Try not to worry about not getting enough sleep - it may be that you are getting enough, but it’s just less than you expect.
Don’t take naps during the day to catch up, this will affect your natural rhythm and only add to your problem. Remember - that our need for sleep is an individual thing and gets less as we get older. You may be trying to get too much. Try going to bed later or getting up earlier.

Surroundings - Go through this basic check list and see whether there are any simple changes you can make:
- Noise (too noisy, too quiet?)
- Light (too light, too dark?)
- Comfort of mattress (too hard, too soft?)
- Temperature of room (too hot, too cold?)
- Is your partner (or lack of one ) keeping you awake?

Food and Drink - anything that contains caffeine taken near
to bedtime, will reduce the quality of sleep. Examples include
coffee, tea, hot chocolate and cola. It is best not to have any of
these things within four hours of bedtime. If you are having a
bedtime drink try to make sure it is decaffeinated.

Cigarettes - smoking last thing at night can keep you awake
as nicotine is a stimulant. If you do smoke, try to have your last
cigarette at least four hours before bedtime. Nicorette patches
or chewing gum could also affect sleep.
Medicines and other drugs - Some drugs can affect sleep
because they are stimulants. If you are taking medicine it is
worth checking with your pharmacist or doctor. Examples are
certain drugs for asthma and for migraine. Sleeping tablets,
whilst they can help in the short term often cause sleep problems
as they interfere with the quality of sleep and can alter sleep
patterns. They should only be taken for very short periods.
Alcohol - whilst people often feel sleepy after drinking a lot
of alcohol, again the quality of sleep is affected. It is best to
avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol close to bedtime if you
are having sleep problems.
Consistency - try to get a consistent timetable so that your body knows where it is. Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time is much better during insomnia than trying to catch up on lost sleep or going to bed early or napping at odd times during the day. If you feel the need to sleep in at
weekends try to make it not more than an hour later than usual.
Pre-sleep routine - try to use the hour before going to bed to unwind and prepare for sleep. In the same way that you would not expect a child to go straight from an exciting game to
bed, most adults need to wind down. For a child, a bedtime routine helps with the winding down process, for example, bathtime, pyjamas, teeth brushed, story, then bed. The same is
true for adults. Try to get into a pattern.
Gradually - increase your daytime activity and exercise, but don’t exercise too near to bedtime.
If you have not fallen asleeep within 30 minutes - get up and have a malty drink like Horlicks. Listen to relaxing music, reading a relaxing book or watch something boring on TV until you feel sleepy. Make sure your bed is associated with sleep. For example, don’t watch TV, eat, and talk on the telephone in bed. The only exception to this is making love which can in fact help (and certainly seems to induce sleep in men!)
These simple guidelines really can improve your sleep but they
take time. Please be patient, your hard work will pay off
although it can take many weeks to develop new sleep habits.