The Insomnia Diaries: How I learned to sleep again

Foreword by Dr Sophie Bostock

'29th June
0 HOURS, 0 MINUTES
Eleven forty-seven pm. A door slams as the neighbour's teenage son comes home from the pub. An hour later, the last Tube rumbles past and I thump my pillow over to find a cool spot. I refuse to open the window because of my fear of hearing the first bird of morning, confirmation that the next day is about to start and I have failed, yet again. Failed in my quest to sleep, which one would think is a basic human right.

But I am not a POW whose captors breach the Geneva Convention. No one has stolen my sleep from me. I am not wired up to electrodes, a neon light is not shining in my face all night long. I have blackout blinds and a king-size bed all to myself. My enemies are my brain and a body that has forgotten how to shut down.'

After a single, catastrophic event, journalist Miranda Levy had one sleepless night, then another, and then another. She sought help from anyone she could: doctors, a therapist, an acupuncturist, a hypnotist, a reiki practitioner and a personal trainer - but nothing seemed to work.

Sleep, wellbeing and mental health are intrinsically linked. Yet sleeplessness is surprisingly common: 16 million of us suffer from insomnia, and the sleep industry is worth GBP100 billion (Daily Mail).

In The Insomnia Diaries, Miranda Levy tells the story of her experience of severe, disabling insomnia that affected every aspect of her life for years, and how she ultimately recovered. Part memoir, part reportage, this book will help anyone who struggles to get a good night's sleep - whether occasionally or all of the time - appreciate the issues and understand the options as they find their best way to get the rest they need. Dr Sophie Bostock, scientist, sleep expert and member of the team who developed the award-winning digital programme Sleepio, contributes a foreword. She and a host of expert contributors have advised on the medical elements within the text throughout.