84: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 8484: Sleep Science Today with Andrew Colsky - Episode 84
UK Health Radio Podcast
Sleep expert Andrew Kolsky talks with psychologist Dr Elise Murray about CBT‑I, breaking down how structured behavioural changes, realistic beliefs and simple routines can improve chronic insomnia. They also touch on anxiety, ADHD and yoga as important factors in calming a restless mind for better sleep.
43:29•28 Apr 2026
CBT‑I, ADHD and Yoga: Dr Elise Murray on Retraining a Restless Brain to Sleep
Episode Overview
- CBT‑I is a structured, time-limited therapy focused specifically on insomnia, going beyond standard CBT by targeting sleep-related thoughts and behaviours.
- A proper assessment looks at sleep patterns, daytime functioning and co-occurring issues such as anxiety, ADHD, chronic pain or medical conditions.
- Sleep restriction (or "bed restriction") consolidates fragmented sleep into an efficient sleep window, which is then gradually expanded as sleep improves.
- Unhelpful beliefs like “I must get eight hours or I’ll fail tomorrow” can worsen insomnia and are challenged as part of CBT‑I.
- Yoga, calming breathwork, tidy sleep environments and consistent routines can all reduce tension and help busy or ADHD minds settle at night.
“"It's really like bed restriction. We're restricting bed to sleeping and sex."”
What drives someone to seek a proper fix for long-term insomnia instead of another quick pill? This conversation on Sleep Science Today gives a straight-talking look at how Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT‑I) can reset broken sleep patterns in a surprisingly practical way. Sleep expert and host Andrew Kolsky chats with psychologist Dr Elise Murray, who first met CBT‑I as a desperate, coffee-fuelled grad student with "atrocious insomnia".
After taking part in a research study, she was hooked: "I saw firsthand, this is so powerful, so effective. And yet, it's pretty straightforward." The chat breaks down what CBT‑I actually involves, how it differs from standard CBT, and why just doing “therapy” isn’t the same as getting structured insomnia treatment.
Dr Murray explains the step-by-step approach: thorough assessment, tracking baseline sleep, challenging extreme beliefs about needing a perfect eight hours, then using timed “sleep windows” and bed-only-for-sleep rules to build solid, efficient rest. You’ll hear why many people don’t just have insomnia; they’re also dealing with anxiety, ADHD, chronic pain or other conditions. That means CBT‑I isn’t a one-size-fits-all fix, and sometimes other medical issues like sleep apnoea or bipolar disorder must be addressed first.
For those with racing minds, Dr Murray brings in yoga, gentle breathwork and proper sleep hygiene. She jokes that sleep restriction is really "bed restriction" – cutting out late-night scrolling, TV and tax returns in bed so the brain relearns that bed equals sleep, not stress. She even shares how something as simple as tidying a cluttered bedroom changed one client’s nights.
If you’re tired, irritable, nodding off at traffic lights or convinced you’re “broken” because you don’t hit eight hours, this chat shows there might be a structured, science-based way to retrain your sleep. Could your own sleep window be the key you’ve been missing?
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