It was 2am but Maneeya still tossed and turned. Although she'd had a glass of warm milk and went to bed earlier than normal hoping this would help her get a nice long sleep, the tricks didn't work. And counting sheep, plenty of sheep, was not enough to distract her racing thoughts.
"I feel so tired but it seems my brain doesn't stop thinking and my body doesn't let me relax," said Maneeya, a 40-year-old public relations manager. "A feeling of tiredness and a bad headache in the morning bring me down. My memory is terrible when I don't get enough sleep. It takes all my strength just to function."
Maneeya told Life that she once went without sleep for four days. She got two good nights of sleep and could not sleep the following day. She is now on her third day without sleep and feels that her heart is beating faster.
"I often have sleep problems when I have to pitch a contract, deal with difficult clients, finish work within a short deadline and stay up late for several days.
"When I find that I'm stressed out I try to relax. But often I am not aware that stress is creeping up on me until I have difficulty getting to sleep at night. I freak out if the trouble continues and becomes chronic," she said.
Sleep problems are common complaints among working people. About 30% of Thai adults have problems sleeping, according to Dr Visasiri Tantrakul, a sleep medicine specialist at Ramathibodi Hospital. Common complaints among them include difficulty falling asleep at night, waking during the night or too early, daytime fatigue, and feeling unrefreshed after a night's sleep. And poor quality sleep often causes them to feel exhausted, irritable, depressed and confused as well as having difficulty concentrating on their tasks. The primary causes of insufficient sleep include hard work, keeping irregular hours as well as stress and anxiety and unhealthy sleep hygiene.
"How much sleep someone needs each day varies from person to person," said Dr Visasiri. "If you get up in the morning full of beans and are able to work well on daily tasks during the day, that's fine."
On average, according to the specialist, babies normally need about 14-16 hours sleep a day while children require about 9-10 hours. To function effectively on their jobs, most adults need about 7-8 hours while elderly people may need 6-7 hours at night plus a daytime nap.
''Some people may need as few as 5-6 hours or as many as 9-10 hours of sleep each day,'' she said
Sleep problems are more likely to increase with age, according to Asst Prof Prakob Pooviboonsuk, a psychiatrist at Bangkok Hospital's Mental Health Clinic.
''Older people are at increased risk of sleep problems as they usually use more medication than younger people,'' said Dr Prakob.
Patients who take heart and blood pressure medication, or allergy and asthma drugs, or certain drugs for colds often experience sleep problems because some prescribed drugs can interfere with sleep. People who have sleep disorders include arthritis patients who suffer chronic pain, diabetics who have to urinate frequently and menopausal women who experience hot flushes and sweating.
''Concerns about work can keep people from relaxing enough to fall asleep at night. And serious worries and anxieties associated with depression can also disturb our sleep,'' said Dr Prakob.
She added that one cause of difficulty falling asleep at night is a shift in an individual's biological clock, or circadian rhythm _ the basic daily rhythms.
The specialist explained that our internal body clock in the brain controls our natural cycle of sleep and being awake. The clock conditions the body to learn to sleep at night when the sun goes down, and get up when the sun rises. The retinas of the eyes detect the change in natural light. In other words, how people sleep involves exposure to light and darkness.
''The trick is to practice going to bed and waking up around the same time each day as the consistent hours will help our biological clock work effectively and then let us fall asleep on time and get up feeling refreshed.
''Also, being exposed to healthy sunlight in the early morning can help boost the internal body clock system,'' Dr Visasiri said.
The body clock also controls the secretion of melatonin, a sleep hormone that is produced by the brain.
This hormone is usually released into the blood after dark. Levels of melatonin in the blood start to rise in the late evening and remain at their highest levels at night and then drop in the early morning.
''Doing activities like working on a computer at night or sleeping at night with the lights on can contribute to sleep problems as the exposure to bright light can affect the release of melatonin,'' Dr Visasiri said.
To keep the biological clock on track when it is disturbed by activities like staying up into the wee hours for live broadcasts of European soccer matches, Dr Prakob suggested resetting the internal body clock.
''Establish a new nightly bedtime or use the time you usually go to bed and stick to it,'' he said. ''You may have difficulty sleeping when the clock is initially reset. Within two weeks, it should return to normal.''
Preparing the body for sleep is of paramount importance according to Dr Visasiri. She advised staying away from activities that stimulate the body and the mind.
''Remember that we cannot simply 'switch off' our body and tell it that it's time to close down for the day. The brain winds down so the body is naturally inclined to, while the eyes are tired then you feel sleepy and finally fall asleep.''
When someone's mind is active and the body feels alert, Dr Visasiri suggested doing things that help them feel relaxed and calm, like listening to soft music or some light reading.
''Try not to lie in bed when you cannot fall asleep, otherwise you will worry about it and then become an insomniac,'' she said. Regular exercise also induces sound sleep, but do it at least three or four hours before bedtime.
''The body needs to lower its temperature in order to make it fall asleep easily. An elevated body temperature caused by a workout will keep you up,'' said the sleep specialist.
Sleep hygiene is another factor. To promote good sleep, Dr Prakob suggested creating an inviting sleep environment.
''Always use hygienic and comfortable bedding. And keep the room cool and dark to ensure a good night's sleep,'' he said.
''It's normal for people to experience sleep problems at some point, but ensure that the trouble doesn't last longer than two weeks,'' said Dr Prakob.
''Each person has different sleep patterns,'' said the psychiatrist. ''Review your own pattern for the past three months. If you feel that you have a serious sleep problem, first talk to a doctor to make sure that you understand the cause of your problem and get appropriate treatment,'' he said.
''I'm not sure what I should do about my sleep problem,'' said Maneeya. ''If it lasts longer, I think it's time for me to see a doctor. I don't think that taking sleeping pills is a good answer. Someone I know who has been on sleeping pills for several years told me that they work at the beginning.
''But when she stopped taking them, she had bad dreams and anxiety attacks. So, sleeping pills may be like rubbing salt in the wound.''