only specialist insomnia services, is here to share her top tips.

Kathryn says, “If you’ve tried countless remedies to try and fix your sleep, like white noise machines, herbal blends or expensive hypnotherapy sessions, but still find yourself struggling to fall asleep, it can be frustrating. However, there are steps you can take that are proven to help fix the problem.” Kathryn’s top three tips for falling asleep more easily:

Don't go to bed too early

The first thing we do when we can't sleep is start going to bed earlier to try and increase our opportunity for sleeping. However, although this sounds intuitive, it will actually mean you’re less likely to fall asleep quickly. In fact, reducing the amount of time you spend in bed, going to bed later and getting up earlier, will encourage your body’s natural sleep drive to kick in. By reducing the time you spend in bed you will crave more sleep, fall asleep faster and find the quality will improve.

Get out of bed if you wake in the night

It’s not just when we first go to bed that we can experience a struggle to fall asleep, if we wake in the night it can happen too. If you have woken up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep, get out of bed. The longer you stay in bed trying to fall back to sleep the more frustrated you will get. This then means you can begin to subconsciously relate bed to feeling stressed and being awake rather than asleep. Leave the bedroom and do something relaxing like read a book downstairs, then when you are tired go back to bed.

Clear your mind before bed

Some people find that even if they’re tired, they still struggle to fall asleep because their minds are busy. Whether it’s thinking about our to-do lists, worrying about the future or stewing on past regrets, the racing mind is sure to keep you up. The best way to fix this, is to quieten your mind and get your thoughts down on paper. Simply make time each day to sit and write down your worries, then after your allocated time slot, close your notepad and go and do something you enjoy. Often seeing things written down can give us a different perspective and mean we’re less likely to keep going over it in our heads.

If you’re struggling to fall asleep, why not try The Insomnia Clinic’s Sleep Well, Live Better Course? Teaching you how to fall asleep easily and sleep through the night, many people see improvements in just a few days. Providing simple information and a step-by-step process to fix your sleep, the course will clearly guide you through the simple steps to improve your sleep, including everything you would receive in face-to-face sessions. Plus, Kathryn is there to provide ongoing support throughout the entire programme. Learn more here.

How our Sleep Collagen can support you

Designed to support deeper rest and overnight regeneration, this nightly powder blend brings together clinically proven ingredients for beauty sleep that actually works. The best way for the body to absorb collagen is to break it down into smaller molecules called hydrolysed collagen peptides. Pura Sleep is a PEPTIPLUS® collagen powder, meaning it includes:

• Hydrolysed Collagen Peptides to activate the body’s natural collagen production promoting healthier hair, skin, nails, and joints.
  
  
• L-Glycine, an amino acid and inhibitory neurotransmitter to calm the central nervous system.
  
  
• Magnesium to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which calms and relaxes you. Magnesium can also regulate the hormone melatonin, responsible for guiding the body’s sleep-wake cycles.
  
  
• L-Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that helps the body make proteins and certain brain-signalling chemicals. Your body changes L-Tryptophan into a brain chemical called serotonin. Serotonin helps control your mood and sleep.
  
  
• Zinc to support normal cognitive function.

So, take a breath. Unplug from the day and power up your beauty sleep. Get yours here.