I've always admired people who have a talent for sleep - those individuals who can go to slumberland any time they need to.

I know people who say they can fall asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow, or once they are in their aeroplane seat, even if the plane hasn't taken off and there is activity all around them. How do they do it?

I have a friend who claimed she once slept squatting in her aeroplane seat, a position she had got into when her legs became sore from being still for too long.

Me, I can't sleep unless I'm prone, and even then, there's no guarantee.

I've always had a delicate relationship with the zzz's. I find it hard to fall into slumber, and go back to it, once awakened. As a child, I would be the only person awake in the house on a Sunday afternoon, drawing or writing stories while everyone else in my household napped.

And as a parent and employee who does some shift work, sleep deprivation and disruptions seem entirely normal.

But it turns out that sleep deprivation is more serious than feeling grouchy and tired the next day. Getting consistently less than seven hours of sleep a day has been associated with illness and higher rates of death. It has been linked to diseases such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Great.

As the last few months have been especially onerous in getting a good night's rest, I decided to take stock of what was wrong and located a few culprits.

>>Bedroom temperature. A cooler room is more comfortable than a warm one, goes the research, but adjusting that thermostat to the right temperature can be a challenge. I've opted for dumping the duvet and wearing more clothes instead if I get cold.

>>Chronic nasal congestion. Taking a nasal decongestant cut with an antihistamine means I can breathe and sleep. The downside is learning to sleep without it. I've been told that using a plastic cover under the pillowcase can reduce dust mite faecal matter, which worsens allergies.

>>Noise from unscheduled meetings in the senior citizens' corner below our bedroom window. Sometimes I go downstairs to ask them to be quiet - by which time I'm awake. As a last resort, there's the neighbourhood police post...

>>A partner whose workspace is in our bedroom. This makes for very poor sleep. The solution is to negotiate a compromise. When that breaks down, I get into bed with my daughter.

>>Thoughts about work. This has been the most intractable problem. If I'm not dreaming about work, I wake up thinking about it. I should learn some relaxation techniques, but I've never been good at relaxing.

Hmm, now maybe that's the difference between those of us who can sleep and those who can't?

E-mail: sharonl@sph.com.sg