Sleep has hardly changed since Paleolithic humans snoozed soundly in their caves. While sabre-toothed tigers were their biggest night-time worry, today it’s stress and social media that keep us awake, but the solutions are the same, and sleep therapist Dr Merijn van de Laar offers understanding and advice to have you sleeping better within weeks.

How to get a better night’s sleep in 3 weeks:

Don’t believe everything you read or hear about sleep
Let go of the 8-hour rule
Use the simple sleep diary in the back of this book to record your sleep pattern over 3 weeks
Discover your personal sleep needs
Examine your attitude towards lying awake at night
Shorter total bed times might be better
Focus on the reason for lying awake rather than on the reason for not sleeping
Reduce stress
Keep regular bedtimes
Follow the rules of nature
Respect your personal circadian rhythm
Don’t tempt the night-time ghost