How a holistic approach to sleep coaching can help you rest well
Hey sleep enthusiast, are you wondering what holistic sleep coaching may involve? With Restful Sleep coaching, a range of modalities are used, from CBTI, embodiment practices, integrative sleep therapy and more. The integrative, or holistic, approach tailors support and action planning to an individual's needs across all areas of their lifestyle. Read on to see how this could help your sleep.
11 min read
Whilst more traditional ways of approaching sleep struggles generally view sleep from a physical, and sometimes mental, perspective, holistic sleep coaching involves all parts of a persons life. This is inspired by the work of Dr Rubin Naiman PhD, FAASM, a sleep and dream specialist who takes an integrative, body-mind-spirit approach to insomnia. He describes sleep and dreams as ‘the roots of the tree of waking life’. You can find out more in this article about:
What the holistic approach to sleep coaching covers
Dr Rubin Naiman offers perspectives on finding ways to sleep better by considering all aspects of a person and their lifestyle holistically. In particular, by looking at the relationship between wakefulness and sleep, as well as the different factors that can block sleep, covering body, mind and environment.
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This perspective is expanded on below, to offer a flavour of how Restful Sleep coaching is approached with compassionate understanding when it comes to the many factors that can influence sleep. We each have our own blocks to our sleep, with some curiosity and identifying habits, you can find out what to be more aware of when managing your well-being and capacity to rest well.
How different types of ‘noise’ can block sleep
In a typical day we generally will have burned energy through different activities, so have accumulated sleepiness and feelings of tiredness by bedtime. However, it’s possible to not have slept well in days, weeks, months, even years, and still experience feeling some level of sleepiness when it comes to bedtime.
What keeps us awake is not a lack of sleepiness, but excessive wakefulness. Wakefulness is the alert, daytime state that is associated with stimulation. When out of context, waking life stimulation that's present when you are trying to sleep becomes what’s referred to as ‘noise’ that blocks sleep.
For example: your favourite podcast in your waking life is simply your favourite podcast. However, if that same podcast were to get played in your bedroom when you are trying to sleep, it becomes ‘noise’. This ‘noise’ can come in many different forms, Dr Rubin Naiman categorises them by:
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Body - ways that we can get out of balance in our biological system, for example: too much caffeine, not enough exercise, poor nutrition or a big meal at dinner time.
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Mind - from the thoughts we have consciously, to deeply-held beliefs in the subconscious, there are many ways that the mind may stay noisy when we want to sleep.
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Environment - practical ways that the bed and bedroom can bring extra stimulation. This includes the impact of light and sound, how partners may be disruptive with snoring, etc.
If you’re curious to learn more about factors that may be blocking your sleep, you can find out more in these articles that go into more detail about possible body, mind and environment factors.
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The link between sleepiness and wakefulness
On those wonderful occasions where we do get a night of sufficient sleep, we go to bed with high levels of sleepiness and need our levels of ‘noise’ to be low. This helps us to gradually balance out the sleepiness through the night - as sleep goes on, we become less sleepy. Typical sleep struggles where sleepiness and ‘noise’ are not in balance include:
Struggles falling asleep
Sleep onset insomnia consists of high levels of sleepiness, but ‘noise’ levels are higher, with stimulation from different factors. We can find ourselves tossing and turning until the 'noise' level eventually decreases, and/ or the sleepiness level increases.
As soon as we are more sleepy than we are noisy, we will sleep - although this route to sleep can result in what Dr Rubin Naiman calls snorkeling. That is drifting in and out of sleep, which is a common effect of sleepiness and 'noise' level being close to each other. You can learn about how Mateusz worked on what was blocking his ability to fall asleep reliably in his experience with Restful Sleep coaching here.
​Struggles staying asleep
Sleep maintenance insomnia comes about when sleepiness levels are high at the beginning of the night and there is just enough 'noise' to drop off, but not so little that you can stay asleep. This experience has been described as similar to floating under the water like an iceberg.
As you sleep you’re becoming less and less sleepy, until at some point, typically two or three hours in, you hit that background 'noise' that wakes you up. Sometimes it can keep you up for the rest of the night. You can read about how Deborah overcame the racing thoughts that woke her in the middle of the night with Restful Sleep coaching below.
How to improve your conditions for sleep
By taking a 'noise' reduction approach to sleep, the emphasis is on identifying the particular 'noise' sources for each individual and coming up with a systematic plan to reduce them and create conditions for more consistent, Restful Sleep.
Dr Rubin Naiman estimates that most people who struggle with sleep generally have between eight and twelve sources of 'noise' that are specific to their lifestyle.
How holistic sleep coaching can help you sleep well
As a sleep coach, it excites me to work with a holistic approach as it offers people the possibility to learn more about themselves as they see themselves from different aspects. With sleep coaching exercises and support, clients can quicky cut to the top sources of 'noise' that are blocking sleep in their lives.
It can be quite the revelation and I enjoy seeing people getting into more connection with their health and growth as they get more curious about themselves and their ways of being. It can be as if they are meeting someone they thought they knew well afresh! If you’d like to get support with getting to the root of your sleep struggles with sleep coaching, you can book a free consultation call here.
Stay curious,
Maša
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