DC Metro Therapy

DC Metro Therapy Psychotherapy for teens and adults in the DMV area. Now offering virtual and in-peron therapy!

Not all “sleep hacks” are created equal. 😵‍💫Some sound helpful… but actually make your sleep worse.If you’ve tried _ever...
12/23/2025

Not all “sleep hacks” are created equal. 😵‍💫
Some sound helpful… but actually make your sleep worse.

If you’ve tried _everything_ and still can’t sleep, it’s not because you’re doing it wrong — it’s because most advice targets the wrong part of the sleep puzzle.

Sleep isn’t about tricks or perfect routines.
It’s about rebuilding sleep drive, resetting unhelpful patterns, and breaking the cycle of lying awake in bed — the core of CBT-i.

When you change the conditions for sleep, your sleep changes.

Want to know what actually gets in the way?
Download my free guide: Five Things to Avoid If You Want Better Sleep — link in bio. ✨

12/22/2025

So many of my clients spend hours reading about sleep—scrolling articles, watching videos, calculating sleep debt—hoping that just one more piece of information will finally unlock it.

But rest doesn’t respond to pressure or perfection.

It happens when your nervous system feels safe… not when it’s under surveillance.

📌 Try this instead:

- Stop timing how long it takes to fall asleep.
- Let tomorrow be imperfect.
- Prioritize calm over control.

Because when fixing sleep becomes a project, your brain stays in problem-solving mode—even in bed.

✨ If you’re ready to stop working so hard just to rest, I help people use CBT-i strategies that remove pressure instead of adding more.

The holidays can bring so many mixed emotions — and it’s completely normal to feel them all. 💛All of these feelings are ...
12/22/2025

The holidays can bring so many mixed emotions — and it’s completely normal to feel them all. 💛

All of these feelings are valid. You don’t have to perform happiness or push through just because it’s the season.

Give yourself permission to feel, rest, and honor your needs — it doesn’t make you ungrateful, it makes you human.

12/20/2025

When anxiety decides to clock in at 3 a.m., it’s not because you didn’t “relax enough” before bed. It’s because your brain still thinks there’s something that needs solving.

People usually mean well with the quick fixes and calm-down advice… but if relaxing were that simple, you’d already be asleep.

Nighttime anxiety isn’t a willpower problem — it’s a nervous system one. The work happens long before your head hits the pillow.

✨ Follow .metro.therapy for relatable insights on anxiety and sleep, plus practical CBT-i tools to help your brain feel safe enough to rest.

Here’s the thing: better sleep isn’t about following a rigid checklist.A good sleep therapy approach often includes CBT-...
12/19/2025

Here’s the thing: better sleep isn’t about following a rigid checklist.

A good sleep therapy approach often includes CBT-i strategies, but it also looks at the bigger picture — helping you:
✨ Understand your natural sleep cues and patterns
✨ Work with your circadian rhythm, not against it
✨ Create a plan that’s tailored to your body, your nervous system, and your life

The goal isn’t to force yourself into strict rules — it’s to build a routine that actually helps your brain and body feel safe enough to rest. 🧠💤

💬 Do you find strict bedtime rules helpful, or do you sleep better when you’re more flexible? Let me know below. ⬇️

12/18/2025

You’re calm all day… and then the second your head hits the pillow, your brain suddenly has questions, concerns, and a full agenda. 😅

Here’s what I see all the time in sleep therapy:
A lot of people don’t feel anxious at 2 PM — they feel anxious at 2 AM.
And that nighttime mental spiral usually has less to do with “anxiety disorder” and more to do with a brain that finally has space to unload.

When we stop trying to control sleep and start working with the thoughts and habits that show up at night, things get easier.

If you’re stuck in the “I’m not anxious… but also I can’t sleep” loop, you’re not alone — and it’s completely workable.

✨ Curious how CBT-i helps? Learn more about my approach — link in bio.

You’re in the right place. 💛Here are a few small shifts that can help:- Set a “soft landing” at night — build in 20–30 m...
12/17/2025

You’re in the right place. 💛

Here are a few small shifts that can help:

- Set a “soft landing” at night — build in 20–30 minutes to slow your mind and body before bed. Think lower stimulation, gentler transitions, and fewer demands.
- Do a brain dump before bed — get the to-do list out of your head and onto paper so your mind can rest.
- Anchor your wake-up time — consistency helps your internal clock stabilize, even if your sleep isn’t perfect yet.

I help people who are tired of being tired learn how to actually sleep again — without pills, perfection, or pressure.

✨ Check out my free and paid tools to help you get back on track with your sleep.

Follow \@‌dc.metro.therapy for grounded, realistic tools to:

- Calm your racing mind at night
- Break the insomnia cycle
- Rebuild trust with your body and sleep

Because good sleep isn’t about doing more — it’s about learning how to do less.

Thinking about asking AI for sleep advice?If you have insomnia, please don’t — and here’s why ⬇️Most AI tools give gener...
12/15/2025

Thinking about asking AI for sleep advice?
If you have insomnia, please don’t — and here’s why ⬇️

Most AI tools give generic ‘tips’, but insomnia isn’t solved by rules.
It’s solved by understanding patterns — the thoughts, habits, and sleep–wake cycles that keep the problem going.

As a sleep therapist, here are three things that will actually help if you’re struggling with insomnia:
✨ Reduce sleep pressure, not add more rules. The harder you try to “sleep well,” the more alert your brain becomes.
✨ Keep a consistent wake time. Not your bedtime — your wake time anchors your body clock and rebuilds natural tiredness.
✨ Shift your focus away from chasing sleep. Instead, build predictability into your day so your nervous system feels safe enough to switch off at night.

Real sleep change comes from targeting the patterns that maintain insomnia — not from following generic rules.

And if you want guidance that’s personalised and actually works, try my Sleep Calculator Tool.

Why it works:
Over 7 days, you’ll track your sleep and get daily tips, insights, and practical steps based on real sleep science — not guesswork. Small tweaks add up to big improvements.

🌙 Who it’s for:
Anyone with inconsistent sleep from stress, routine changes, or long-term struggles… especially if you’ve tried all the usual advice and nothing has helped.

What’s the worst sleep advice you’ve ever gotten? Tell me below 💬

12/14/2025

If you’ve reached your 40s, you’ve probably been told that anything less than 8 hours is a threat to your brain, your hormones, your heart, or your future health.
Let’s be honest — that message has done more harm than good.

The fear of not sleeping enough keeps your body on high alert, which makes it harder to sleep, not easier.
One bad night isn’t dangerous. A few irregular nights aren’t dangerous. Your body can handle natural fluctuation.

The real problem is catastrophic thinking about sleep, performance pressure, and trying to hit a rigid “sleep quota” every single night.

Here’s what actually helps:
✨ A consistent sleep-wake rhythm
✨ Reducing sleep pressure and overmonitoring
✨ Letting go of the idea that sleep must be perfect

Your body knows how much sleep it needs when it isn’t being threatened.

Let go of the fear — not sleep itself.

Do you find yourself feeling tired but wired around the time you’re supposed to be feeling sleepy?You might be doing thi...
12/13/2025

Do you find yourself feeling tired but wired around the time you’re supposed to be feeling sleepy?

You might be doing things that keep your brain on high alert — without realizing it.

When your nervous system thinks it needs to stay “on,” even small habits can signal danger instead of rest.

Each one sends the same message to your brain: stay alert, something’s wrong.

To shift out of high alert, try focusing on calm instead of control.

Your body can’t drift off when it thinks it needs to be on guard.
So the goal isn’t to force sleep — it’s to make your brain feel safe enough to let go. 💛

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Bethesda, MD

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