Struggling to sleep? How blackout curtains can help, and when they won’t

“I was told to avoid coffee and other caffeinated drinks in the evening, to eat a lighter dinner, and of course, to keep to a regular sleeping routine,” she says.

Areas affected and restoration response

“I even spent almost Sh20,000 on supplements, hoping they would help me sleep, but they didn't work,” she says.

Her sister then stepped in to help, recommending that she seek counselling in the hope that she would find a way to cope with the emotional exhaustion and demands of caring for the child.

“It wasn't something that changed immediately. I tried counselling because my sister was concerned and worried,” she says. She attended counselling for two months.

This helped her to come to terms with her situation and reminded her to be gentler with herself, but her sleep problems persisted.

She spent about another three months searching for something that could help.

Then her sister told her about a sleep therapist she had come across on TikTok.

After an intensive search, the therapist she chose recommended changes to her routine and sleeping environment. One of these was a blackout curtain.