Gwen Young
Gwen describes herself as a chronic insomniac and gets between three and four hours of sleep a night if she is lucky.
| Fact title | Fact data |
|---|---|
| Age | 55 |
| Occupation | Bookkeeper |
| Sleep disorder | Chronic insomnia |
“I look at my bed as a bed of thistles” says Gwen who wants to get back to her old bubbly self.
She goes to bed at about 11pm but just can’t get to sleep – she gets agitated, can’t clear her mind of useless information and can’t relax. Gwen says she looks at her bed as a bed of thistles. She says it is as if someone is in her head saying, “Sorry madam, you’re not going to sleep tonight.”
She is happily married to Derek but they now mainly sleep in separate bedrooms because the insomnia is so bad. Gwen says she could write a book on all the methods she has tried to sleep – these include TV, music, bath, lavender, fragrance, relaxation tapes, and yoga. She thinks there is nothing left to try.
Result
Jason and Kirstie found a way through the misery that was Gwen’s sleeping habits, including the discovery that she slept longer than she thought - it was just very bad quality sleep.
Much to her horror they gave her a very strict nigh time schedule to adhere to, going to be much later and getting up earlier than she wanted to. It took a while to adjust but the results have transformed her life - she now sleeps a regular number of hours of high quality sleep and has rediscovered her love of life. Her family are rather happy too...
