Somnia

23/12/2025

What does Christmas Dinner mean for our Sleep? 💤🍗🎄

Well, you may have seen me speak about ideal sleeping windows in the past, but did you know that there are also ideal eating windows too? 

And, you may not be surprised to learn that they impact each other. 

You’ll be glad to learn that Christmas Dinner is actually a healthier choice for supporting your circadian rhythm. While the time each of us may choose to eat our Chritsmas Dinner may vary (and even divide! 😅) it is, generally speaking, earlier in the day than our usual evening meal. And anything we may then have in the evening tends to be a little lighter. 

Not having the heaviest meal of the day so close to the time you’re asking your body to slow down, switch off its processes and go to sleep, is much better for your sleep!

💙 So, see if you can take this into the New Year with you and eat your evening meal even a little earlier, to give your body the time it needs to digest, slow down and prepare for restful sleep and support your circadian rhythm.

16/12/2025

Sleep is different in Winter. ❄️❄️❄️

We’re all aware of our sleep when the clocks go back in Autumn, however this ‘change’ and impact doesn’t stop then. 
The clocks going back signifies the start of the changing light that we experience during winter months. In an ideal scenario, our sleep patterns would change with the seasons, however, we know that this is not always doable due to modern working patterns and expectations.

SAD is a response to the lack of natural light we get during this time of year. 🌅 We need light from the sun to trigger certain things in our bodies and brains and when there is a lack of this, it can mean that we experience certain negative impacts.

We may also feel less inclined to participate in social events at this time of year which can lead to an increase in loneliness. Loneliness is not good for our sleep either as we need to feel safe and secure to be able to access quality, restful sleep. 

So, how can we support ourselves this Winter?

☀️ Get as much daylight as possible, as early as possible and throughout the day. 
An SAD light might help with mood to help you top up on natural light throughout the day.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Try to make connections throughout the day. While Winter is a natural time to slow down and rest, try not to hide yourself away too much. Interactions with our friends, family or even acquaintances can help us to feel connected and safe.

💤 You might want to switch up your routine a little, but still try to keep a morning and evening routine - this will help your body to understand the cues for waking up and winding down consistently. 

If you have questions or want to chat further about this, either send me a DM or you can email me at kat@drkatsleep.com.

29/11/2025

10 things you can do to support your sleep!
(Just pick 1 & you’ll be supporting your overall wellbeing!)

I’m a Sleep Therapist and I’m not going to preach that you need to be doing all of these for you to be able to sleep well, but our relationships with sleep are multifaceted and depend on many many elements of our lifestyles, predispositions and choices.

So, where you can, make choices which support your sleep, why not do it!
(You know the benefits of quality sleep - and if you don’t, you absolutely need to explore my other posts!)

1. Watch your coffee times
Try to stop consuming caffeine after midday. Coffee can linger in your system for 6–8 hours, so an afternoon cup might be keeping you awake later than you think.

2. Bluelight
There are two things here: Maximise your exposure in the morning and limit it in the evenings. Blue light at the wrong time can play havoc with your circadian rhythm, confusing your body’s natural sleep–wake cues.

3. Morning routine
Try to keep one you can realistically stick to and that you enjoy! Consistent wake times help regulate your body clock and support your energy through the day.

4. Evening routine
Consistency is key. Explore how you could make your morning and evening routines complement each other. Calming, predictable evening habits help your body-mind to wind down and understand that sleep is on its way.

5. Acceptance
This is a big one for me. Sometimes we struggle to let go of being awake and the most healthy and helpful thing we can do is accept it, not fight it. Fighting it only makes things worse; gentleness helps you drift off to sleep more easily.

6. Bedroom environment
What’s your sleep space like? Is it chaotic or calm? Small changes like darker curtains, tidying clutter, or a softer lamp can make a world of difference.

7. Regular movement throughout the day
Regular movement throughout the day tires you out so you’re physically ready for sleep but also helps your internal body clocks to stay regulated - while you’re moving your body knows it’s not time for sleep, and when you slow down, it’s clear that it is nearing time for sleep.

✨Continued in the comments…

25/11/2025

Last month, I spoke with the BBC discussing the role of sleep on our physical and mental health, which, I’m sure you know by now, is significant. 💤

If you’re not prioritising sleep, I would urge you to try in whatever small way you can, to improve your sleep quality just a little.  

While I am conscious never to add to the pressures of someone struggling with sleep in this very demanding day and age that we live in, I do feel passionately that we need to understand the issues - both long and short term - that poor sleep or lack of sleep can cause for our bodies and our minds.

Some of these are expected, some may come as a surprise. Listen to the whole video (it’s only a few minutes long) to understand just some of the ways that sleep can impact our behaviour and some small things that you can do to help yourself. 

If you have issues sleeping or would like to improve and understand more about your sleep, I have the option to book a free, 15 minute consultation with me, no fee & no obligation, just a great opportunity to speak with a sleep expert and share areas where you struggle and what you might be able to do about it.

28/10/2025

A message to future you! 💙💙💙

The harmful effects of not getting enough sleep aren’t always readily noticeable, but you could protect your future self immensely, so take note. You can help her immensely by doing these small things today, tomorrow, next week and next year.

Menopause or Perimenopause may seem a long way off or it may feel like something you don’t want to think about right now, but sleep can support you in preparing for this in ways you may not realise, while supporting your other long term health too!

Supporting wellbeing now can help you tackle this inevitable change with more ease and more confidence, and one of the biggest influencers in supporting your wellbeing?

You guessed it - sleep.

