Welcome to Your Sleep Journey

Hi, and welcome to Part 1 of your sleep journey. This portion of your path is all about understanding the reasons why we struggle with sleep, so we can better address the things getting in the way of your restful slumber. You'll learn tools from our sleep expert. I'm a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California San Francisco. I've been working in the sleep field for nearly two decades. And also meet others who are experiencing some of the same sleep struggles you might be facing as well. Some thoughts that run into my head before I go to sleep is just, "What do I have to do the next day? Okay, stop thinking about what I have to do the next day and actually fall asleep because I am losing minutes." The more I think about it. I'm a very light sleeper. It runs in my family, so I always have one ear on the baby monitor. No matter how deep I want to go, there's just this barrier. One of the first things we'll do is spend some time uncovering our deeper motivation for wanting to get more restful sleep. Our why. This is one of the most important elements to help us stay motivated as we work to make the changes we need. I wanna improve my sleep because I wanna be a better person. I wanna be a better mother, a better wife, a better friend, a better worker. Next, we'll work on mindfully noticing our thoughts without judgment. You'll dig into uncovering behaviors you may not even realize can be getting in the way of your sleep. The opportunities to improve our sleep actually start the minute we wake up because there's lots of behaviors that happen throughout the day that can support or potentially undermine our sleep. And remember, as you start something new, it's so important to be kind to yourself. So we'll help you cultivate a sense of self-compassion throughout the entire journey. Bring a pen and paper to write stuff down, and let's begin. (pensive music)...