Anyone who has trouble sleeping may well know the challenge of trying not to become anxious as night falls, because that just seems to make sleep more elusive.
As a chronic insomniac, I can only watch enviously as my partner falls asleep almost before his head hits the pillow.
Sleep health has become big business – fuelling a whole industry of research and treatments with, to be honest, only very modest success to date.
Entrepreneurial types are cashing in on the quest for a better, deeper, longer sleep. Apart from the obvious sleep tracking and white noise devices, there is even a new robot versed in thousands of years of Buddhist breathing techniques that promises to soothe you to sleep.
Even kids are sleeping less, prompting a surge in medical appointments for young children with sleeping disorders and some parents resorting to buying melatonin supplements online for them.
While digital technology cops a fair bit of the blame for sleeping problems, factors such as reduced physical activity and higher rates of anxiety and other mental health issues seem to be implicated too.
Even kids are sleeping less, prompting a surge in medical appointments for young children with sleeping disorders and some parents resorting to buying melatonin supplements online for them.
Our feature on the big business of sleeping segues nicely with our edition theme of cardiovascular health, with high blood pressure and heart disease prominent on the list of ailments linked to poor sleep.
This month we also look at peripheral artery disease, and some heartening progress in combating deadly mesothelioma.