Coaching for sleep

In this article we’ll look at sleep and how coaching can help.

When we don’t get enough quality sleep, we can feel mentally sluggish, moody and even exhausted. This can impact not only ourselves, but the people around us.

Sleep issues can cause many problems, including:

  • chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes;
  • a weakened immune system;
  • mental health problems; and
  • workplace and motor vehicle accidents.

Unfortunately, as trends go, we seem to be more sleep-deprived and out of sync with our internal clocks than ever before.

woman tired with head on computer

How much sleep do we need?

While we all need different amounts of sleep, the general consensus is that adults require seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

Warning Signs

Memory issues and trouble concentrating are some of the more common signs that you’re not sleeping well. You  also become emotional and quick-tempered or start making riskier decisions, and you may rely on caffeine or other stimulants to keep you going when your energy levels drop.

Common Sleep Disorders

Symptoms of sleep disorders include:

  1. Difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep (otherwise known as insomnia);
  2. Breathing problems such as snoring or sleep apnea;
  3. Excessive daytime sleepiness;
  4. Restless leg syndrome or leg cramps whilst sleeping.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to seek treatment.

Improving Your Sleep

The starting point for improving your sleep is recognizing that some of your sleep habits may need to change. Consider some of these ideas to improve your sleep:

  1. Set up a schedule, making sure you go to sleep and wake up at consistent times.
  2. Don’t allow excessive socializing or work to encroach on your sleep time.
  3. Give yourself time to relax before going to bed.
  4. Make sure you have a comfortable mattress as well as the right lighting and temperature in your bedroom.
  5. Avoid stimulants at night.
  6. Remove electronic devices that may interfere with your sleep or put them into airplane mode at least an hour before your sleep time.
  7. Getting enough physical activity into your day.
  8. Avoid eating heavy meals close to sleep time.

How a coach can help with sleep?

Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep to your long-term health. Being deprived of sleep for more than a short time is debilitating!

Learning how to manage your sleeping patterns can be challenging for many reasons:

You may not have the resources or support to cope with the condition.
You may struggle to change destructive lifestyle habits.
You may not have the information you need to make better choices.
Some of the interventions you’ve tried may not have worked.
You may feel anxious about your future health

Having a health coach support you in your journey provides a number of benefits:

Stay on track

You’re more likely to make – and stick to – the long-term behaviour changes you need to improve your health.

Support

You have someone to support you when it may be most difficult, when you have questions, and when you’re celebrating your successes.

Acceptance

You have someone in your camp who’s non-judgmental to guide and motivate you in the journey you’ve chosen.

Accountability

A coach can help you stay accountable to yourself and empower you to make the best choices for your health and wellbeing.

What can you expect if you work with us?

We want to make this a positive and rewarding experience for you and we’ve designed our sessions to be flexible, affordable and comfortable.

All our sessions are done virtually, making your experience convenient, flexible, and more affordable.

We start with an initial 60-minute session. This gives us time to get to know each other and allows us to start understanding your health and the challenges you face. We’ll also learn about your medical history and what has or has not worked for you.

From this starting point, we’ll help you formulate a realistic way forward and a plan that feels right for you. This plan is a starting point that gives us direction, but also a work in progress. As you understand more about yourself and the progress you’re making, you may want to make adjustments – and that’s okay.

After the initial session, you’ll be able to set up regular follow-up sessions for ongoing support and adjustments where needed. The number and duration of these sessions is flexible so that you can choose the options that work best for you.

woman sleeping

Will coaching work for me?

Our coaching will work for you if:
  • You want to be empowered to make health decisions and be actively engaged in your process.
  • You recognize that you may need to make some changes to improve your health.
  • You would like someone to help keep you accountable in a non-judgmental, supportive way.
Our coaching will not work for you if:
  • You’re looking for someone who will tell you what to do. We’ll be happy to provide information and materials, but we don’t prescribe or treat.
  • You’re not willing to invest in yourself and make a commitment to change.
  • You don’t like some structure or think goals are a waste of time.

What next?

If you think health coaching can help you, we’d love to hear from you. Please complete the form below and we’ll be in touch to see if we’re a good fit. We’ll set up a free 20-minute session so that you can get to know us and ask us questions before making any commitment.

 

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