In this week’s Sleep Diaries, a 43-year-old business owner and marine volunteer wonders whether it’s a good or bad thing to wake up before her alarm.

A little about me:

Age: 43

Occupation: business owner and marine volunteer

Number of hours of sleep you get each night: 7-8 hours (maybe 9 some weekends if I’m really tired)

Number of hours of sleep you wish you got each night: 8 hours

Any officially diagnosed sleep-related problems (insomnia/sleep apnea): no

Do you grind your teeth/have nightmares: no, but I do have very vivid dreams.

How much water you drink on average per day: not enough! This is something I need to work on. I have two glasses of water but maybe six mugs of caffeine-free tea a day.

How much caffeine do you drink on average per day: none. I have caffeine-free tea and coffee and no fizzy drinks.

How much exercise do you do on average per week: over the last few years I’ve been so busy running my business that I haven’t done as much as I’d like. A month ago I started going out for a walk twice a day to hit my 10,000 steps goal and doing yoga twice a week.

“I can’t stop waking up at 5am in the morning – is something wrong?” An expert answers your questions