Unlocking sleep

ABOUT THE EPISODE

Unlocking sleep

Dr Stuart Sadler joins Dr Natalie Stott to discuss common sleep difficulties, the effects of medication on sleep, and practical ways to bring sleep into the conversation with clients.

• Understanding sleep medicine and common sleep difficulties
• How sleep and psychological wellbeing affect each other
• Medication, sleep quality and sleep diaries
• Small changes that can support better sleep

How might sleep be affecting therapy when it is not the presenting problem?

Sleep and psychological wellbeing can affect one another, so disrupted sleep may shape a client's energy, concentration and capacity to engage even when they came to therapy for something else. Dr Stuart Sadler and Natalie discuss bringing sleep into the conversation without assuming it explains every difficulty.

Asking about sleep creates an opportunity to understand the pattern and its place in the wider work. The aim is not to turn every therapist into a sleep specialist, but to notice when sleep may be relevant rather than leaving it outside the formulation.

What can therapists explore before suggesting changes?

The episode considers common sleep difficulties, medication, sleep quality and the use of sleep diaries. These areas can help organise the conversation and clarify what the client is already experiencing before therapist and client decide what may be useful to try.

Small changes may be more workable than an ambitious reset. Any suggestion still needs to fit the client's circumstances and the therapist's role, with medical or specialist questions recognised rather than treated as matters the therapy room must resolve alone.

Related listening: For a complementary conversation about nervous-system states, regulation and co-regulation, listen to Polyvagal Theory.