“Why is it that we're so obsessed with this idea that we must go to bed at the same time every night? Even a good sleeper is never, ever, going to get the consistent sleep every single night. They're never gonna get that eight hours. They're never going to do that because every day is different. And sometimes they are just going to take a bit longer to go to sleep. It is normal to get sleep problems. That is the body's way of adjusting to change”. 

Hello & welcome back. 

Hosted & edited by Tracey Duke, produced by Felix Northover and recorded via Zoom during these incredibly challenging times, of Covid-19, we ask the question; what does it take to thrive in a world of both challenge and opportunity and most importantly, how do we build the resilience and leadership skills to get us there?

Ever have one of those nights when, despite running off the day’s stresses, despite the relaxed evening, the bath, the candles & Matthew McConaughey whispering quietly in your ear, it’s just not happening. Your mind refuses to stop over-thinking, you toss and turn and it feels like house party has taken up residence in your head. 

Well, it turns out you’re not alone. Lockdown & Covid-19 is keeping us all up at night, to some degree, and that blissful nights sleep is but a distant dream…The good news; our body has our back and if we can just take away the expectation of a perfect night’s sleep, and put a few tools and tricks in place throughout the day, it’ll help no end with getting you through the night. 

My guest today is Stephanie Romiszewski; a Consultant Sleep Physiologist, she is the founder of the Sleepyhead Clinic here in Exeter and a Channel 4 series sleep expert.

Working in the wellness and medical industry, both with NHS and private clients, Stephanie specialises in complex sleep cases, developing bespoke treatment plans for her clients.

Because, and let’s be honest here, feeling tired sucks. It leads to irrationality, deterioration of health & wellbeing and a breakdown in communication skills, among a whole stream of other negatives. 

Get it right however and sleep will magnify every positive aspect of your being to an extent greater than diet or even exercise. Leading sleep experts across the globe agree that getting sleep and recovery right is crucially important and possibly never more so than now, as we arm ourselves in our fight against Covid-19. 

Today’s conversation explores the ways in which grief, extraordinarily long working hours, uncertainty, exam & financial worries are all taking their toil on our sleep. But, thankfully, there are ways in which you can improve the quality of your sleep and negate some of the pressures and stress we all, to some degree, feel right now.

We’ll also take a deep dive into:

• What you can expect from your sleep, or lack of it
• Sleep vs Relaxation
• Sleep debt
• Helping kids & teens through this time of lockdown

And we give you the professional, low down on the controversial sleep prescription drug Modafinil. Trending as a perceived performance enhancing drug among high achievers, & university students, but with some pretty severe side effects, we explore whether there many be a temptation for those on the frontline & government to turn to it as a crutch during times of intense sleep deprivation. And if they do, what to expect long term. 

Huge thanks to Felix and to Stephanie for pulling together and getting this recorded and out during a time of intense global & personal pressure, and for helping to capture a poignant moment in history.

Thanks for listening to my conversation with Stephanie. To get in touch, and to find out more about her online programmes, please check out the links below and give her a shout. 

If you enjoyed the episode and have a chance, please rate & review, hit subscribe to keep up with new episodes and pass it along to a friend. I hope you’ll come back next Friday for more and in the meantime, you can check out our own coaching sessions and previous filmed episodes at www.exetereal.com

Stephanie Romiszewski

http://www.sleepyheadprogram.com

www.sleepyheadclinic.co.uk

Email: Info@sleepyheadclinic.co.uk

Instagram: @sleepheadsteph

Exeter Real 

Instagram - @exeterreal

Web - www.exeterreal.co.uk

Email: tracey@exeterreal.co.uk

Felix Northover 

Web - https://www.felixnorthoverphotography.com

Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please drop an email to tracey@exeterreal.co.uk