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Stop Bedtime Battles: Helping Kids Calm Themselves Independently. “Self-soothing.” Say it out loud. Chances are, if I say it to a mom, I’ll get a blank stare. So I ask: “Okay, but how do you actually self-soothe?” Pause. Most of us do it without thinking a walk, journaling, a cup of tea, even quietly scrolling on our phone. It’s not just for bedtime; it’s how we calm our nervous system whenever life feels chaotic. And yes, kids need this skill too or bedtime becomes a nigh

Why Summer Freedom Makes Back-to-School Sleep Tough , Ah, summer. Two glorious months of freedom. Kids staying out later, playing in the sun, and enjoying every last minute of daylight. Moms and dads finally had a little breathing room, no alarms, no strict schedules, just family time and flexibility. Nothing catastrophic happens if bedtime wasn’t perfect for a couple of months; the kids got fresh air, ran until their legs felt like jelly, and maybe even discovered the magica

When it comes to sleep , it’s tempting to think there’s a magic pill or supplement that will fix everything. I hear it all the time from clients: “Chevy, I take magnesium and chamomile , but I still wake up at 4 a.m. What’s wrong with me?” Supplements can be incredibly helpful and in many ways they do their job but they’re rarely the entire solution. Sleep struggles often stem from either the mind , the body , or both, and understanding the source is key to actually getti

"When I was a kid, my grandmother swore by lavender oil for sleep. Just a few drops on the pillow, she said, and you’d be out like a light. Fast forward ten years: I had my first baby and spotted lavender baby shampoo at the pharmacy. Genius, I thought—she’d smell amazing AND sleep all night. Let’s just say… neither of us slept. She stared at me wide-eyed, and I crawled around like a zombie, wondering if lavender was secretly working against us. It took me a few days (and s

Ever feel like your mind is like a live goose trapped in a box? Flapping, frantic, impossible to quiet. Thoughts bouncing from grocery lists to appointments , things you need to cook , emails you haven’t sent, or decisions you need to make . It’s just before bed, and suddenly your brain decides it’s the perfect time to run a full marathon of tasks and worries. Sound familiar? You’re not alone and unfortunately, no one teaches geese to be quiet at bedtime. And apparently, our

Sara is a 44-year-old mother of six. She’s the kind of woman everyone relies on disciplined, healthy eater, exercised regularly, worked in a school, volunteered for everything, always the first to show up when someone needed help. She did it all, and she did it with a smile. If you needed something done, you called Sara. She was happy, helpful, capable, a real superwoman. But the truth? Even superwomen can crack. Sara came to me in the early fall, after she had taken on a new

College life runs on its own wild clock. Your day might start with rushing to morning classes, balancing assignments, and doing “adult” things like laundry because, well, no one else is going to do it for you. By late afternoon, you might be hanging out with friends, grabbing another ice cap to keep you going, and treating yourself to a danish that leaves you not hungry for supper. Hours later, you finally realize you should eat something, so you whip up a quick sandwich or

The first night in a college dorm is something you don’t forget. You’re in a strange bed, surrounded by boxes you still haven’t unpacked, and your pillow smells just a little different than it does at home. The hallway feels alive — footsteps, laughter, the hum of microwaves, the occasional thud of someone dropping a laundry basket. And then there’s the light. Your roommate’s desk lamp is still on while they’re finishing an essay, and even though you’re trying to be polite

It was the hottest night of the year. The kind of sticky heat where your hair clings to your neck, the sheets feel like they’ve been through a sauna, and the air conditioner becomes less of a luxury and more of a survival tool. I had just gotten into bed — feeling smug because for once I was actually winding down at a reasonable hour — when the lights went out. A blackout. Unfortunately, this is nothing new where we live. Once a week, like clockwork (pardon the irony), the po

If you’ve ever spent the night staring at the ceiling, you know the hopeless feeling that creeps in with every passing hour. But for my aunt, insomnia wasn’t a bad week or a rough month — it became her life. She had tried everything: acupuncture, magnesium, guided meditation, herbal teas, breathing exercises, and the “never fails” tips from friends. She refused to take sleeping pills—except on the occasional Sunday night when she would “treat herself” so she could start the w

