Frequently Asked Questions
General
Sleepyhead Program is based off of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia [CBT-i]. Behavioural sleep medicine is the only scientifically proven, non-medicated way to fix insomnia and is, without a doubt the way to go in fixing and overcoming your sleep problems. We are aware that there are many programs out there, however we can tell you what makes Sleepyhead Program different and sets us apart from everyone else. The Sleepyhead Program has been created by Stephanie Romiszewski, a British Specialist Sleep Physiologist and TV sleep expert. Stephanie holds a MSc. in Behavioural Sleep Medicine, as well as a BSc. in Psychology. She has appeared on numerous sleep television programs around the world including BBC, Sky News and Channel 4 and is a contributor for Business Insider, The Spectator, The Times, The Guardian, and Vice Magazine. Stephanie has more than 15 years experience treating over 10,000 patients for sleep disorders and is recognised as one of the world’s leading sleep physiologists.
The Sleepyhead Program offers you access to community of people that are or have been in exactly the same position as you find yourself in. Insomnia tends to be a lonely condition and the stigma attached to the problem means sufferers feel isolated and alone. The online community we have created allows for a safe space where members share and empathise with each other in an uplifting and encouraging manner. Having support while going through this process definitely makes it easier!
Alongside having Stephanie Romiszewski present the program work, Sleepyhead Program has been designed so members have direct access to Stephanie on a weekly basis by means of online ‘Live Clinics’. Sleepyhead Program is one of a kind in that we provide the accessibility and convenience of an online program with the support of a community as well as guidance from Stephanie Romiszewski, herself.
We are the only program that offers a combination of an online program with human professional support. Sleepyhead Program is based on the Gold Standard of CBT-i and is structured in such a way that provides the methodology and information you need to fix your insomnia but we appreciate no two people are the same and there are various routes to get to the same destination. Our approach is to give you ‘what’ to do and your part is deciding what is the best ‘how’ to get the results, as only you will know the intricacies of your personal situation.
We hope you use the tools we give you to the best way to empower yourself in overcoming your sleep problem.
The Sleepyhead Program is adapted to individuals suffering from insomnia under ‘ordinary’ conditions [ie every day stress, children, fast-paced lifestyles etc] and the following ‘out of the ordinary’ circumstances may impact the success rate: Moving house, a newborn who is yet to sleep through the night or pregnancy. Starting a new job, shift workers- any other factor that is considered ‘outside of the norm’ of daily life. We encourage individuals who are facing ‘out of the ordinary’ circumstances to undertake the program once the circumstances have normalised to an ‘ordinary’ degree.
This depends on many factors such as:
- How strict you can be
- How strong willed
- Your resilience
- Your discipline in following the program
- Outside the ‘normal’ things happening your life
However, the vast majority of people will fix their problem between 10-16 weeks.
This program is for adults only. Whilst some of the advice can be applied to children, it is best to get some further advice from a sleep specialist as at different ages we have different sleep needs, and the course may need to be adapted for the specific age group.
We’re really sorry to hear this… There are a couple of points to look at:
- Firstly: was it CBT or CBTI? Although they sound similar they are not the same, and CBT is NOT made for treating sleep disorders.
- Secondly: we’d like to understand how your therapy was delivered and by who. Stephanie’s course has been created off the back of nearly 15 years’ experience and thousands of individuals treated. Her Behavioural Sleep Medicine course is based on CBTI. But it is that experience that means she is so successful at treating insomnia.
All of the video/audio/information/links associated with Sleepyhead Program are accessible on any desktop, tablet or smart mobile device.
We offer a Sleepyhead Maintenance Program for people who have completed the main program.
It is for people who are worried life will get in the way again, thinking they might relapse or just want access to Stephanie to ask a question when things get tough.
Keep in mind that the criteria for enrolment on the maintenance program would include, and not be limited to having completed all the sessions and lessons within Sleepyhead Program. The information, tools and insight planned for the maintenance program will built off of the foundation of the entire Sleepyhead Program contents, hence it is imperative that the full program has been completed prior to starting the maintenance program.
No.
