What sleep coaching is (and what it isn't)
When I tell people I am a sleep coach it can conjure up some funny misconceptions. People imagine me whispering sweet nothings into clients' ears to help them sleep or hypnotising them with my eyes, like Kaa the snake in The Jungle Book. “You have such a calming, soothing voice”, I have been told.
In fact, this could not be further away from the reality of science-based, holistic sleep coaching. It is very much a WIDE AWAKE activity.
Sleep Coaching
For the clients I sleep coach, their goal is to consistently experience restorative and restful sleep. I support them to reach this goal naturally by deepening their awareness of their own enablers and blockers to sleep, providing them with insights into how their body works and wants to sleep (and how to use this to their advantage), and assessing lifestyle, nutrition and sleep scheduling habits that may contribute to sleep challenges. All these things inform goals that we set collaboratively - each of which will move my client towards restful sleep. We cover a lot of ground in our sessions, and at the end my clients are anything but sleepy!
Goal Orientated
Far from being cosy chats, our coaching discussions focus on getting clients closer to their goal of achieving consistently restorative sleep.
Each session is designed around a client’s specific challenge, and the goals we have created. We will work together to address any blockers (mental, physical or emotional), reset, and get back on track.
I am each and every one of my clients’ biggest sleep cheerleader as well as their sleep coach. My role is to guide, encourage and support them through the changes they make to restore themselves back to natural sleep. I will provide honest feedback, holding up a mirror to a client’s current experiences, in order to course correct. Sometimes, this might feel uncomfortable; not exactly tough love but something close to this. But change does not happen inside the comfort zone, we transform by challenging ourselves. And when a client starts sleeping better, they’ll see the real prize is living better because that’s what restorative sleep leads to.
Readiness for Change
Have you ever heard of the five stages for change readiness? This is worth exploring to understand where you sit on this spectrum. For coaching to be effective, a client needs to at least be in the planning stages of readiness for change. This is because if you change nothing, nothing changes. But it also means the magic of consistently good sleep is in the palm of all our hands, we just have to be willing to work towards this goal. Inevitably, this will require some change. I am not talking about a full life overhaul, but small and targeted changes that will have a big impact.
Powerful Questions, Empowering Solutions
At its heart, coaching is about asking the right questions to help someone come to the right answer. And it’s about meeting people where they are, rather than where the sleep coach wants them to be. Through a process of deep self-reflection, insight and understanding, I support clients to feel ready to define their own goals and the steps they need to take to achieve them. This way, the client owns their solution and can start to rebuild the trust they have in their body to sleep naturally.
This sense of ownership empowers my clients to continue to make the changes they want to see after the coaching ends. Change is never linear, so I equip clients with the knowledge, tools and insights they need to get back on track should they have a period of poor sleep in the future.
Ultimately, sleep coaching is transformational. It’s a powerful process, not necessarily a quiet one. In fact, it can be as energising as a good night’s sleep.
