"Acupuncture may help reduce her anxiety and induce deeper sleep, " says Rubin Naiman, Ph.

CNN: How to solve 9 sleep problems

Sleep may be deeper to start with, but then becomes disrupted.

BBC: Alcohol-fuelled sleep 'less satisfying'

Additionally, that deeper sleep will probably promote snoring and poorer breathing.

BBC: Alcohol-fuelled sleep 'less satisfying'

One particular example has it guiding users though an efficient power nap, by starting a timer once they've started dozing and only waking them once they've come out of a deeper sleep state.

ENGADGET: Sony patent application puts electrodes in a pillow, eases you out of slumber

The researchers now want to look at deeper sleep, where the most vivid dreams are thought to occur, as well as see whether brain scans can help them to reveal the emotions, smells, colours and actions that people experience as they sleep.

BBC: Scientists 'read dreams' using brain scans