For years, Chloe’s insomnia was a mystery. Then she uncovered the trauma beneath it | Leanne Schubert
Small things helped – soft lighting and calming music instead of screens. But the real shift came when she stopped trying to force sleep
- The modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work
Chloe had always been a night owl. As a teenager, she spent hours staring at the ceiling, willing herself to sleep. By university, she accepted that her body simply didn’t work like everyone else’s. While her friends collapsed into bed after long days of lectures and socialising, Chloe remained wired – her mind restless, her body tense.
At first, she found ways to cope. She convinced herself she was more productive at night, using the extra hours to study, read or scroll endlessly through her phone. But as she entered her late 20s, the exhaustion became unbearable. No matter how early she went to bed, she would lie awake for hours, her thoughts racing. She tried herbal teas, white noise and meditation apps. She cut out caffeine and phone use before bed. Nothing worked.