How does Carolyn Scott address sleep disorders with cognitive-behavioral therapy?

Hi, I’m Carolyn Scott-Hamilton from The Healthy Voyager.

I approach sleep disorders by focusing on how your thoughts and behaviors impact your sleep, using cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and related behavioral tools. That includes:

• Identifying unhelpful beliefs (“I’ll never sleep,” “I must get 8 hours or tomorrow is ruined”) and gently reframing them
• Changing habits that keep you wired at night (screens, caffeine, late workouts, long naps)
• Structuring a consistent sleep–wake schedule and wind-down routine
• Using relaxation tools like breathing, meditation, and muscle relaxation to calm the nervous system
• For chronic insomnia, using CBT-I techniques such as stimulus control (bed only for sleep and intimacy) and sleep restriction to reset your sleep drive

The goal is not just “knocking you out” like a pill, but retraining your brain and body so restorative sleep becomes natural and sustainable.

What sleep issue are you dealing with most right now—trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both?