Sleep Harness the Power of Sleep for Optimal Health and Wellbeing

I became a sleep specialist almost by accident. I qualified as a counsellor and hypnotherapist 27 years ago, opening my first practice while continuing to study for my PhD. Over the years, clients began to tell me that not only were they feeling better about the problem that had brought them to me, but their sleep had also improved dramatically. This fascinated me: I began to delve more into the world of sleep disorders. Then a few years ago, I joined the team at The London Sleep Centre as a sleep psychotherapist working with severely sleepdeprived patients, resulting from trauma, stress, depression, anxiety, and lifestyle issues. It has been a challenging but hugely rewarding experience, and I wanted to bring some of what I have learnt to you in this book. In my clinical work, I see people who suffer the most debilitating sleep conditions: many are convinced they will never sleep properly again. I work with these patients to re-program their habits, building new behaviour patterns – and crucially, a positive mindset that their problem can and will be resolved. Sleep research is constantly evolving, and we now know how vital sleep is in supporting both physical and mental health. It has been estimated that at any time, up to half of UK adults are experiencing some sort of sleep issue. Unfortunately, today’s culture of 24-hour digital connectivity isn’t very conducive to sleep!