What's Really Affecting Your Sleep?
Most people assume their sleep problems are caused by one thing.
Perhaps you've been told to improve your sleep hygiene, try relaxation techniques, go to bed earlier, or switch off your screens before bed.
While these strategies can be helpful, they don't address the underlying cause of every sleep problem.
At The Sleep Fixer, I focus on four key areas that influence sleep. Understanding which of these areas may be affecting you is often the first step towards improving your sleep.
1. Medical Factors & Sleep Disorders
Sometimes poor sleep is not the problem itself but a symptom of something else.
There are a number of medical conditions and sleep disorders that can interfere with sleep quality, leave you feeling exhausted during the day, or make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep.
These may include:
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Restless Legs Syndrome
Chronic pain
Hormonal changes
Medication side effects
Other health conditions that affect sleep
If an underlying condition is contributing to your sleep difficulties, it's important that it is recognised and appropriately managed.
Sleep Health Screening Tools
To help you better understand your sleep,
I have provided three simple screening tools:
STOP-Bang Questionnaire (Sleep Apnoea Risk)
Epworth Sleepiness Scale (Daytime Sleepiness)
These tools do not diagnose a condition, but they may help identify whether further assessment with your GP or a sleep specialist could be beneficial.
2. Sleep Pressure
Sleep pressure is your body's natural drive for sleep.
From the moment you wake up, your brain begins building sleep pressure throughout the day. The longer you remain awake, the stronger this drive becomes.
When sleep pressure is strong enough, sleep tends to happen more easily.
However, certain habits can reduce sleep pressure and make it harder to feel sleepy at bedtime.
Things that can reduce sleep pressure:
Napping during the day
Sleeping in at weekends
Spending long periods awake in bed
Inconsistent wake-up times
Going to bed before your body is ready for sleep
Things that support healthy sleep pressure:
Consistent wake-up times
Building enough time awake during the day
Regular movement and activity
Using your bed primarily for sleep
Many people are surprised to discover that they don't have a sleep problem at all. Instead, they simply haven't built enough sleep pressure for sleep to happen naturally.
3. Circadian Rhythm
Your circadian rhythm is your internal body clock.
It helps regulate when you feel alert, when you feel sleepy, and many other important functions throughout the day and night.
Your circadian rhythm responds to signals from your environment, including:
Morning light exposure
Evening light exposure
Meal timing
Physical activity
Consistent wake-up times
When your body clock becomes out of sync, you may find yourself:
Feeling sleepy at the wrong times
Struggling to fall asleep until late at night
Waking too early
Feeling tired during the day despite spending enough time in bed
Circadian rhythm challenges are particularly common in teenagers, shift workers, frequent travellers and those with naturally later sleep schedules.
Understanding your body clock is often one of the most powerful ways to improve sleep.
4. The Nervous System
Sleep is not something we can force.
In fact, the harder we try to sleep, the more difficult it can become.
Sleep happens most easily when the brain and body feel safe enough to rest.
When the nervous system remains activated, sleep can become difficult even when you feel exhausted.
This may show up as:
Racing thoughts
Overthinking
Feeling unable to switch off
Worrying about sleep
Monitoring your sleep throughout the night
Feeling tired but wired
Many of the people I support are high achievers, carers, parents, business owners or professionals who spend their days solving problems and getting things done.
The very qualities that make them brilliant during the day can sometimes make it harder to switch off at night.
Supporting the nervous system is not about trying harder to sleep.
It's about creating the conditions that allow sleep to happen naturally.
The Sleep Fixer Approach
Every sleep difficulty is unique, but most can be traced back to one or more of these four areas:
✓ Medical Factors & Sleep Disorders
✓ Sleep Pressure
✓ Circadian Rhythm
✓ The Nervous System
Rather than relying on generic sleep advice, I help identify what is actually driving your sleep difficulties so that we can focus on the strategies most likely to help.
Because when you understand what's affecting your sleep, better sleep becomes much easier to achieve.
Not Sure What's Affecting Your Sleep?
Book a free 15-minute consultation and let's explore
what's really getting in the way of better sleep.