Nighttime can be lonely for those who cannot sleep. Demons tend to come in the dark because of the quiet during the night.

When it seems that everyone else is fast asleep, we lie awake.

I have always been a worrier and never a warrior. I picked it up from my mother, she had a big heart and always worried about everything.

At the age of 16 I hardly slept, barely getting enough sleep to get by. Alcohol and substance abuse to try and get to sleep.

Medication is never the solution; it only adds to the unwanted cycle of worry and despair.

Fast forward 30 years and, once again, sleep evaded me as I dove into depression. Self-medication was the automatic default.

Lying awake at nighttime is desperately lonely, for you are the only one who is suffering. Yet, there are many others who struggle to sleep, you are not as alone as you think.

Fast forward to the present. Sleep still evades me on occasion, particularly when hit by a setback.

Having studied sleep and trialled many ways of getting to sleep, we have put together a document on how to get a better night's sleep. It is yours, available from our website for free!

For me, the number one way of dealing with a sleepless is to accept it, accept that I will have a sleepless night.

With acceptance brings an anchor. The night will be a rollercoaster of high anxiety and, on occasion, calmness. And that is where I find sanctuary.

Remember this, if you are struggling with sleep you will get through the night as it is just your thoughts keeping you awake. Thoughts cannot hurt us unless we allow them to, they are ours to control.

Become a warrior and work through your thoughts to reach the calm.

The sun will come up and you can now work on what's actually worrying you, not what you thought was worrying you.

Let’s talk!