2025-10-08 – News – www.theguardian.com
Gillian Greenfield on coping with maintenance insomnia and Michael Peel on our changing sleeping habits
Re your article (Why do I keep waking up at 2am – and how do I get back to sleep?, 1 October), I too have maintenance insomnia and used to spend the wee small hours ruminating on all kinds of real or imagined worries. Then radio on demand changed my life. Your brain simply can’t process two things at once, and I now I have a wealth of shows to choose from that have my attention and prevent the anxiety from creeping in.
I still miss some sleep, but I enjoy the time that I have listening to all the shows I never have time to devote attention to during the day. And I often drop off again mid‑programme without the worry of finding my “page” again, as with an audiobook. It might be worth a try for others.
Gillian Greenfield
Haydon Bridge, Northumberland
