The Sleep Coach School Podcast

Have you ever felt confident after a good night of sleep, only to feel discouraged after a restless one? In this Summer Series encore episode, Coach Daniel revisits a community favorite recommended by Angela, who shared how this episode continues to bring her comfort and reassurance during recovery. Coach Daniel explores the common "confidence and doubt roller coaster" of insomnia recovery and explains why setbacks, speed bumps, and difficult nights don't mean you've lost progress.

Most importantly, he shares how changing the meaning we assign to sleep can help us move from fear and frustration to smoother sailing and lasting peace of mind.

In This Episode • Why insomnia recovery often feels like a roller coaster • The connection between sleep, confidence, and self-doubt

• Why speed bumps are a normal part of recovery

• How to approach difficult nights with less fear and panic

• The key to a smoother recovery journey If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.

The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well. BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now.

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊.

And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

In this episode of Talking Insomnia, Daniel opens up about his insomnia journey that began in the summer of 2022. What started as one bad night before a long-awaited night out with friends quickly spiraled into months of anxiety, sleep windows, and a desperate search for answers.

Daniel walks us through the highs and lows — initial relief through CBT-I, a brutal relapse with hypnic jerks in early 2024, and the moment a single paragraph in a book changed everything.

Nine months later, he's sleeping well and has a message for anyone still in the thick of it: "You've got to go there to come back."

If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.

The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.

BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now. 

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊.

And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

Many people assume that sleeping better is the clearest sign of recovery. But what if the most important sign has nothing to do with how many hours you slept last night? In this Insomnia Insight episode, Coach Daniel reveals the #1 sign that you're leaving the insomnia struggle behind and explains why it may be far more meaningful than getting a full night of sleep.

You'll learn why a neutral response to a difficult night can be one of the strongest indicators of progress, how sleep anxiety keeps the cycle of insomnia alive, and why understanding the true nature of insomnia can help you move toward lasting recovery.

Coach Daniel also explores the difference between physical tiredness and the emotional suffering often created by the stories we tell ourselves about sleep.

Through practical examples and thought-provoking insights, he shows how reducing fear around sleep naturally helps the struggle lose its grip. If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.

The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.

BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now.

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊.

And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

How do you convince your brain that it's safe to be awake at night? In this episode of Mining in the Comments, Daniel explores a thoughtful question from the community:

"How do we convince ourselves to feel safe with the outcome if we genuinely do not feel safe with the outcome?"

Many people with insomnia understand logically that being awake at night isn't dangerous, yet still feel trapped in a cycle of fear, pressure, and sleeplessness.

So how do we help the brain see what the logical mind already knows?

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why trying to force yourself to feel safe often backfires

• The surprising similarities between changing your own mind and changing someone else's • How insomnia is fueled by resistance and fear rather than wakefulness itself

• The difference between what feels true and what is actually true • Why feelings of exhaustion and depletion don't necessarily mean something is wrong

• How recovery can happen even when doubt is still present This conversation offers a gentler perspective on insomnia recovery—one rooted in understanding, patience, and allowing your mind the space to discover safety on its own.

💬 Have a question you'd like featured in a future Mining in the Comments episode? Leave it in the comments below. If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.

The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well. BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now.

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊.

And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

In this episode of Aly’s Take, Aly is joined by insomnia and chronic fatigue recovery coach Daniel Shai for a deep conversation about the biggest spiritual and emotional lessons they’ve learned through the insomnia recovery journey.

Daniel shares his powerful 30-year journey through insomnia, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and dependence on sleep aids — and how recovery transformed not only his sleep, but his entire relationship with life, fear, control, and self-acceptance.

Together, Aly and Daniel explore how insomnia recovery becomes far more than “getting sleep back.” It becomes a path of nervous system healing, emotional growth, spiritual embodiment, and learning how to stop fighting ourselves.

Connect with Daniel Shai: 🌐 Website: restedandfree.com 📺 YouTube: @restedandfree Connect with Aly: 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sacredsleepcoach

This episode is featured on The Sleep Coach School channel. If this conversation resonated with you, consider liking, subscribing, and sharing with someone navigating insomnia recovery, anxiety, or chronic fatigue.

If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu. The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.

BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now.

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ 

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊.

