108: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 108108: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 108
UK Health Radio Podcast
Sleep Science Today features nervous system regulation coach Sarah Kahn sharing how high-achieving women can use simple daily resets to ease burnout and sleep better. The conversation links stress hormones, gentle movement and three-minute "yoga snacks" to more restful nights and calmer days.
44:50•3 Nov 2026
Sleep, Stress and Yoga Snacks: Sarah Kahn’s Guide for High-Achieving Women
Episode Overview
- Short, consistent practices are easier to maintain than complex, time-consuming routines.
- Morning sunlight and dim evening lighting support melatonin production and healthier sleep patterns.
- Lowering cortisol through breathing, gentle movement and rest periods can improve both stress levels and sleep quality.
- Three-minute "yoga snacks" throughout the day offer practical resets for busy women without needing full-length classes.
- Simple, personalised plans can help reduce panic responses and make demanding work and family situations more manageable.
“Do one for about a month. And add another one. So we want to do things small so we can create habits or rituals and then build on those.”
Ever wondered what it takes to finally slow down when life has been stuck in overdrive for years? This episode of UK Health Radio’s Sleep Science Today follows nervous system regulation coach Sarah Kahn as she shares how high-achieving women can move from burnout to better sleep using simple, repeatable micro-practices. Sarah talks openly about being her own first client: running multiple businesses, pushing through exhaustion, and treating retreats and holidays like temporary escape hatches.
She explains how those breaks felt good but never changed the underlying pattern: "You always come back to the same thing and the same habits." That realisation pushed her to examine her daily life and create a gentler, more consistent way of living. Host Andrew Kolsky guides the conversation into the science of stress and rest, with Sarah breaking down cortisol and melatonin in everyday language.
She keeps it practical: morning sunlight to support circadian rhythms, dimming lights in the evening, cooling the bedroom, and building a regular sleep schedule, even at weekends. Her message is that high-achieving women can’t "just relax", but they can add small, doable resets into packed schedules. A highlight is Sarah’s concept of "yoga snacks" – three-minute mini-practices sprinkled through the day, such as slow breathing before a meeting or simple twists at the desk.
These brief pauses help lower cortisol, calm the nervous system, and set the stage for deeper rest at night. Sarah also shares a striking success story of a client with intense panic attacks who learned to use these tiny tools around demanding trade shows and family emergencies, eventually saying, "They can handle it... I'm fine" and staying present for both work and home.
If you’re a driven woman who’s exhausted but still feels you have to keep proving yourself, this episode offers a realistic, non-intimidating path towards better sleep and a calmer nervous system. Could a few three-minute "snacks" of stillness be the shift your nights have been waiting for?
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