In this deeply personal and insightful episode, Claire O’Brien (Honest and Goodness Nutrition) is joined by sleep therapist Jean O’ Hanlon, who shares her journey through sleep paralysis and the winding path that led her to open her own sleep clinic.

Together, they unpack the complex relationship between sleep, lifestyle, and mental health from the challenges of post-pandemic sleep disruption to the often misunderstood world of sleep hygiene. Jean offers both professional insights and hard-won personal wisdom on overcoming insomnia, managing anxiety, and tuning into your body’s natural rhythms.

The conversation moves beyond general sleep tips, exploring how mindfulness, social connection, caffeine, sugar, and even fasting impact sleep and how a personalised, compassionate approach to health can unlock real change.

What You’ll Learn:

• • Why sleep paralysis can be a life-changing (and misunderstood) experience
  • How the medical system often overlooks sleep struggles, particularly in women
  • Why connection and social support are key for sleep and mental well-being
  • The real meaning of sleep hygiene and why the term might be misleading
• • How caffeine and sugar impact sleep, even early in the day

  • The importance of understanding what’s normal in the sleep cycle

  • How fasting can disrupt sleep and why it’s not for everyone

  • Ways to approach your health as a living experiment, with curiosity, not guilt

• • Why mindfulness and rest are not luxuries, but essential to healing
  • How resilience and awareness can reshape your relationship with sleep and energy

  
  

  Chapters:
  

• 00:00 – Introduction to Sleep Therapy and Personal Journey 07:03 – Understanding Sleep Disorders: Personal Experiences and Insights

  15:09 – The Impact of Lifestyle on Sleep Quality

  22:03 – Mindfulness and Meditation: Overcoming Mental Barriers

  29:49 – Post-Pandemic Sleep Challenges and Social Support

  35:01 – Sleep Hygiene: Essential Practices for Better Sleep

  41:14 – The Caffeine Conundrum

  49:12 – Personalised Health Experiments

  54:35 – Understanding Normal Sleep Patterns

  01:00:16 – The Essence of Well-Being