Simple Habits For Better Sleep with Dr Jennifer Cottam

Welcome to The Talk Works Podcast, a space where we explore mental health, therapy, practical advice, and the tools needed to support wellbeing in the workplace. In this episode, the first in our bite-sized series on mental health, Dr Jen Cottam explains why we sleep, what happens when we don’t get enough and what we can do to sleep better. Jen explains how our circadian rhythm and melatonin decide when we feel sleepy, the different stages of sleep and why it is normal to wake briefly between sleep cycles. She explains how being awake for 18 hours can impair us as much as alcohol, what insomnia is and how menopause, sleep apnoea, anxiety and neurodivergence can affect our sleep. She also shares tips from CBT for insomnia, including keeping a sleep diary, the 20-minute rule and articulatory suppression, and explains why she recommends ditching your sleep tracker. Visit Talk Works: https://talk-works.org.uk/ Connect with Jen: LinkedIn: Jen Cottam Download the Centre for Clinical Interventions sleep diary: Sleep Diary – Centre for Clinical Interventions