Dr. Steve Orma is a clinical psychologist and happiness expert specializing in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, and stress. If you’ve ever had a hard time falling asleep, or getting back to sleep after waking up, you’ve had firsthand experience with the way anxiety (or your worry about things in the future) can sabotage your efforts. That is why I thought Dr. Orma would make a perfect guest for this week’s Lifestyle Practice of establishing a bedtime ritual.
Dr. Orma has extensive clinical experience helping individuals of all backgrounds from PTSD war vets to students, moms, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and more. He suffered from and overcame insomnia himself, making him personally aware of how a lack of sleep can negatively impact energy, health, and well-being.
As a result of his experience, he wrote a book, Stop Worrying and Go to Sleep: How to Put Insomnia to Bed for Good. He has also been widely quoted in the national media for his mental health expertise, including ABC News, MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Women’s Health, Shape, Men’s Journal, and more.
Topics discussed during the podcast:
- The psychology behind bedtime rituals
- Specific ideas for bedtime rituals to assist in falling asleep
- Why you shouldn’t keep your to-do list next to your bed
- What to do when you’re in bed and can’t fall asleep or get back to sleep
- Why you shouldn’t have a television in your bedroom
- Anxiety and insomnia — expecting the worst and worrying about it doesn’t help
- Using “exposure” and “flooding” techniques to address the core beliefs causing your anxiety
- Taking action — how it increases confidence and lowers anxiety
Enjoy!
P.S. If you only have five minutes, listen to the part at 12:50 where I ask Dr. Orma how critical it is to have a pre-bedtime ritual.
Have a comment, thought, or question? Send me an email at podcast@wholelifechallenge.com. I’d love to hear from you and will do my best to address your comment or question on the podcast.
Links Mentioned
Dr. Steve Orma — Steve’s website where you can find his book, sleep coaching, and blogs.
What Really Works When You’re Too Anxious to Fall Asleep — A HuffPo article featuring Dr. Orma.
Calm App — An excellent sleep app Dr. Orma recommends.
BluBlocker Sunglasses — Sunglasses that block out the blue light emitted by computers and phones.
Slow-Carb Diet — Medium article laying out the basics of this diet plan.
If you enjoyed this podcast, here are some others to check out:
Dr. Kirk Parsley – A Navy SEAL Doctor’s Unconventional Sleep Advice
Adam Stanecki – On Life, Listening, and Living Authentically
Andy is a certified CHEK Practitioner and holistic lifestyle coach. He holds a spectrum of certifications from CrossFit and is also a Vivobarefoot certified running coach. He has trained as a Zen buddhist and graduated with a Master’s degree in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica.
Andy founded CrossFit LA one of the first and most successful CrossFit training centers in the world and the first to be featured in national media. He is the co-founder of the Whole Life Challenge, Inc, currently its president, and is also a consultant and life/business coach. Andy lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Julia, and son, Dashel.
