Michelle guests in this powerful episode on the isolation that can come from the struggle with insomnia.

We talk about how the fact that nobody in your circle understands what you go through can make it feel like there is a wall separating you even from people you love.

We see how understanding where this wall comes from, and seeing that you are not alone, leads to a place where you can be part of your community again.

It is one of the most common questions in the world of sleep. Along with "Won't I train myself to get out of bed?", "Won't I train myself to wake up?" illustrate the problems of thinking that insomnia is a Pavlovian association between being awake and the bed. In this episode we see that the true association that drives insomnia is between wakefulness and danger. And when this association no longer is present, peaceful sleep will happen.

Sierra has done well for many months but is hitting some speed bumps and is asking about some non-effort techniques that may help calm down anxiety. Davy has tried befriending wakefulness and anxiety, but still experiences those. Robing wonders what my qualifications/degrees are. Rover asks about circadian rhythms. Feeling sleepy during the day but awake at night, is it best to just accept this and become nocturnal?

As she had found so much hope in videos where others shared their journey, Marina decided to share her's, including her struggle with somniphobia. Her insomnia started when the process of falling asleep and being asleep, places where we have no control, became sources of anxiety and fear. Knowing that many others just like her experience this, but may not share it because they think it sounds too odd, Marina joined the channel to spread education and hope.

John is asking about the self-coaching program and what it includes. Diana cannot achieve restorative sleep no matter what she does. Don has re-opened his business and is facing a lot of hyperarousal. Evelia is looking to manage her insomnia and Rudy is wondering why sometimes he is tired both after sleeping little and a lot.

Do you find yourself wondering why you just can't sleep, why you can't control your anxiety and why you're feeling hopeless?

In this episode we introduce a new analogy where idealism, thinking there is a person with and ideal relationship with sleep, acts as a wedge and self-criticism as a hammer. We see that this creates a gap between who you are and who you think you should be that stands in your way of peacefulness, enjoying life and sleeping well.

Some of the most common questions on this channel are related to sleeping pills. Why is it that they work sometimes and not others? What do they do when they actually work? How come they stop working? In this episode we will see that the act of delegating the work of sleeping is what allows sleep to happen, with or without you taking a tablet!

Elder believes he may have an unusual case of insomnia as it comes and goes for no particular reason. Jake is struggling with a wave of anxiety after having slept well for quite some time. Fabien wonders what to do with and active, intricate, thinking mind. Ellie feels she has lost something or some piece of knowledge.

Anon feels her body shutting down. Her doctors want her to take more meds but they only work for a few days. Dominic is starting a new job and wonders if he should wake up the same time every morning. Perry is considering bedtime tea but is feeling it's and hit and miss. Nancy has heard that if you dream during a nap it means you're extremely sleep deprived, is this true?

In this key episode we have the great pleasure of talking to Alexey Guezey, who's 2019 essay on Why we sleep rocked the sleep universe. We talk about his unintended ascent to fame within the sleep community, the problems with Matt Walker's book, and the importance of truth and reality.

To connect with Alexey and see what he is up to, head over to www.guzey.com. If you’d like to check out his new non profit, check out www.newscience.org.