We all struggle to get to sleep, and then achieve a full nights sleep at some time in our lives. As a former staff nurse, I am acutely aware of the need to sleep and the detrimental affect sleep deprivation has on our health. My former job meant that I had to work shifts, including night shifts, which made falling into a regular sleeping routine difficult. I had to find a way to be able to achieve adequate sleep in the daytime, to be able to continue to work safely at night, and then be able to revert back to sleeping at night at the end of my night shifts. But it is not only shift workers who struggle getting to sleep and sleeping long enough to wake up feeling refreshed. We all have times during our lives when sleep has eluded us for varying reasons. I have therefore researched in depth the many things we can do to make getting to sleep and staying asleep easier. Understand the science of sleep, and learn tips and techniques that will help you get that elusive yet essential good night's sleep.