If only it were this easy. Bianca and Mick Jagger at the end of a Rolling Stones tour in 1973.

Sweetest Dreams

Getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t have to be an expensive science experiment. These eight easy steps might be all you need

By Anna Maxted

Your body is designed for sleep, says the psychotherapist Heather Darwall-Smith. It’s not something you have to “perform.” It’s such an innate drive, if you’re sleep-deprived or even bored, you can drop off while doing 70 down the M25, she says. Notably, “The brain is off somewhere else.” Its effort isn’t required. “Biologically, your body knows how to sleep.”

That’s not to minimize the utter despair and distress of insomnia. Darwall-Smith specializes in sleep, and has worked with hundreds of individuals, in sleep clinics and private practice, who are exhausted by wakeful nights, anxious thoughts and a restless mind. What many endure, she says, is “horrific.” Even worse, “People blame themselves.” They’re not choosing this. “It breaks my heart regularly.”