A brief intro to sleep
Sleeping is something that we all do and are familiar with. A new study recently found that sleep quality, not its quantity, is the strongest predictor of mental health and overall well-being. Healthy diet, active lifestyle, and sleep are all pillars of a healthy life which means that sleep is not a luxury, but a necessity.
Research suggests that adults need between seven to nine hours of good quality sleep per night. It is worrisome that the majority of us don’t get the sleep we need. Studies have tied sleep deprivation with:
- Stress
- Depression
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Strokes and heart attacks
- Obesity
- Type II Diabetes
- Cancer
- …and more!
The time at which you sleep and your preference for duration is related to your age, lifestyle, climate and even genetics. There is a common misconception that sacrificing your sleep in order to work will ultimately increase productivity. Sleep-deprived people often don’t realize that their sleep deprivation leads to mistakes when performing tasks as well as causing irritability and mood swings. As a sleep coach, I aim to help you find a healthy balance of sleep that fits into your busy schedule so that you can have the best of both worlds.
Insomnia
Sometimes restful sleep happens naturally without any effort, but often enough we just can’t fall asleep or stay asleep. We all have or will have experienced with insomnia at least once during our life span. Insomnia, in simple terms, is defined as having difficulty sleeping. There are many factors that hinder a proper sleep such as stress, noise, light, diet, a sedentary lifestyle and a lack of physical activities. Medical conditions as well as exciting changes in life can also increase the prevalence of insomnia.
Even if you are actively experiencing insomnia or another sleep disorder, don’t get discouraged! With the right guidance, you too can attain that restorative sleep you desperately need.
As a certified Buteyko breathing method re-educator, I incorporate customized breathing exercises and techniques to minimize anxiety into my sleep coaching practice. My techniques help with many sleep related breathing disorders and sleep interruptions due to hormonal fluctuations in women.
Sleep coaching
First off, a small disclaimer: sleep coach is not usually a cognitive-behavioral specialist. If you have chronic sleep problems, I recommend making an appointment with your primary health care provider for proper diagnosis of your condition.
What is sleep coaching for adults? As a sleep coach, my main focus is to assist you to refine the quality of your sleep, improve productivity and perfect your mood. It is a fairly new field born out of demand for better sleep after fast paced and stressful days of the 21st century. Many of us are working from home, so it is not always easy to change gears after working hours and separate our home space from our working space. Balancing remote work, life and family can be challenging and stressful. As your sleep coach, I will gather information about you to identify possible reasons for your disturbed sleep. I will guide you through making changes and together we will develop an incremental plan to achieve a salubrious sleep.
Is sleep coaching right for me?
Sleep coaching is a holistic and drug-free interdisciplinary program. This program is for people who want to learn:
- proper sleep hygiene steps
- create a sustainable sleep architecture
- how to increase melatonin production
- how to regulate circadian rhythm
- how to prepare your body and mind to relax in order to achieve restoring sleep
What is the timeline?
More information about what an assessment and treatment plan looks like can be found at An Assessment with Julia
If you are interested in getting in contact, please do so via the Contact page