After three CBTi courses, a mindfulness course and two years of struggling, Erica randomly came across BedTyme on Instagram. Having worked with Coach Daniel, things have become much better, but sleep is still fragile. Erica has identified that what keeps her in a place if lingering fear is attaching meaning to sleepless nights. Feeling that sleeping well is a sign that she is “normal”, and sleeping little that something is not right.

How can Erica continue her journey towards a place of no struggle and no fear?

In this episode we take a look at a phenomenon we call Swiss Awakenings. This is when you wake up exactly the same time every night regardless of the circumstances. We also talk about what to do which is different from almost all other sleep related phenomena - there is something you can do to not have Swiss Awakenings that is guaranteed to be effective!

A good coach wears many hats as they say - educator, communicator, guide, cheerleader, consoler for example. But one role may be the most important role of all for a good sleep coach: LISTENER!

Today I thought about some important things a good sleep coach listens for when helping someone struggling with insomnia, and I came up with 5 things.

Hope you can have a listen! And hope you can check out our Sleep Coach School at www.thesleepcoachschool.com where you might even look into becoming one of our Certified Sleep Coaches!

Coach Michael

Shari shares a budding success story + asks about ADHD. Sierra has lots of hypnic jerks shortly after graduating BedTyme, could this be hyperarousal? Bibita is scared to start CBTi without medications. Sarah wonders how to reduce hyperarousal.

One of the most common things you hear from someone who's gotten past insomnia is that they "stopped obsessing." How did they do that? In this episode we will talk about what they truly mean, and how you can get to a peaceful place.

Kevin is wondering about how he might do intensive sleep retraining; Nan has questions about sleep paralysis; Jude is wondering about breaking CBTI "rules"; David is wondering how to improve his sleep while unemployed; Sarah is asking about how to make her hyperarousal go away.

Great questions today!

If you are curious about about intensive sleep training, check out the Sleep On Cue iPhone app on the App Store!

You can check out everything going on at www.thesleepcoachschool.com! We have an active group of self-coaching students interacting with our coaching certification students. Ongoing daily support is provided by Coach Daniel and Coach Michael, and we have a Zoom drop-in every Friday. The Sleep Coach School is your starting point to amazing sleep or learning to help others sleep!

Ellie has read an article that seems to indicate there is a way to control sleep. Jake is worried after bumpy sleep. Jen asks if starting an SSRI may have caused insomnia. Judy is sleeping better but is questioning whether she’s getting it right. Ren started having trouble sleeping after a move and has moved yet again.

Evan has a profound realizations after a sleepless night leaving him drenched in sweat. He faces his fears and takes a big step towards liberation!

One of the best things you can do for great sleep is not to dwell on the previous night of sleep (or lack of it). Recalling the negative feelings often cause daytime fatigue and depressed mood. This can then lead to sleep efforts to change/adjust things to make the next night better, which just perpetuate the insomnia.

Remember the little pen-like "memory eraser" in the MIB movies? Well, unfortunately this is not an option to "forget" the night in the morning. Would be great if it was real!

However, there IS a something that helps "erase" the memory of the night: Enjoy your days as much as possible! Live healthfully and actively as much as it is possible for you! This is the best way to naturally shift sleep-related focus during the day, and it teaches your brain (your "survival machine") that sleep has little to no bearing on your ability to enjoy your days.

Disconnecting sleep from wake is what good sleepers do. And with a little thought-work you can too! You might just find tha...

BK knows the fear is irrational but cannot overcome it. Tracy wonders how you get your sleep back and how long it takes. Jen is not wanting to lose the progress she has seen with CBTi but isn't liberated from the struggle.