In this week’s Sleep Diaries, a 45-year-old administrator explains that her anxiety over not getting enough sleep is keeping her awake at night.

A little about me:

Age: 45

Occupation: administrator

Number of hours sleep you get each night: six to seven hours

Number of hours sleep you wish you got each night: at least eight

Any officially diagnosed sleep-related problems: not officially, no

Do you measure your sleep in some way (e.g. using your phone or wearable): yes, I use the Sleep Cycle app

How much water you drink on average per day: I try to have at least five glasses a day

How much exercise I do on average per week: I go running two or three times a week

Day 1

It’s not a normal Monday, as I am on a day’s annual leave. A good thing, too, as I sleep for around seven hours and struggle to get up as I still feel so tired.

I have a cup of tea while the kids are getting ready for school. Once they’ve left, I go for a 6.5 mile run, and it leaves me feeling refreshed – not to mention ready to crack on with a few jobs around the house!

At 8.15pm, I switch on my lavender oil diffuser; it’s something I do every night as part of my bedtime ritual. In fact, since experiencing insomnia really badly a couple of years ago, I started introducing all kinds of supposed sleep aids at bedtime and now I’m scared to stop in case it all starts again.

“How can I break the cycle of sleep anxiety?” A sleep expert answers your questions