Restorative Sleep Coach

24/08/2026

Ever find yourself wide awake at 3am during perimenopause, heart racing, wondering what happened to the sleep you used to take for granted?

You're not imagining it, and you're not broken. This is your biology in transition, and there's a real explanation behind it.

I've just written a new blog going into the science: why falling progesterone makes it harder to drift off, why fluctuating oestrogen is often behind those night sweats that pull you straight out of deep sleep, and what's actually happening with cortisol and stress in the background.

But it's not just the science. I've shared the things I work through with clients too: how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help you stop fighting sleep, how mindfulness throughout the day (not just at night) retrains your nervous system, and how hypnotherapy, the very thing that changed my own sleep years ago, is finally getting the research recognition it deserves.

If perimenopause has changed your relationship with sleep, this one's for you.
Link in bio to read the full article.

24/08/2026

Ever find yourself wide awake at 3am during perimenopause, heart racing, wondering what happened to the sleep you used to take for granted?

You're not imagining it, and you're not broken. This is your biology in transition, and there's a real explanation behind it.

I've just written a new blog going into the science: why falling progesterone makes it harder to drift off, why fluctuating oestrogen is often behind those night sweats that pull you straight out of deep sleep, and what's actually happening with cortisol and stress in the background.

But it's not just the science. I've shared the things I work through with clients too: how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help you stop fighting sleep, how mindfulness throughout the day (not just at night) retrains your nervous system, and how hypnotherapy, the very thing that changed my own sleep years ago, is finally getting the research recognition it deserves.

If perimenopause has changed your relationship with sleep, this one's for you. Link below to read the full article.

If you've found yourself wide awake at 3am, heart racing for no clear reason, throwing the duvet off one minute and pulling it back on the next, and lying there wondering what on earth has happened to the sleep you used ...

24/06/2026

Lying awake in the heat tonight? 🥵 This post is for you.

Whether it's the heatwave keeping you up, hot flushes waking you at 3am, or a lovely combination of both, here's something worth knowing:

Your experience of temperature isn't controlled purely by a thermometer. The brain plays a bigger role than most people realise. And that means there's something we can actually do about it.

Research shows that imagining a cold landscape, with no physical change in temperature at all, is enough to shift the brain's thermal response. In clinical trials, hypnotherapy reduced hot flush frequency by 68%.

You can't think yourself cold. But you can think yourself a little cooler. ❄️

In my latest blog I'm covering:

✨ The science of why your brain shapes how hot you feel
🌨️ Why winter imagery works better than summer scenes when you're overheating
🔬 What the research says about hypnotherapy for hot flushes and night sweats
🎧 A free Cooling Imagery MP3 to try tonight, because sometimes you just need a voice to follow

The link is in the comments below 👇

If this would help someone you know, please share it. Hot, sleepless nights are miserable and they don't have to be.

31/05/2026

31/05/2026

The wellness world is finally catching up with something I've known for years and it's being backed by some pretty compelling science. 🌙

A recent article in Corporate Wellness Magazine has named sleep retreats as the fastest growing wellness trend right now. And as a restorative sleep coach, I wanted to share my thoughts on why that matters and what it means for the people I work with every day.

Because here's the thing. Poor sleep isn't just about feeling tired. It's linked to heart disease, anxiety, depression, impaired decision-making, and burnout. It affects every single area of your life; your health, your work, your relationships, your sense of self.

And yet it's still the last thing most people get around to fixing.

In my new blog post I explore:

✦ What the science now tells us about sleep as the foundation of health
✦ Why the modern world is working against our natural sleep rhythms
✦ What makes sleep retreats genuinely effective and what to look for
✦ Why I have been planning small-group sleep retreats for later this year
✦ The rise in corporate sleep workshop enquiries I've been seeing

Whether you're someone who lies awake every night wondering why nothing works, or a business owner who's noticed exhaustion creeping into your team - this one's for you.

Read the full post at the link below 👇

By Holly Hannigan-Mills | The Restorative Sleep Coach | hmcoaching.uk

24/05/2026

If you've been lying awake this weekend, hot and frustrated and convinced your sleep is falling apart ......this one's for you. 🌡️

Here's what I want you to know: your sleep is not broken.

What's happening right now is a completely predictable physiological response to heat. Your body is trying to cool itself down before sleep and the warm air is making that harder. That's biology. Not failure.

The heat will pass. Your sleep will return.
In my latest blog I've shared the ACT-I informed approach I use with my clients, plus 7 practical ways to support your sleep through a UK heatwave, without adding more rules to an already exhausted mind.

Link in comments or via LinkTree in bio

18/05/2026

Most people think their sleep chronotype just determines what time they wake up.

It goes so much deeper than that. 🌙

Your chronotype shapes:

⏰ When your focus and concentration are at their sharpest
🧠 When you make your clearest, most confident decisions
💪 When exercise gives you the greatest benefit
🍽️ How efficiently your body processes food at different times of day
😊 When your mood naturally peaks and when it dips
🤝 How you show up in your relationships and social life
😴 Why sleep comes easily for some people and feels impossible for others

When you understand your chronotype, so many things that felt confusing suddenly make complete sense.

Why you hit a wall every afternoon at the same time. Why mornings feel like wading through fog. Why your brain suddenly comes alive at 10pm just as you're trying to wind down. Why the same sleep advice that transforms one person's life does absolutely nothing for you.

This isn't about fixing yourself. It's about understanding yourself - deeply and finally. 💛

There are four chronotypes. I'll be introducing each one over the coming days. Which do you think you might be?

✨ Curious already? Don't wait - take my free 2-minute Sleep Chronotype Quiz and get your result instantly. Click the Linktree in bio

17/05/2026

If that question means nothing to you right now, keep reading. Because it might just explain more about your sleep, your energy, and your daily life than anything else you've come across.

There are four sleep chronotypes and they're one of the most fascinating areas of sleep science that almost nobody talks about outside of a research lab.

Your chronotype is your body's natural, biological preference for when to sleep, wake, and function at your best. It's not a personality type. It's not a habit. It's genetics, hormones, and your individual circadian rhythm working together, shaping your entire day from the moment you open your eyes.

And here's the bit that surprises most people: there isn't one "right" chronotype. There are four distinct types - each with completely different energy patterns, sleep needs, and daily rhythms.

Over the next few days, I'm going to be introducing all four. And I have a feeling that by the end of this series, you'll know exactly which one you are.

✨ Want to know your chronotype now? I've created a free 2-minute quiz - take it at the link in my bio or copy and paste this link into your browser www.hmcoaching.uk/sleep-quiz

12/05/2026

It's 11pm. We are days into GCSE exam period and your teenager is still at their desk, notes spread everywhere, highlighter in hand.

You tell them to go to bed. They say 'just ten more minutes.'

Sound familiar? 💙

Here's what's actually happening in their brain and body during exam season and what you can do to help.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲:
Exam anxiety triggers a stress response that releases cortisol, the same hormone that wakes us up in the morning. When this spikes at night, teenagers physically cannot switch off. They lie awake with racing thoughts, wake in the early hours, or feel sick with dread before the alarm even goes off.

Meanwhile, the sleep they're sacrificing for revision is the very thing that helps their brain store what they've learned. Deep sleep = memory consolidation. No sleep = information lost.

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸:

🌿 Create a wind-down buffer - encourage them to stop revision an hour before bed and do something genuinely relaxing (a show they love, a bath, gentle music)

🏠 Make sleep feel safe - keep home calm in the evenings; your stress about their exams travels, even when you don't say a word

🌅 Morning matters too - don't quiz them on revision at breakfast; let them ease in gently

💬 Instead of asking 'how's revision going?', ask 'How are YOU doing?' It shifts the focus from performance to person

😴 Remind them - sleeping 8 hours is not laziness. It's one of the smartest revision strategies they have.

This exam season, let's help our teenagers work WITH their sleep, not against it.

Leave a ❤️ if this resonates, and share with a parent who needs to hear it.

05/04/2026

They call it the city that never sleeps, but as a sleep coach, I took that as a personal challenge! 🍎💤

​Having just got back from New York City, I can honestly say the energy is unmatched, and the impact on your circadian rhythm is real.

Between the adrenaline of the city, the constant noise, and the jet lag, my sleep wasn't "perfect", but I still woke up feeling great.

​The secret? Mindset and leaning into the chaos while using a few pro-tools (hello, white noise and magnesium!).

For more details on my experience with sleep in NYC, read my new blog post. Link in bio ✈️✨

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