Episode 656: Why You Can't Shut Your Brain Off at Night (And What Actually Helps)Episode 656: Why You Can't Shut Your Brain Off at Night (And What Actually Helps)
Busy Living Sober with Host Elizabeth Chance
Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance and sleep resilience coach Tim Thomas talk about insomnia, anxiety and sobriety, sharing simple breathwork tools to calm an overactive nervous system. The conversation links loneliness, fatigue and addictive patterns with practical ways to build genuine rest and resilience.
1:15:45•14 Jul 2026
Breath, Sleep and Sobriety: Tim Thomas on Calming a Racing Mind
Episode Overview
- Repairing sleep often starts with addressing loneliness and fatigue rather than just sleep habits.
- Simple breathing techniques can shift you out of fight‑or‑flight and into a calmer, clearer state within a few breaths.
- Focusing on small, repeatable wins (like five minutes before bed and on waking) is more sustainable than big, exhausting changes.
- Natural tools such as breathwork and morning sunlight can support nervous system health without relying solely on pills.
- Viewing past struggle as “fertiliser” can help turn painful experiences into resources for others in recovery.
“When I was having trouble with alcohol, sobriety wasn’t about removing the alcohol. It was about learning how to live in a body you no longer needed to escape from.”
Curious about how others stay sober while dealing with sleepless nights and a racing mind? This chat on Busy Living Sober brings together host Elizabeth “Bizzy” Chance and former Special Forces soldier, professional fighter, and sleep resilience coach Tim Thomas for a very human, very practical conversation about nervous systems, insomnia and life after alcohol.
You’ll hear Tim explain that his work with veterans, high‑pressure professionals and burnt‑out everyday people isn’t about “fixing broken people”, but about helping them come back into their bodies and their lives. He links sleep, stress and sobriety in a way that feels especially relevant if you’ve ever tried to knock yourself out at night with alcohol, pills or endless scrolling. As he puts it, “sobriety wasn’t about removing the alcohol.
It was about learning how to live in a body you no longer needed to escape from.” The episode walks through how pain often morphs into deep loneliness and fatigue, and why those two states can quietly drive addictive behaviours. Tim shares simple, no‑woo breathing techniques that anyone can try in a chair or in bed, guiding Bizzy through step‑by‑step exercises that leave her noticeably calmer and even easing a stubborn shoulder knot.
There’s plenty here for people in recovery who lie awake wired at 3am: practical ideas around “small wins” instead of giant lifestyle overhauls, using five minutes before sleep and after waking to reset, and tapping into natural tools like breath and morning sunlight rather than defaulting to another prescription. If you’re sober or sober‑curious and your brain still refuses to switch off at night, this episode offers grounded tools and a warm reminder that you’re far from alone.
Why not try one of Tim’s tiny breathing experiments and see what happens when you shift your state from the inside out?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.