January Toolkit: How to sleep well with clinical hypnotherapist Fiona Brennan

·23 min·2 clips

Clinical hypnotherapist Fiona Brennan reveals why writing a book on sleep gave her anxiety and how she overcame it.

The episode begins with Karl Henry introducing the topic of sleep and guest Fiona Brennan, a clinical hypnotherapist and author. Brennan explains that her new book 'Sleep Well' was inspired by feedback from her previous work, where people reported improved sleep. She shares that while researching, she developed somniphobia—anxiety around sleep—which led her to understand the difference between being an okay sleeper and a great sleeper. