ONE of the world’s most luxurious trains is set to return in 2027.
The Orient Express – often known for being the site of the Poirot’s most famous fictional case – went out of operation 16 years ago.
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The Orient Express is returning 16 years after it stopped runningCredit: Orient Express/ Alixe LayThe train features 17 original carriages that have been refurbishedCredit: Orient Express/ Alixe LayEach carriage still features an art deco design, just like the train from the 1920sCredit: Orient Express/ Alixe Lay
But now, it is set for a comeback.
The train will relaunch in 2027, using 17 original carriages from the 1920s which were previously lost before a team of historians tracked them down and refurbished them.
Inside each carriage, there will be the same Art Deco elements experienced in the 1920s.
As for the bedrooms, each will have a double bed and feature a Cartier clock.
In the Bar Car, passengers will have a vaulted ceiling with original pieces recovered from the Nostalgie-Istanbul Orient Express.
There are also large windows for passengers to watch the landscape whizz by.
In the Dining Car, there is a mirrored ceiling that features several arches.
Armchairs offer comfier spots to eat and watch chefs at work behind a large glass wall.
As for The Suites, guests can enjoy rail motifs and opulent features, such as dark wood and a leather wall.
In the daytime, there will be a sofa for guests to relax on, then there will be ‘the Great Transformation’ in the evening, which is when the cabin will be changed into the ‘night’ room configuration.
Each suite also has a bathroom with sliding doors and a dressing room.
For the ultimate luxury, passengers can book the Presidential Suite, which occupies an entire car with its own living room, bedroom and bathroom.
Ticket fares are yet to be announced, but it is more than likely it will be a small fortune.
On its website, The Orient Express states: “The Orient Express will invite travelers to relive the legend aboard 17 original Orient Express carsdating back to the 1920s and 1930s, adorned with exceptional décor – a set of cars formerly known as the ‘Nostalgie-Istanbul-Orient-Express’.”
The new service launching next year follows the relaunch of the Orient Express brand which saw its La Dolce Vita Orient Express train head off on its first journey this year.
In each cabin, there is a double bed and a Cartier clockCredit: Orient Express/ Alixe LayThe train has a dining car and a bar as wellCredit: Orient Express/ Alixe Lay
The brand is owned by Accor, Europe‘s largest hospitality company, and has also launched its first hotel called La Minerva, which can be found in Rome, Italy.
There are also plans to open a second site in Venice, in April 2026.
The Orient Express used to be loved and used by the upper classes and operated between Istanbul and Paris from 1883 to 2009.
AI is helping doctors write up medical notes to try to get patients out of hospital beds faster.
The tech means they spend less time filling in forms, cutting delays in discharging those fit to go home.
It creates a summary using information such as diagnoses and test results from medical records.
The document can then be reviewed by medical teams and used to send patients home or refer them to other services.
The technology is being piloted at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “This potentially transformational discharge tool is a prime example of how we’re shifting from analogue to digital.
“We’re using cutting-edge technology to build an NHS fit for the future and tackle the hospital backlogs that have left too many people waiting too long.
“Doctors will spend less time on paperwork and more time with patients, getting people home to their families faster and freeing up beds for those who need them most.”
As part of their AI revolution, the Government has also announced tech is being given to all 12,000 probation officers.
A programme called Justice Transcribe will help them take notes in meetings with offenders after they leave prison.
It was found to halve the time officers spent organising notes between meetings and in their personal time.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “This is exactly the kind of change we need, AI being used to give doctors, probation officers and other key workers more time to focus on delivering better outcomes and speeding up vital services.”
AI VR Hospital of the future Tel Aviv feature – Sun on Sunday Exclusive
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AI is helping doctors write up medical notes to try to get patients out of hospital beds fasterCredit: Getty
One mum took to TikTok to share her disappointment with the accommodation at the Skegness Butlin’s holiday park, sharing clips of the filthy room – including a dead bug on her bed
11:00, 26 Jul 2025Updated 12:24, 26 Jul 2025
One woman and her daughter had to move rooms on holiday at Butlin’s in Skegness (Image: Alamy Stock Photo)
Mum Jasmine took to TikTok to share her disappointment with the accommodation at the Skegness holiday park, sharing clips of the filthy room with her 19,000 followers.
“I could make a 10-minute video on all of the issues in here but here’s some of them,” she captioned the clip. “Even walking up to the room I felt grimy. This is the Butlin’s comfort room. This is my sign to not blindly book something hahaha.”
She went on to give a tour of the room – which they couldn’t stand to sleep in for more than one night – showing dirt throughout, including in the shower and the bin.
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In her voiceover, Jasmine said: “I was meant to book the apartment but I didn’t realise. When I first walked in there and I saw there’s only two rooms and one bathroom in the middle, I thought, ‘Where’s the rest of it?’.
“I am going to emphasise that was not Butlin’s fault at all though to be fair – it was my fault. So anyway I don’t know if the videos can do it justice because the smell when I walked in there was just absolutely wild.
“This isn’t the cleaner’s fault or anything like that – it’s the turnover rate is the issue. These rooms need massive deep cleans because a quick once over is not going to help.”
“I didn’t even want to shower in there – in fact, I didn’t shower in there. I ended up going to the swimming pools to have a shower.
“We spent one night in this room and the beds were so damp – my daughter even woke up asking why the bed was so wet.
“I can’t explain the smell. I know I keep saying it but it was horrific. The mould was over the windows, there were cobwebs up the walls… This was a dead bug on our bed and then our daughter got poo on her hand walking out and I was like ‘nah, that’s it, 100% I am going.’
“The stuff kids can do here is amazing though – I will not fault Butlins for that. It is just a shame about the room.”
When The Mirror contacted Butlin’s, a spokesperson for the holiday park said: “We’re sorry and disappointed to see the cleanliness issues the guest experienced with their accommodation. This certainly isn’t the high standards we expect our guests to receive when they holiday with us. We carried out a full reclean and offered a gesture of goodwill which was accepted.”
Others shared similar experiences in the comments, with one person writing: “This looks so much cleaner than our room [laughing emoji].”
Another person said: “Skegness I had the most horrible room haven’t ever gone back. It was a hot year window broke couldn’t open it, bedding didn’t get changed stuff left under the bed etc was horrible.”
However, another visitor insisted they had only ever had positive experiences at the holiday park, writing: “Which Butlin’s is this?? We’ve always been to skeg one and never had a room like this. That’s grim.”
MIAMI — Worms in the food. Toilets that don’t flush, flooding floors with fecal waste. Days without a shower or prescription medicine. Mosquitoes and insects everywhere. Lights on all night. Air conditioners that suddenly shut off in the tropical heat. Detainees forced to use recorded phone lines to speak with their lawyers and loved ones.
Only days after President Trump toured a new immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades that officials have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” these are some of the conditions described by people held inside.
Attorneys, advocates, detainees and families are speaking out about the makeshift migrant detention center that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration raced to build on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland. The center began accepting detainees on July 2.
“These are human beings who have inherent rights, and they have a right to dignity,” said immigration attorney Josephine Arroyo. “And they’re violating a lot of their rights by putting them there.”
Government officials have adamantly disputed the conditions described by detainees, their attorneys and family members, but have provided few details, and have denied access to the media. A televised tour for Trump and DeSantis showed rows of chain-link cages, each containing dozens of bunk beds, under large white tents.
“The reporting on the conditions in the facility is completely false. The facility meets all required standards and is in good working order,” said Stephanie Hartman, a spokesperson for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which built the center.
A group of Democratic lawmakers sued the DeSantis administration for access. The administration is allowing a site visit by state legislators and members of Congress on Saturday.
Descriptions from attorneys and families differ from the government’s ‘model’
Families and attorneys who spoke with the Associated Press relayed detainees’ accounts of a place they say is unsanitary and lacks adequate medical care, pushing some into a state of extreme distress.
Such conditions make other immigration detention centers where advocates and staff have warned of unsanitary confinements, medical neglect and a lack of food and water seem “advanced,” said immigration attorney Atara Eig.
Trump and his allies have praised this detention center’s harshness and remoteness as befitting the “worst of the worst” and as a national model for the deterrence needed to persuade immigrants to “self-deport” from the United States.
But among those locked inside the chain-link enclosures are people with no criminal records, and at least one teenage boy, attorneys told the AP.
Concerns about medical care, lack of medicines
Immigration attorney Katie Blankenship described a concerning lack of medical care at the facility, relaying an account from a 35-year-old Cuban client who told his wife that detainees go days without a shower. The toilets are in the same space as the bunk beds and can’t handle their needs, she said.
The wife, a 28-year-old green card holder and the mother of the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, who is a U.S. citizen, relayed his complaints to the AP. Fearing government retaliation against her and her detained husband, she asked not to be identified.
“They have no way to bathe, no way to wash their mouths, the toilet overflows and the floor is flooded with pee and poop,” the woman told the AP. “They eat once a day and have two minutes to eat. The meals have worms,” she added.
The woman said the detainees “all went on a hunger strike” on Thursday night to protest the conditions.
“There are days when I don’t know anything about him until the evening,” she said, describing waiting for his calls, interrupted every three minutes by an announcement that the conversation is being recorded.
No meetings with attorneys
The detainees’ attorneys say their due process rights are among numerous constitutional protections being denied.
Blankenship is among the lawyers who have been refused access. After traveling to the remote facility and waiting for hours to speak with her clients, including a 15-year-old Mexican boy with no criminal charges, she was turned away by a security guard who told her to wait for a phone call in 48 hours that would notify her when she could return.
“I said, well, what’s the phone number that I can follow up with that? There is none,” Blankenship recalled. “You have due process obligations, and this is a violation of it.”
Arroyo’s client, a 36-year-old Mexican man who came to the U.S. as a child, has been detained at the center since Saturday after being picked up for driving with a suspended license in Florida’s Orange County. He’s a beneficiary of the DACA program, created to protect young adults who were brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and to provide them with work authorization.
Blankenship’s Cuban client paid a bond and was told he’d be freed on a criminal charge in Miami, only to be detained and transferred to the Everglades.
Eig has been seeking the release of a client in his 50s with no criminal record and a stay of removal, meaning the government can’t legally deport him while he appeals. But she hasn’t been able to get a bond hearing. She’s heard that an immigration court inside the Krome Detention Center in Miami “may be hearing cases” from the Everglades facility, but as of Friday, they were still waiting.
“Jurisdiction remains an issue,” Eig said, adding “the issue of who’s in charge over there is very concerning.”
Salomon and Payne write for the Associated Press. Payne reported from Tallahassee, Fla.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — Leavenworth, Kan., occupies a mythic space in American crime, its name alone evoking a shorthand for serving hard time. The federal penitentiary housed gangsters Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly — in a building so storied that it inspired the term “the big house.”
Now Kansas’ oldest city could soon be detaining far less famous people, migrants swept up in President Trump’s promise of mass deportations of those living in the U.S. illegally.
The federal government has signed a deal with the private prison firm CoreCivic Corp. to reopen a 1,033-bed prison in Leavenworth as part of a surge of contracts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued without seeking competitive bids.
ICE has cited a “compelling urgency” for thousands more detention beds, and its efforts have sent profit estimates soaring for politically connected private companies, including CoreCivic, based in the Nashville area and another giant firm, the Geo Group Inc., headquartered in southern Florida.
That push faces resistance. Leavenworth filed a lawsuit against CoreCivic after it tried to reopen without city officials signing off on the deal, quoting a federal judge’s past description of the now-shuttered prison as a “hell hole.” The case in Leavenworth serves as another test of the limits of the Republican president’s unusually aggressive tactics to force migrant removals.
To get more detention beds, the Trump administration has modified dozens of existing agreements with contractors and used no-bid contracts. One pays $73 million to a company led by former federal immigration officials for “immigration enforcement support teams” to handle administrative tasks, such as helping coordinate removals, triaging complaints or telling ICE if someone is a risk to community safety.
Just last week, Geo Group announced that ICE modified a contract for an existing detention center in southeastern Georgia so that the company could reopen an idle prison on adjacent land to hold 1,868 migrants — and earn $66 million in annual revenue.
“Never in our 42-year company history have we had so much activity and demand for our services as we are seeing right now,” said CoreCivic CEO Damon Hininger during an earnings call last month with shareholders.
A tax-cutting and budget reconciliation measure approved last month by the House includes $45 billion over four years for immigrant detention, a threefold spending increase. The Senate is now considering that legislation.
Declaring an emergency to expedite contracts
When Trump started his second term in January, CoreCivic and Geo had around 20 idle facilities, partly because of sentencing reforms that reduced prison populations. But the Trump administration wants to more than double the existing 41,000 beds for detaining migrants to at least 100,000 beds and — if private prison executives’ predictions are accurate — possibly to more than 150,000.
ICE declared a national emergency on the U.S. border with Mexico as part of its justification for authorizing nine five-year contracts for a combined 10,312 beds without “Full and Open Competition.”
Only three of the nine potential facilities were listed in ICE’s document: Leavenworth, a 2,560-bed CoreCivic-owned facility in California City and an 1,800-bed Geo-owned prison in Baldwin, Mich.
The agreement for the Leavenworth facility hasn’t been released, nor have documents for the other two sites. CoreCivic and Geo Group officials said last month on earnings calls that ICE used what are known as letter contracts, meant to speed things up when time is critical.
Charles Tiefer, a contract expert and professor emeritus of law at the University of Baltimore Law School, said letter contracts normally are reserved for minor matters, not the big changes he sees ICE making to previous agreements.
“I think that a letter contract is a pathetic way to make big important contracts,” he said.
A Kansas prison town becomes a priority
CoreCivic’s Leavenworth facility quickly became a priority for ICE and the company because of its central location. Leavenworth, with 37,000 residents, is only 10 miles to the west of the Kansas City International Airport. The facility would hold men and women and is within ICE’s area of operations for Chicago, 420 miles to the northeast.
“That would mean that people targeted in the Chicago area and in Illinois would end up going to this facility down in Kansas,” said Jesse Franzblau, a senior policy analyst for the National Immigrant Justice Center.
Prisons have long been an important part of Leavenworth’s economy, employing hundreds of workers to guard prisoners held in two military facilities, the nation’s first federal penitentiary, a Kansas correctional facility and a county jail within six miles of city hall.
Resistance from Trump country
The Leavenworth area’s politics might have been expected to help CoreCivic. Trump carried its county by more than 20 percentage points in each of his three campaigns for president.
But skeptical city officials argue that CoreCivic needs a special use permit to reopen its facility. CoreCivic disagrees, saying that it doesn’t because it never abandoned the facility and that the permitting process would take too long. Leavenworth sued the company to force it to get one, and a state-court judge issued an order requiring it earlier this month.
An attorney for the city, Joe Hatley, said the legal fight indicates how much ill will CoreCivic generated when it held criminal suspects there for trials in federal court for the U.S. Marshals Service.
In late 2021, CoreCivic stopped housing pretrial detainees in its Leavenworth facility after then-President Biden, a Democrat, called on the U.S. Department of Justice to curb the use of private prisons. In the months before the closure, the American Civil Liberties Union and federal public defenders detailed stabbings, suicides, a homicide and inmate rights violations in a letter to the White House. CoreCivic responded at the time that the claims were “false and defamatory.”
Vacancies among correctional officers were as high as 23%, according to a Department of Justice report from 2017.
“It was just mayhem,” recalled William Rogers, who worked as a guard at the CoreCivic facility in Leavenworth from 2016-20. He said repeated assaults sent him to the emergency room three times, including once after a blow to the head that required 14 staples.
The critics have included a federal judge
When Leavenworth sued CoreCivic, it opened its lawsuit with a quote from U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson — an appointee of President George W. Bush, a Republican — who said of the prison: “The only way I could describe it frankly, what’s going on at CoreCivic right now is it’s an absolute hell hole.”
The city’s lawsuit described detainees locked in showers as punishment. It said that sheets and towels from the facility clogged up the wastewater system and that CoreCivic impeded the city police force’s ability to investigate sexual assaults and other violent crimes.
The facility had no inmates when CoreCivic gave reporters a tour earlier this year, and it looked scrubbed top to bottom and the smell of disinfectant hung in the air. One unit for inmates had a painting on one wall featuring a covered wagon.
During the tour, when asked about the allegations of past problems, Misty Mackey, a longtime CoreCivic employee who was tapped to serve as warden there, apologized for past employees’ experiences and said the company officials “do our best to make sure that we learn from different situations.”
ICE moves quickly across the U.S.
Besides CoreCivic’s Leavenworth prison, other once-shuttered facilities could come online near major immigrant population centers, from New York to Los Angeles, to help Trump fulfill his deportation plans.
ICE wants to reopen existing facilities because it’s faster than building new ones, said Marcela Hernandez, the organizing director for the Detention Watch Network, which has organized nationwide protests against ICE detention.
Counties often lease out jail space for immigrant detention, but ICE said some jurisdictions have passed ordinances barring that.
ICE has used contract modifications to reopen shuttered lockups like the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall Facility in Newark, N.J., and a 2,500-bed facility in Dilley, Texas, offering no explanations why new, competitively bid contracts weren’t sought.
The Newark facility, with its own history of problems, resumed intakes May 1, and disorder broke out at the facility Thursday night. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat who previously was arrested there and accused of trespassing, cited reports of a possible uprising, and the Department of Homeland Security confirmed four escapes.
The contract modification for Dilley, which was built to hold families and resumed operations in March, calls its units “neighborhoods” and gives them names like Brown Bear and Blue Butterfly.
The financial details for the Newark and Dilley contract modifications are blacked out in online copies, as they for more than 50 other agreements ICE has signed since Trump took office. ICE didn’t respond to a request for comment.
From idle prisons to a ‘gold rush’
Private prison executives are forecasting hundreds of millions of dollars in new ICE profits. Since Trump’s reelection in November, CoreCivic’s stock has risen in price by 56% and Geo’s by 73%.
“It’s the gold rush,” Michael A. Hallett, a professor of criminal justice at the University of North Florida who studies private prisons. “All of a sudden, demand is spiraling. And when you’re the only provider that can meet demand, you can pretty much set your terms.”
Geo’s former lobbyist Pam Bondi is now the U.S. attorney general. It anticipates that all of its idle prisons will be activated this year, its executive chairman, George Zoley, told shareholders.
CoreCivic, which along with Geo donated millions of dollars to largely GOP candidates at all levels of government and national political groups, is equally optimistic. It began daily talks with the Trump administration immediately after the election in November, said Hininger.
CoreCivic officials said ICE’s letter contracts provide initial funding to begin reopening facilities while the company negotiates a longer-term deal. The Leavenworth deal is worth $4.2 million a month to the company, it disclosed in a court filing.
Tiefer, who served on an independent commission established to study government contracting for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, said ICE is “placing a very dicey long-term bet” because of its past problems and said ICE is giving CoreCivic “the keys to the treasury” without competition.
But financial analysts on company earnings calls have been delighted. When CoreCivic announced its letter contracts, Joe Gomes, of the financial services firm Noble Capital Markets, responded with, “Great news.”
“Are you hiding any more of them on us?” he asked.
Hollingsworth and Hanna write for the Associated Press. Hanna reported from Topeka, Kan. AP writers Joshua Goodman in Miami and Morgan Lee, in Santa Fe, N.M., contributed to this report.
WE all function better after a decent night’s sleep, but sometimes life gets in the way and we simply can’t bank the hours of shut-eye we need to feel energised, upbeat and alert.
Getting up at the crack of dawn for an early morning flight, long train journeys on uncomfortable seats, and staying in unfamiliar hotel beds can make it difficult to get the slumber we want.
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We may even find it hard to squeeze in a daytime nap on the sofa or in the car when our bodies are crying out for some more rest.
Joshua Piper, sleep clinician at Resmed UK, tells Sun Health: “Whether you’re on a plane, in a hotel or trying to sneak a power nap in the car, falling asleep away from home can be tricky.
“Thankfully, there are some sneaky little tips that can help you to sleep, no matter your location.”
In a hotel bed…
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Some people struggle to sleep in hotel beds – but there are some east tricks to tryCredit: Getty
YOU’VE splashed out for a trip overseas, staying in a nice hotel with a bed that’s far more luxurious than the one you have at home.
Yet for some reason, your sleep couldn’t be worse. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
Research by the Sleep Foundation found that the majority of people get less sleep in hotels than at home.
When asked where they slept best, a measly 13 per cent of people chose hotels compared with 65 per cent who chose their own bed.
Plus, only 54 per cent of people questioned said they got seven hours of sleep a night in a hotel.
“Hotel rooms can throw sleep patterns off with bright lighting, unfamiliar beds, and that ‘not-quite-home’ vibe,” says Joshua.
“Even if the bed is great, your brain is subconsciously on alert. It’s called the ‘first night effect’.”
Doctor reveals the dangerous effects going to sleep after midnight has on our brain
“One half of your brain stays more vigilant in a new setting as a survival mechanism, especially during deep sleep stages,” adds Jules Goldberg, an expert in sleep health and technology and founder of sleep tech brands, Sleepwave and Snorelab.
Jet lag can play a role, but your production of the sleepy hormone melatonin can take a hit regardless of timezone.
Routine is key here, according to Joshua.
“Keeping your bedtime routine the same, even on the road, is one of the simplest ways to ease into sleep,” he says.
“Brush your teeth, do your skincare routine, read your usual two pages of a book. Do whatever tells your brain ‘it’s time for bed’.”
Jules adds: “Keep the room cool and dark. Try setting the temperature to around 18C, which is ideal for sleeping.
“And if the curtains don’t quite cut it, a sleep mask can help you block out the light.”
She also suggests bringing something familiar to the hotel.
“Whether it’s your pillowcase or a small item from home, that sense of familiarity can help signal to your brain that it’s time to switch off,” she says.
On a plane…
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If you’re trying to fall asleep on a plane, wear loose clothingCredit: Getty
A LONG journey means a long snooze, right? Well, it’s not quite so easy.
Joshua says that sensory overload can make sleep very difficult.
Think loud noises, people talking and unless you’ve splashed out for business class, you’ll likely be in an upright, uncomfortable seat too.
Where possible, select your seat in advance – and choose wisely.
“A window seat away from foot traffic helps, and sitting over the engine can provide that steady white noise effect,” says Joshua.
Aim to keep your sleep short too – around 20 minutes maximum. You want to feel refreshed, not groggy
Jules GoldbergSleep expert
The exact location of over-engine seats varies, but they’re typically in the middle, near the wings of the plane, or to the rear of the plane.
“Eye masks, neck pillows, warm socks and a blanket go a long way too,” says Joshua.
“And a proper travel pillow can stop your head from nodding and waking you up repeatedly,” adds Jules.
Wear loose clothing when you fly so that your movement isn’t restricted.
And if you have time before a flight, try to squeeze in some exercise, such as a brisk walk, jog or gym session.
Research published in the journal Advances in Preventive Medicine found that exercise improves sleep quality and duration.
In the car…
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Recline your car seat 15 to 20 degrees to make sleeping more likelyCredit: Getty
MUCH like in a plane, if you have a long car journey ahead, you might be planning a little sleep, if the driver doesn’t mind you dozing off!
For a decent rest, recline your seat slightly.
“Being fully upright makes it harder for your body to enter proper rest,” says Jules. “Even 15 to 20 degrees helps.”
As for background noise, go for calm, instrumental music.
“Ambient playlists work best,” says Jules. “But if you prefer, choose a chatty radio station as this may help you to drift off.
“Aim to keep your sleep short too – around 20 minutes maximum. You want to feel refreshed, not groggy.”
Whatever you do, make sure you’re safe and stay belted if you’re in a moving vehicle.
On the sofa…
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We all need a sofa nap now and then – but limit yourself to 20 minutesCredit: Getty
BIG night ahead and want to bank some sleep so you can stay awake into the early hours?
“If you’re going for a tactical 3pm sofa snooze, aim for it to be around 20 minutes,” says Joshua.
“This is typically enough to recharge without dipping into deep sleep.
“Most of us take eight to 10 minutes to drift off, so set an alarm accordingly.”
While you can’t force sleep, you can create a peaceful, sleep-promoting environment.
“Even if you don’t fall fully asleep, a period of restful stillness can recharge you enough to feel sharper and more energised,” Jules says.
“Dim the lights as bright light confuses your internal clock, and do a short breathing exercise or body scan to calm your system.”
We tested 10 sleep aids to see which ones really work
FROM magnesium to meditation, there are hundreds of alleged tricks to help you get a good night’s sleep.
But which ones really work, and which ones are a waste of time and money?
As a team, we put 10 of the most popular to the test.
Some had us nodding off within minutes of hitting the hay. Others, not so much.
If you’re one of the 16million Brits with insomnia or other sleep troubles, here are some products and lifestyle tweaks you might want to try – and the ones you’re better off without…
In the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, mindfulness activities like body scans were shown to help improve sleep quality and even reduce some sleep issues.
A body scan involves focusing on a spot on your body, such as your right foot, and noticing how it feels or if there is any pain or tension.
Then, you move on to another area until you’ve covered your entire body.
By this point, you’re hopefully drifting off – or already asleep!
On a boat…
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Maintain a consistent sleep schedule before a boat tripCredit: Getty
WHETHER it’s a cruise ship, ferry or commuter boat, trying to catch some Zzzs on the water isn’t always smooth sailing.
“With long-term motion comes some detriment,” says Joshua.
“Motion sickness has been shown to have negative effects on sleep duration and quality.
“This often creates a vicious cycle, as sleepiness increases the risk of motion-related illness.”
The best thing you can do is maintain a consistent sleep schedule, sticking to your wind-down activities like normal to prepare your body for sleep.
For me, the bedroom is for sleep and, if the stars align, sex! That’s it. No TV, no laptop, no doom-scrolling. Otherwise, your brain won’t associate that space with winding down
Joshua PiperSleep clinician
Avoid using screens before hitting the hay as this can exacerbate the symptoms of motion sickness as your brain is receiving conflicting signals from your eyes and inner ear about movement.
But, boat sleeping isn’t all bad. Joshua says that the gentle rocking can actually help support sleep.
“Plus, quite often, being at sea means you are governed by natural light, which can have positive effects on sleep as you align more closely to your natural circadian rhythm, aka your body clock,” he adds.
“We also tend to have reduced noise pollution and other environmental disturbances.
“Just make sure everything is tied down!”
In your own bed…
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Keep your own bed for sleep and sex onlyCredit: Getty
WE all want to get good sleep at home.
While the NHS recommends we get seven to nine hours of sleep each night, half of Brits don’t get nearly enough, according to research by YouGov.
More than a third (34 per cent) struggled to drift off three or more times a week, and almost half (44 per cent) have called in sick to work because of extreme tiredness, research by Resmed shows.
Making your bedroom a sleep sanctuary goes a long way in improving your shut-eye.
“It’s about giving your brain the right signals,” Joshua says.
“For me, the bedroom is for sleep and, if the stars align, sex! That’s it. No TV, no laptop, no doom-scrolling.
“Otherwise, your brain won’t associate that space with winding down.”
You also don’t need to spend thousands of pounds on blackout blinds or fancy gadgets.
“Start with small steps, like an eye mask, a bit of down time before bed, even dimming the lights,” he adds.
“Stick to the same wake-up time (on weekends too) and get some morning sunlight.
“It’s the best natural reset for your body clock.”
The 8 sleep-destroying habits that are waking you up in the night
