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  • Understanding Insomnia: Sleep Bonus: Daytime Habits to Cut Night

    Understanding Insomnia: Sleep Bonus: Daytime Habits to Cut Night
    2026/07/31
    In this episode of Insomnia and Sleep: Let's Make Sense Of This Sh*t, we unpack why the harder you chase sleep, the more it slips away. The nervous system stays on alert when worry turns rest into another task, as shown by Oxford research where focused efforts to fall asleep actually delayed it. We explore practical daytime and nighttime shifts that reduce background tension without promising instant fixes, helping the body receive clearer safety signals across the full 24 hours.

    Key takeaways include:
    - Set a consistent wind-down time, flip the clock face down, and opt for neutral reading instead of forcing sleep.
    - Spend ten afternoon minutes listing worries and labeling them as done or open to quiet the mind later.
    - Add short afternoon movement like walking or stretching to release energy without spiking alertness.
    - Notice worry thoughts without engaging, then delay them to a later list while anchoring in posture or breath checks.

    These steps train the system toward less vigilance, leading to shorter wakeful periods over time.

    If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). In an emergency, call 911. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at insomnia-and-sleep@senseofthisshit.com.
    💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...
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    11 分
  • Insomnia and Sleep: Bonus Episode Breathing Count for Better Rest

    Insomnia and Sleep: Bonus Episode Breathing Count for Better Rest
    2026/07/31
    In this episode of Insomnia and Sleep: Let's Make Sense Of This Sh*t, host Ava shares straightforward strategies for easing the racing thoughts that linger from work stress or family worries long after lights out. Discover how small, repeatable habits can signal your brain to slow down and replace the nightly battle with steadier rest.

    Key takeaways:
    - Start a one-hour wind-down cue by powering off screens and turning to a book or soft music to train calmer evenings.
    - Try a simple breathing count—in for four seconds, out for six—while lying in bed to steady your nervous system and crowd out worries.
    - Note what felt different the next morning in a quick log to spot helpful patterns without added pressure.
    - Practice the same short count during daytime tension to make the skill more automatic at bedtime.
    - Reach out to a sleep-knowledgeable doctor if patterns persist after steady effort.

    These practical moves build progress over nights, not instant fixes.
    https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). In an emergency, call 911. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care.

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at insomnia-and-sleep@senseofthisshit.com.
    💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...
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    10 分
  • Build Healthier Sleep Boundaries for Chronic Insomnia Relief

    Build Healthier Sleep Boundaries for Chronic Insomnia Relief
    2026/07/17
    In this episode of Insomnia and Sleep: Let's Make Sense Of This Sht, we explore how building healthier boundaries serves as a practical tool for easing insomnia. Without clear limits around work, family demands, and personal time, your mind stays wired long after lights out. We break down small, testable changes—like enforcing a one-hour screen cutoff, declining late tasks, and protecting your bedroom as a no-worry zone—that signal to your brain the day has ended. These steps shrink the mental load that fuels restless nights and create space for genuine rest.

    Key takeaways include:
    - Establishing a firm stop time for emails and messages to prevent evening intrusions
    - Communicating limits without guilt or lengthy explanations
    - Recognizing how after-hours replies keep your mind in alert mode and disrupt sleep cycles
    - Starting with one boundary this week to notice reduced worry loops at bedtime

    Tune in for actionable skills that turn vague self-care into concrete habits.
    Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at insomnia-and-sleep@senseofthisshit.com.
    💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...
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    29 分
  • Understanding Insomnia and Sleep Triggers Without Shame

    Understanding Insomnia and Sleep Triggers Without Shame
    2026/07/07
    In this episode of Insomnia and Sleep: Let's Make Sense Of This Sht, we explore spotting sleep triggers without layering on shame. Host Ava shares how everyday patterns like afternoon caffeine, unfinished worries, or late-night phone scrolling can quietly delay rest, drawing from her own month of unreliable sleep where self-blame only prolonged the frustration. Instead of harsh fixes, the focus stays on simple tracking through one or two evening notes to reveal repeating cues, whether external like a warm room or internal like a racing mind.

    Key takeaways:
    - Observe habits and thoughts before bed with curiosity, not judgment, to lift unnecessary blame.
    - Triggers act as signals rather than personal failures—recognize them first without immediate fixes.
    - Build your own sleep map over days by noting what interrupts rest, from screen time to chest tightness.
    - Gentle awareness outperforms criticism, turning patterns into useful insights instead of added weight.

    This approach keeps the process light and personal, proving sleep rules differ for everyone.
    Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at insomnia-and-sleep@senseofthisshit.com.
    💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...
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    33 分
  • Navigate Insomnia Daily Coping: Sleep Tools You Can Use This Week

    Navigate Insomnia Daily Coping: Sleep Tools You Can Use This Week
    2026/07/03
    In this episode, we explore daily coping strategies you can use this week when rest feels out of reach and mornings drag. Rather than demanding a full life reset, these three simple approaches fit into ordinary routines: tracking what happens right before bed, adding a quick pause to calm racing thoughts, and spotting daytime habits that quietly fuel nighttime tension. Drawn from real-world tests instead of labs, the ideas keep things casual so you can listen while making coffee or folding laundry. Pick just one to try tonight or tomorrow and watch how steady signals help your body clock without extra time or gear.

    Key takeaways:
    - Start with morning light exposure to set your internal rhythm
    - Adjust the timing of your main meal for steadier evenings
    - Add movement at key points to ease tension buildup

    Small, repeatable steps often outlast big overhauls, especially on low-energy weeks. Test them over a few days, keep what works, and adjust as needed.
    https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at insomnia-and-sleep@senseofthisshit.com.
    💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...
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    33 分
  • Sleep 101: Why You Wake at 3 AM and What to Try Tonight

    Sleep 101: Why You Wake at 3 AM and What to Try Tonight
    2026/07/02
    In this episode of Insomnia and Sleep: Let's Make Sense Of This Sh*t, we unpack recurring insomnia patterns like 3 a.m. awakenings triggered by rising core body temperature and cortisol spikes, while exploring sleep hygiene strategies and CBT-I basics that actually deliver results. From stimulus control to consistent routines, learn practical tools to break the cycle of frustration and rebuild your bed as a place of rest rather than alertness.

    Key takeaways include:
    - Get out of bed after 20 minutes if sleep doesn't return to strengthen the sleep association
    - Maintain the same wake-up time daily, even on weekends, to train your internal clock
    - Use the bed only for sleep or intimacy and jot worries on a notepad instead of replaying them
    - Avoid screens, heavy meals, and clock-checking before bed while trying simple breathing exercises like 4-second inhales and 6-second exhales

    These small, consistent changes draw from established CBT-I principles and can reduce nighttime wake-ups over time without promising instant fixes. Tune in for actionable steps you can test tonight.
    https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at insomnia-and-sleep@senseofthisshit.com.
    💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...
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    8 分