Academics from the SomnIA (Sleep in Ageing) project found that either switching to more powerful lights or getting more natural sunlight can help mature people nod off more easily.

The study, which included members from the Universities of Surrey, Bath, Loughborough and King’s College, London, aimed to discover ways to help older people sleep without having to resort to medication.

SomnIA lead Professor Sara Arber, of Surrey’s Sociology Department, said: “Given the importance of sleep for health, well-being and maintaining daytime activity, as well as the deterioration of sleep with increasing age, it is remarkable that there has previously been so little research on how to optimise sleep among older people.

“The SomnIA research project has shown that there are ways to improve older people’s sleep without recourse to prescription sleeping medications.”

SomnIA was a four-year, multi-disciplinary project which examined the main factors leading to poor sleep among older people living at home or in care homes.