102: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 102
102: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 102

UK Health Radio Podcast

Conversation between Andrew Colsky and social worker Mattia Lewitt focusing on practical, behaviour-based strategies to improve sleep alongside mental health concerns. The episode highlights CBT-I, habits, boundaries and lifestyle tweaks that may help people reduce insomnia without relying on medication.

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43:59•8 Sept 2026

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Sleep, Stress and Small Habits: Mattia Lewitt on Fixing Your Nights

Episode Overview

CBT-I can significantly improve long-standing insomnia within six to eight sessions by targeting both thoughts and behaviours around sleep.
Asking detailed questions about nightmares, bedtime routines and bedroom environment helps uncover sleep problems hidden beneath anxiety, depression or PTSD.
Small, realistic changes such as daily walks, earlier worry time and device-free wind-down periods can have a big impact on sleep quality.
Late naps, heavy evening meals and bedtime doom scrolling can undermine sleep by disrupting sleep drive and increasing emotional arousal.
Behavioural sleep medicine is often more effective and safer long term than relying on melatonin or sleeping pills, and professional help is recommended if self-help strategies aren’t enough.

“In six to eight sessions, somebody could be sleeping better than they'd been sleeping in years.”

Curious about how others manage their sleep when life, work and mental health all collide? This conversation on UK Health Radio’s Sleep Science Today brings sleep out of the shadows and into everyday life, with a mix of practical tips and honest chat.

Host Andrew Colsky sits down with social worker and CBT-I practitioner Mattia Lewitt, founder of Philadelphia Social Work, to talk about why sleep is so often ignored in professional training and how that gap affects people with depression, anxiety, PTSD and everyday stress.

Mattia explains how she first learnt about cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) through her work with veterans, and why it hooked her so quickly: “In six to eight sessions, somebody could be sleeping better than they'd been sleeping in years.” You’ll hear how she weaves sleep questions into detailed assessments, asking about nightmares, bedtime worry, bedroom setup and that all-too-familiar “tired but wired” feeling.

The pair break down simple, realistic changes like moving phones out of the bedroom, protecting the 30–60 minutes before bed, and using small habits—like a short daily walk—to shift mood, support mental health and stabilise sleep. Mattia also talks behavioural activation for depression, exercise timing, how food and late-night “snacks” can sabotage rest, and why revenge bedtime procrastination can quietly wreck your night.

Andrew pushes on practicalities too, from social media “doom scrolling” to over-the-counter sleep aids and melatonin, stressing that behavioural sleep medicine often beats pills without the side effects. If you’re juggling stress, screens, busy evenings and a racing mind, this episode offers realistic ideas you can try tonight—and a strong case for getting proper sleep support rather than just hoping things sort themselves out. Which small change could you experiment with first?

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