We are currently developing one, however at the moment the program is all web based.
All you need is a device that has access to the internet so you can log into your account to view your material.
At times you will be asked to write things down but that is all.
The ‘Live Clinics’ are on Facebook so a Facebook account is extremely beneficial.
Content is released daily for the first three weeks of the program slowly with the aim of keeping the pace manageable with the amount of new information to absorb.
Each new lesson will range from 3-15 minutes a night, so the amount of time you need to invest daily is minimal, but worth it!
Clinical
Here is what Stephanie has to say: ‘The difference between a good sleeper and somebody who has insomnia is not that the good sleeper does not get bad sleep.
The difference is that when they get a bad night’s sleep or even two bad nights, they don’t worry about it. Now the worry is important, not because of the worry itself, but because if you are worried then your mindset hasn’t changed about your sleep, so the worry comes assuming something bad is going to happen to you or future things are going to happen because of the bad nights sleep you have had; what it means it is likely to change your behaviour.
Physically changing your sleep is quite easy; altering your mindset is where the real challenge lies.’ Along the way, the program will empower you to take ownership of what you can control and influence in the present and let go of what you can’t either because it is in the past or because it is in the future. Worry, anxiety, fear, excitement etc should not keep you up all night. Sleep is vital to tackling the obstacles or enjoying the exciting things in life and we hope to get you to that point where you feel capable of handling anything because you don’t ‘worry’ about your sleep.
This course is in no way an overnight cure…
It will require commitment, resilience and consistency. It is not an easy win, but it will be a massive win.
If:
- you can not commit fully to this course.
- Are in constant need for reassurance
- Expect demonstrable results to continue with your efforts in doing things.
- Expect results in anything less than a few weeks.
Then this course will sadly not be for you…
In certain cases, the course will need to be tailored to your specificities. This is the case if you are suffering from any of the following:
- Restless Legs
- Chronic Pain
- Tinnitus
- Fibromyalgia
- Diagnosed chronic fatigue
The circumstances/conditions we currently do not cater for yet are:
- Working night shifts
- Parent of a baby yet to sleep full nights
- Under 18’s
- Psychosis
- Manias
- Personality Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Severe Depression
- Seizures
- Epilepsy
- Circadian Rhythm Disorder
- Narcolepsy
- Parasomnia
Don’t be disheartened, people with these conditions can be helped with their sleep. However they require one on one medical input through many steps of the journey that an online program can not provide.
Sleepyhead Program is designed to support you even while you are taking prescribed sleep medication or supplements for your insomnia. You do not need to stop taking your medication to see results from the program however, the ultimate goal is to get you to point where you can manage your sleep, unassisted.
Initially, reducing or coming off sleep medication or supplements may bring about rebound insomnia; please do not worry, this is a temporary side effect of the change and it will not last. It is important to not to panic in this scenario and to remember that your sleep will improve again after a few days.
Disclaimer: It is imperative that you seek advice and support from your General Practitioner before you make any changes to your prescribed regimen. Please note that we are unable to answer any enquiries requesting medical advice. Such enquiries should be addressed to an appropriate, qualified general practitioner.
We are confident that we would be able to help you with your sleep difficulties; the only concern is that our videos have not been subtitled as yet. An alternative would be to send the video with transcripts – if this would be suitable for you, give us a try!
We have created this program to help people understand the science of sleep.
We cannot, however account for members everyday lives or the variabilities within it. So when members get colds or other illness they need to think about how those circumstances will affect themselves and then take a break from the program if they need too, but that decision is up to them.
Individuals have got to decide when it is right for them and when it is wrong for them, all we can do is provide them with the evidence-based options; educational and behavioural type support to fix your insomnia.
Account
If you have forgotten your password or you need to reset it, simply click on ‘My account’ from our website homepage.
From there, select ‘Lost your password’ underneath the login button.
A reset link will be sent to your email address that your account is registered with.
You can cancel your subscription anytime.
Login to your account, select ‘subscriptions’. From there you can select ‘cancel’. Your account will then be given ‘pending cancellation’ status. This means that you will still have access up until the end of the billing month you have paid for.