I used to be a great sleeper, nodding off at the drop of a hat and clocking my full eight hours every night. But then I hit 40 and suddenly I’m finding it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep and am often wide awake at 3 a.m.

Throughout my teens and twenties, sleeping was easy. It didn’t matter if I was on my friend’s couch, a plane or with my face pressed up against a bus window. My thirties were punctuated with raising young children, and sleepless nights were part of the gig.

But now that I’m 40+ and my kids no longer disrupt my rest, sleep is something I’m still struggling with. To find out why and what I can do to get the rest I need, I spoke to Dr. Chris Winter, a double boarded sleep specialist and Dr. Shelby Harris, board-certified clinical psychologist at Better Sleep.

As a sleep writer and product tester, I have everything I need for a great night’s rest. I’m sleeping on the best mattress for my body type, I have a silk eye mask to block out ambient light and I pop in my sleepbuds every time noise threatens to disrupt my peaceful sleep sanctuary.

And yet, sleep is elusive. Instead of feeling relaxed and ready for rest, anxiety often washes over me and I’m alert, with my heart pounding. m. , feeling haunted by some vague worry. It's a problem that's only developed in recent years.

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