Stephen Chainey, Liverpool

The slightest stress or worry and I would lie awake for hours, unable to drop off. Then I started doing one simple thing – times tables. I started with the 13 times table in my head until I could recite it without pausing, then moved on to the 14 times table and so on. It was enough to distract my brain from whatever was worrying me and allowed me to get to sleep. I am astounded at the difference it has made. I have suffered for decades and this simple exercise sorted it within a few weeks.

Vivenne Windle, Southampton

The best advice I got was to avoid checking the time when I woke up. Eventually, I would go back to sleep, rather than worrying that it was 4am and calculating how many hours sleep I would get.

Philip Evans, Macedonia

Running three times a week has helped me massively. With the stress of a business and small children, running long distances enables me to sleep without worrying. It also means I smoke and drink less, which helps, and my heart rate is far lower. I seem to able to sleep regardless of the problems in my day.

Anon, Berkshire

I use a technique, which I came across in an Oliver Burkeman column in this newspaper, that involves thinking of random words. I fall asleep very quickly but, like most men in their 60s, I tend to have to wake up once in the night, and the random word technique helps me to get back to sleep pretty reliably.

Jessica

I have tried many lifestyle changes, but the one that makes the biggest impact is exercise. Thirty minutes, five days a week enables me to fall asleep and stay asleep much more easily and to wake up at a more consistent time.

Sweet smell of success? Essential oil of lavender in the bath. Photograph: Rosemary Calvert/Getty Images

Anon, Northern Ireland

I stopped drinking alcohol and avoided caffeinated drinks after 7pm, and began meditating and practising mindfulness. I have a hot bath containing lavender essential oils before bed, and bought an electric blanket.

Anon, London

I started taking liquid magnesium and within three days my sleep was vastly improved. At first I took 20ml and after three weeks increased it to 250ml. It helps me to sleep better because I no longer have the aching restless legs that kept me awake.

Pamela Windo, New Mexico

Even now that I’m older, I avoid naps, so I generally go to bed at about 9pm. I used to fall deeply asleep for three to four hours, and then wake up and toss and turn for hours. Now I get up, turn on a night-light, make a cup of decaf tea, and browse a bit on my laptop. When I go back to bed, still in the dark, I fall asleep quite quickly for another four to five hours.

Charlotte Ritson, Glasgow

I use a cheap app on my phone that has an assortment of relaxing sounds. It blocks out the small noises that would normally disturb me, and is not as distracting as having the TV on. In warmer weather, I use a fan at night to get a similar effect.

Emma, London

Finding sleep hypnosis videos on YouTube has been the key, specifically those by Michael Sealey. There are videos for relaxation, stress release, positive thinking, lucid dreaming, etc. Putting on one of those and an eye mask and listening to the calm voice clears your head and relaxes your entire body.

Matt Dickinson, Bristol

My issues with sleep were related to being too warm in bed. Someone recommended uncovering my feet at night to keep me cool: it felt odd at first, but has worked like a charm.

Kathy Valdes, London

The biggest improvement for me was getting single duvets with different tog levels. I am a still and silent sleeper who likes to have a weight of duvet up to my neck and my better half prefers a waist-height lightweight duvet and the freedom to fidget and turn.

Anon, Berlin

Not having internet access did it for me. On the first day, I had no idea what to do. Netflix was not an option any more, browsing Reddit ... I realised that I am too exhausted to actively do anything – read a book, cook, go outside. I would usually fight exhaustion with screens. The virtual world filled up an emptiness I experienced, which led to the exhaustion in the first place. After a few days, I started tuning in to my needs and I was able to break the vicious cycle of exhaustion and overstimulation.

Sound of silence? Earplugs. Photograph: Andrew Paterson/Alamy

Anon, London

Two things: mindfulness and porridge. I find the practice of mindfulness and sinking into the “now” helpful. Porridge has become my favourite catchall cure, though – there is something about getting up, warming some oats and milk and consuming it that is very soothing. I’m usually fast asleep within the hour, even after quite bad insomnia. There is some chemistry behind this – the tryptophan in milk and oats, apparently.

Anon

Earplugs. I go to bed at about 11pm and used to routinely wake up between 3am and 4.30am. I don’t recall it being noise that woke me up, and wasn’t aware of any noise keeping me awake. However, since starting to sleep with foam earplugs I almost always sleep straight through.

Anon

The single change I made was asking for help. Last year, I confessed to my GP that my sleep difficulties were so bad that I had been taking high doses of over-the-counter sleeping tablets, every night for more than 10 years. He immediately referred me to a sleep workshop at a local mental health centre. The workshop blew me away. I learned countless practical techniques, and came away with the confidence to tackle my addiction and stop medicating.

Ross, Glasgow

My phone is no longer allowed in my bedroom. It sleeps in the office. Now, I don’t sit up late staring at the glowing screen, looking for one more tweet, swiping for one more Facebook status refresh. I read, which makes me feel tired and I fall asleep quickly when I put the book down.

Snooze inducing? Colin Firth. Photograph: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Nicki, West Yorkshire

Audio books have been my saviour. Awake with a busy mind in the night, it can be so tricky to switch off. I find audio books – with the timer set – the perfect distraction. The key is the right tone and voice. Simon Armitage reading Walking Home, Bryan Dick reading James Rebanks’s The Shepherd’s Life and Colin Firth reading Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair are examples of my go-to books and, hey presto, I rarely hear the end of the chapters.

Anon, Italy

I set a bedtime alarm that tells me when to start going to bed. I’m naturally an evening person so have a tendency to get distracted until it is late, and generally procrastinate. But once the alarm has gone off I have to focus on going to bed. Sometimes I do ignore it, but I have to decide to – which is different from just letting things drift

Eleanor Radford, London

I started thinking of the time I was lying awake as being valuable, as if I were actually asleep. I was getting rest just by lying in the dark, my body and mind were recovering. This helped me to relax more. I also started meditating and used the breathing exercises I learned while lying in bed.

Rachael Hinchliffe, Derbyshire

The most amazing blackout blinds - they cost quite a lot, but guarantee no more waking at 4am in the summer months. They block out nearly all light. A lifetime of insomnia means I have tried pretty much everything available to improve my sleep but these have been a life-changer. Worth every penny.

Anon

I noticed that even one small glass of wine would really disrupt my sleep. I wasn’t a big drinker, but I did like a wine or a beer most evenings. One glass of wine with dinner would make me wake up at 2am wide awake, unable to sleep again until 5am, then feel exhausted the next day. I have almost become teetotal now. I only drink on social occasions or at weekends. I sleep so much better now.