And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

In this episode, Coach Daniel welcomes his namesake, Daniel who shares a powerful story of transformation. For over thirty years, Daniel struggled with a combination of chronic fatigue and severe insomnia that completely reshaped his life. Everything changed when he learned what truly had been happening as that he was NOT alone.

If you’d like to learn more with Coach Daniel Shai (highly recommend!),

here are his links: YouTube:  @restedandfree  Website: https://www.restedandfree.com/ — If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options.

Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.

The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.

BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now. 

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊.

And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

In this episode of Insomnia Insight, Coach Daniel explores 7 common habits that can unintentionally keep insomnia going — and how changing these patterns can make sleep feel easier and more natural again. From constantly researching sleep problems to tracking sleep data obsessively, these habits often come from a genuine desire to feel safe, reassured, and in control. But paradoxically, they can increase pressure, anxiety, and self-monitoring around sleep. Coach Daniel walks through each habit compassionately, emphasizing that these patterns are not personal failures, but understandable responses from a mind trying to help.

If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.

The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well. BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now. —

 

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ 

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊. And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

Turning the Insomnia Anniversary Upside Down In this Mining the Comments episode, Daniel explores a surprisingly common experience in insomnia recovery: the “insomnia anniversary.” For some, the anniversary of when insomnia began can trigger fear that the struggle may return — even after months of sleeping well. For others, reaching the one-year mark while still struggling can create discouragement and thoughts like: “Will this ever end?” In this episode, we explore: Why insomnia anniversaries can feel emotionally charged What “return concern” really is Why insomnia is maintained by attempts to control sleep How “speed bumps” differ from setbacks or relapses Why a year of struggle does NOT mean something is wrong with you The role of self-kindness in healing How the insomnia anniversary can eventually become a symbol of growth rather than fear One of the central insights in this episode: Insomnia itself does not “come back” on an anniversary date — what can return is the urge to monitor, control, or prevent sleeplessness. Daniel also shares an encouraging reminder that insomnia recovery rarely has a clear ending date. Instead, it tends to fade gradually as fear and pressure dissolve.

 

 

If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.

The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.

BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now. 

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊. And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

 

 

If you’ve ever heard someone say they recovered from insomnia after they “stopped caring about sleep,” this video explains what that REALLY means. Because the truth is: nobody completely stops caring about sleep. In this episode of Insomnia Insight, we explore: Why sleep pressure keeps insomnia going The difference between caring and attachment Why acceptance is NOT giving up How the meaning you give sleepless nights affects your experience Why insomnia recovery often begins when sleep stops feeling like an emergency.

 

If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu. The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.

BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now. — Do you like learning by reading?

If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs! Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ 

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊. And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool

How does insomnia actually end? In this episode of Insomnia Insight, we explore a powerful and often overlooked truth: while many people can pinpoint the exact moment their insomnia started, almost no one can say exactly when it ended.

So what does that tell us? Daniel (sleep physician turned sleep coach) shares three key insights from working with thousands of people who have overcome insomnia: 

Why insomnia doesn’t end with a single “aha” moment • How “aha chasing” can actually keep you stuck • The illusion behind success stories and recovery timelines

Why there’s no clear “graduation day” from insomnia

The reality is simple—but freeing: insomnia doesn’t suddenly disappear. It fades. It loses momentum.

It quietly exits. If you’ve been waiting for a breakthrough moment to fix everything, this episode might change how you see your progress—and help you move forward with less pressure.

 

If you're ready to leave insomnia for good, check out our coaching options. Head over to www.thesleepcoachschool.com and click on GET SLEEP in the menu.

The Insomnia Immunity program is perfect if you like learning through video and want to join a group on your journey towards sleeping well.
BedTyme is ideal if you like to learn via text and have a sleep coach in your pocket.

The 1:1 Zoom based program is for you if you like to connect one on one with someone who has been where you are now. 

Do you like learning by reading? If so, here are two books that offer breakthroughs!

Tales of Courage by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Courage-Twenty-six-accounts-insomnia/dp/B09YDKJ3KX

Set it & Forget it by Daniel Erichsen https://www.amazon.com/Set-Forget-ready-transform-sleep/dp/B08BW8KWDJ

Would you like to become a Sleep Hero by supporting the Natto movement on Patreon? If so, that’s incredibly nice of you 😊.

And here’s the link to do just that: https://www.patreon.com/thesleepcoachschool —