Sleep is a thing in our family. Personally, I don’t do it well. It causes me great anxiety even when I go to bed. But sleep is so important to mental health, especially mine. In order to try to do the snooze better, we took a deep dive into our sleep issues with a fancy guest. Dr. Amanda Seavy is a licensed psychologist and founder of Clarity Psychologist Wellness. She also struggles with sleep, which makes her the perfect guest for today’s show.
Let’s Talk About Sleep, Baby
Let’s talk about you and Zzzs. Are naps good for you? Is sleeping in detrimental to your sleep hygiene? We discuss it all. For me, I can rarely sleep past 5:00 a.m. And for awhile, I kept waking up at 2:30 p.m. Dr. Seavy breaks down some misconceptions about these sleep problems and ideas for overcoming them. For example, when we do other things in bed, like thinking or working, we train our brains that bed is the place to do that activity. So, it does make a difference if you get out of bed and head to a chair or a different room when you read or scroll through your phone.
Steps to Improve Sleep
The first line of treatment for insomnia is cognitive behavioral treatment, but very few people know of it says Dr. Seavy. She breaks down the treatment and what to expect. Our biggest takeaway tip: don’t try harder, just give up. That’s right, we want you to give up!
One area we discussed was really interesting to me. I tend to get up and GO. Eyes open and I’m immediately on a mission. Dr. Seavy tells us to not give insomnia a function. Meaning, instead of jumping into cleaning or work, I need to be less productive in the morning. Mediating, coloring, or reading are all great examples. And later in the day, a couple hours before bed, you can start a worry journal. Dr. Seavy explains how she uses one and the benefits it can bring your sleep.
If you’re like me and struggle with sleep, or if your partner or kids are having difficulties with sleep, give this podcast episode a listen. From melatonin to behavioral therapy – we chat about it all and hopefully discuss a tip or two that helps you. Sweet dreams!