💤 💤💤 Sleep helps you to:

💤 Regulate hormones which as you move towards perimenopause, will begin to fluctuate (one of the main factors in temperature changes) - it helps your body adapt to fluctuating oestrogen and progesterone levels.

💤 Reduce Inflammation and support recovery.

Sleep is one of the biggest components in our bodies’ recovery. Again, fluctuating hormones can impact physical symptoms like inflamation & joint pain - giving your body the quality sleep it really needs to recover and regulate can be game changing.

💤 Support Mood and Mental Clarity - both common complaints during this transition, but can be helped immensely by the way we prepare our bodies and quality sleep is one sure way to do it!

Plus, looking before and after perimenopause, lack of sleep can also impact other issues and diseases - for example lack of sleep can increase the risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, it affects mood paving the way for mood disorders, and it might increase the risk of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases.

So, don’t put it off as unimportant or something you can avoid when you have to, or ‘do with out’. Sleep is valuable to you and your future self.

If you want to know more about my thoughts on this topic - I’ve written some words that you’ll find linked in my bio. 💙

24/10/2025

13/10/2025

What menopause can really look like — and what that means for your sleep.

It’s not just hot flushes and night sweats.

Menopause can show up as:
✨ Brain fog
✨ Low mood or anxiety
✨ Body temperature changes
✨ Muscle or joint pain
✨ Palpitations
✨ Restless nights or early waking

These symptoms don’t happen in isolation — they interact.

Note how your body’s responses and symptoms can interact and impact each other and how this gives you an opportunity to support yourself.

For example, poor sleep can heighten stress, mood changes, and even worsen hormone imbalance. And hormonal shifts can, in turn, make restorative sleep harder to achieve.

That’s why a holistic, Lifestyle Medicine approach can be an excellent approach to take— looking at the whole picture:

🕯️ stress management
🥗 nutrition that supports hormonal balance
🚶‍♀️ daily movement
🌿 time outdoors
💤 consistent sleep routines

Menopause is a transition, not a decline — and sleep can be your foundation for navigating it with resilience.

✨ Make your sign to start being aware of and listening to your body.

22/09/2025

Things you can do to support your sleep...

Taking the pressure off is the very first step. If you’ve been around here for a while, you’ll know that I speak a lot about acceptance - accepting where you are now and the limitations of your sleep at the moment can be a powerful first step to improving your relationship with sleep.

Secondly, allow yourself to look a little deeper:
Do you feel safe?
Do you feel lonely?
Do you have difficulty separating from work?
Did you have any me time today?

All of these things are great places to start assessing your relationship with sleep and can be impactful when guided by a professional. As a sleep therapist, I work with clients on transformations like this every day and love to see the changes and improvements unfold for them.

If you’re ready to know more about working with a sleep therapist like me, you can book a discovery call to find out more and ask your questions - with no obligations or pressure to commit.

Drop me a DM or head to the link in my profile.

03/09/2025

Hi! I’m Dr Kat - here’s how I help women to feel good!
🩷

As some of you may already know, I’m a sleep scientist and body clock expert.

This means that I truly and deeply understand how the body works when it comes to sleep and more specifically, women’s sleep. Why is this important you might ask... Because women sleep differently.

I practice as a Sleep Therapist and am endlessly passionate about helping women sleep well and feel good. 🩵💙

💤 Sleep is a cornerstone of our health, so while I believe in a gentle approach to making changes and working towards your sleep goals, it is an important part of the healthy lifestyle puzzle.

💭💬 If you have questions I’d love to hear them or specific sleep concerns you’d like to hear more about on here, just drop them in the comments - or if you want to know more about working with me 1-1, I’ll happily have a chat in the DMs or via a discovery call - no strings attached, no obligations.

Ready to Sleep Well & Feel Good? 🙌

’sHealth

26/08/2025

Stop scrolling, you’ve found it - your gentle but effective approach to nurturing your sleep and your health. 💙🩵

My key recommendations when approaching your sleep are:

💤 Acceptance - that sleep is not coming right now, that you are where you are and that your body is responding how it is responding.

💤 Me time - time that is just for you, and helps you to access the calm we’re looking for when trying to sleep - and in a realistic way too - not all “me time” looks like a 2-hour bath (although that would be ok too!)

💤 1 step at a time - following on from point one, working towards better sleep is a process - you can put plenty of support in place to help get you closer to that - but don’t put pressure on yourself in that process.

Make sure you’re following me to see more, and save this post for when you need that reminder. 💾

25/08/2025

There’s still plenty of summer left....
How can you start to embrace this as the summer you started to support your sleep for better overall health?

I’ve got a few pointers...

😴📱Less screen time
It’s a tricky one, but it’s a big one - can you give yourself a cut-off point in the evening, or better still, the afternoon?

😴🚶Moving throughout the day
Movement helps out our circadian rhythm by ensuring it knows we’re fully awake and alert. It also tires us out more so that when we come to sleep, our mind and body are tired and ready for sleep.

😴🛏️Take a good look at your bedroom.
The environment we sleep in matters - it doesn’t need to be immaculate or polished by an interior designer, BUT - it ideally should be somewhere where you can truly switch off - without piles of washing in the corner, TVs or Laptops in sight, comfortable and welcoming.

😴☕️Limit your caffeine
This might sound like an obvious one but even if you think you can handle caffeine well, having it in your system later in the day can heavily impact your sleep. You absolutely should consider this one if you’re someone who has difficulty switching off at night.

Want more?
Hit follow and if you have questions, leave them in the comments.

Kat
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