Sleep
Foundational Needs — Sleep
Your wind-down protocol
Sleep is when the body regulates cortisol, processes emotion, and restores hormonal balance. During treatment, poor sleep compounds stress. You don’t need to be perfect — a consistent wind-down simply signals safety to your nervous system.
My wind-down, 60–90 min before bed
4-7-8
4
Inhale
7
Hold
8
Exhale
If you wake and can’t fall back asleep
If you’ve been awake more than 30 minutes, get up. Go to another room and read something calm or journal what’s on your mind — no screens — until you feel genuinely sleepy, then return to bed. This CBT technique re-trains the brain to associate bed with sleep, not worry.