A client of mine, Chaya, is a single 28-year-old who was juggling two teaching jobs, studying for her BA at night, and volunteering at a children’s hospital three afternoons a week—plus all her other commitments. She came to me completely exhausted. She noticed she was slowly gaining weight—just a pound here, a pound there—and felt like she was losing herself. She wasn’t eating well. Her mornings began with a giant bowl of Fruity Pebbles because it was quick. She’d often grab

Everyone seems to be talking about sleep hygiene lately. Google it, and you’ll find thousands of results telling you to dim your lights, avoid caffeine, turn off your phone, and go to bed at the exact same time every night. But what happens when you follow all the rules —and still can’t sleep? Or what if you’re just not the “same bedtime every night” kind of person? Let’s clear something up: sleep hygiene isn’t about perfection. It’s about understanding your body’s rhythm, e

You know that feeling all too well. You’re running after kids, juggling work deadlines, squeezing in errands, and maybe—just maybe—stealing a quick breath here and there. By the time evening hits, you’re basically a walking zombie, practically collapsing on the couch and dreaming of sleep like it’s a luxury vacation. Then, finally, you make it to bed. You flop down, ready to surrender to sweet sleep… but instead, your brain hits the on switch like it just woke up from a nap.

It’s 2:37 a.m. Again. You’re not anxious. Nothing dramatic happened. You even did everything “right.” So… why on earth are you wide awake? If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why am I up in the night?”—you’re not alone. In fact, it’s one of the top sleep-related questions people ask Google. Let’s unpack it together—but in my way. No rules. No shame. No rigid “10 commandments of sleep.” Just real talk, simple tools, and the kindness we all deserve when we’re exhausted. First, You’

Yesterday, we talked about some of the more practical things that help when sleep just isn’t coming. Things like noticing how many hours you’re actually spending in bed (you’d be shocked), going to sleep only when you're truly tired—not when the clock says it's time—and preparing simple things to do when you’re wide awake at 2 a.m. But what about when your body is tired and your mind is wide awake ? The thoughts don’t stop. They bounce from one to the next, and before you k

3 Real Strategies That Actually Help (No Pressure, No Rules) Let me guess. You're lying in bed, beyond tired, and your mind is screaming: “Why can’t I just fall asleep?” And deep down, you're hoping someone — maybe a coach like me — will give you the magic answer in one minute or less. But here’s the thing. Sleep is not a quick-fix kind of issue. It's not like a headache, where you pop two Advil and 20 minutes later you're back to normal. Sleep problems are more like migraine

Have you ever had one of those nights where sleep feels like a battle you’re losing? You’re lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, your body begging for rest but your mind running wild. And then, almost by instinct, your eyes flick to the clock. “If I fall asleep now, I’ll get five hours… Wait, now it’s four and a half… How will I even function tomorrow?” With every calculation, your chest tightens. Sleep feels further away, and the night feels longer than ever. Even if you do

Why learning to handle sleepless nights matters more than chasing perfect sleep. Some wins in my work as a sleep coach stand out, not because they’re perfect or pretty, but because they’re real. Molly’s story is one of those. It’s the kind of story that reminds me that sleep struggles aren’t always about falling asleep in your own bed at home. Sometimes they’re tied to a very specific situation—and for Molly, that situation was traveling. When Molly first reached out to me la

One in three adults struggles with insomnia or poor sleep. You ’d think that would be enough to make people do anything for change. But here’s what I’ve seen over and over — most people don’t actually want to commit. They want to talk about it. Think about it. Pay for a program. But the moment the work gets hard, repetitive, or inconvenient — they’re out. Not because they can’t get better. But because they stop before they even start. Sharon: Genuinely Selfless… and a Sleep

Most of us have tried melatonin at some point—maybe you swear by it, or maybe you’ve wondered why it doesn’t work. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about popping a gummy before bed. From timing and dosage to stress and body chemistry, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes. Dive into real stories from my clients and discover what might actually help you (and your family) finally get restful sleep. Raise your hand if you have a bottle of melatonin tucked away somewhere in