• Eating a small snack containing carbohydrates about 30 minutes before you go to bed can help to ease anxiety and promote restful sleep.

Combining carbohydrate with some calcium, such as a turkey sandwich (good source of tryptophan) with a glass of warm milk, could be a great tonic, and delicious too!

• Do not underestimate the effects of regular exercise on your sleep routine.

Taking an exercise class, or brisk walk in late afternoon or early evening will go a long way to ease the stresses of the day, therefore promoting healthy sleep. Always make sure you don’t overdo the intensity of your chosen workout, or schedule it too close to your usual bedtime or you could end up stimulating your system rather than relaxing it ready for sleep.

• It’s a well-known remedy, but drinking a warm milky drink near bedtime can have a sedative effect on some people.

Malted milk or cocoa can be drunk if you don’t particularly like the taste of warm milk, but be careful not to add stimulating caffeine to your nighttime beverage such as coffee, or even too much cocoa powder. Cocoa powder does contain caffeine, and drinking too much can have the same stimulating effects on your system as coffee.

• Herbal supplements can help.

If you are fussy about your food, or don’t want to pop expensive vitamin pills, you might want to consider taking a trip to your local health food store and investigating the wide range of herbal tinctures and sleep remedies on offer.

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