Re your article (Why do I keep waking up at 2am – and how do I get back to sleep?, 1 October), I too have maintenance insomnia and used to spend the wee small hours ruminating on all kinds of real or imagined worries. Then radio on demand changed my life. Your brain simply can’t process two things at once, and I now I have a wealth of shows to choose from that have my attention and prevent the anxiety from creeping in.
I still miss some sleep, but I enjoy the time that I have listening to all the shows I never have time to devote attention to during the day. And I often drop off again mid‑programme without the worry of finding my “page” again, as with an audiobook. It might be worth a try for others.
Gillian Greenfield
Haydon Bridge, Northumberland
Before artificial light became commonplace, split sleep patterns were normal for young adults. At times when it was necessary for some people to be awake and watchful, adolescents would take the early watch and go to bed late. Older adults would go to sleep and get up early to take the third watch. Young adults would take the middle shift, waking up after a few hours sleep to keep watch in the middle of the night. They would then go back to sleep again.
Real life is, of course, a lot more complex than that, but we still have natural biorhythms that change as we age. The answer is to follow your natural biorhythms rather than fight against them.
Michael Peel
London
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