Personalized Adult Sleep Coaching

Sleep coaches provide services that are tailored to help guide you toward better sleep. Sleep coaches can come from different backgrounds, but in most cases, they are not traditional health care providers like doctors or nurses.

When seeking a sleep coach, it can be helpful to consider how various factors, including a sleep coach’s experience and style of coaching, relate to your needs.

• Education and Training: Sleep coaches can have different levels and types of education, and you should think about how important a coach’s formal education is to you. Some sleep coaches have advanced degrees, including in fields related to health care, but others may have a more general educational background. 
• Prior Work Experience: Past experience in a sleep-related job is not required to become a sleep coach. However, some coaches may have previously worked in another health care profession, like social work or nursing. 
• Who They Work With: Sleep coaches may specialize in working with specific groups of people. For instance, some coaches only work with children or individuals with certain health conditions.
• Special Skills: Since the services of sleep coaches can vary, it can be useful to check if a coach is trained in any special services or holds certifications relevant to your sleep issue. You can also ask about their areas of focus and preferred techniques for helping their clients. 
• Insurance and Costs: The costs of services can vary among coaches, and many health insurance plans will not cover sleep coaching services. Make sure to ask about the total costs of sleep coaching to understand if a coach’s services will fit within your budget.
• Reputation and Results: As with any kind of service provider, you can try to find out about their track record. If any friends or family members have worked with a sleep coach, ask them for referrals. When talking with a sleep coach, ask how long they have been coaching and if they can provide any testimonials from past clients. 

Adults who are looking to improve their sleep hygiene may be able to get direct guidance from a sleep coach. Coaches may help create a long-term plan to promote better habits before bed. They may also offer suggestions about designing a better sleep environment.

Some sleep coaches might deliver services that help with certain sleep disorders, such as insomnia. However, adults that have a diagnosed sleep disorder should talk with their doctor about the best treatment and whether sleep coaching is right for them.

Before your coaching begins, your coach will ask you to track your sleep for 5-7 nights to have baseline data. In your first session, they’ll ask you about your daily routine, sleep hygiene practices, and your thoughts about sleep and anything that might be affecting your sleep. 

In the first two sessions, Davis says, “We talk about the science of sleep and how it fits into your life.” This involves a mix of education, getting to the root of why you’re here, and taking a deep dive into your daily schedule around work or kids. 

Each consecutive session takes a look back to celebrate the small wins and make adjustments where needed. Your coach’s ultimate goal is to improve your sleep hygiene –  a set of habits and practices geared toward making the right conditions for quality sleep to happen.

If you have ongoing or significant sleeping problems, you should discuss them directly with your doctor. Examples of issues that you should raise with your health care provider include: 

• Extreme sleepiness during the day
• Frequently struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep when you want to
• Feeling tired or unrefreshed in the morning even after a full night of sleep
• Disruptive movements or behaviors during sleep
• Snoring or abnormal or disrupted breathing during sleep
• Your sleep problems arise alongside physical or mental health problems, such as pain or depression

You don’t have to suffer from a sleep disorder to benefit from sleep coaching. Many people find that after an extended period of sleepless nights, it’s time to call in the experts. “People tend to tolerate insomnia and sleeplessness for a long time,” says Certified Adult Sleep Coach Seth Davis, founder of Sleepably. He says people might recognize having sleep issues but think their insomnia isn’t that problematic if they can somehow make it through the day.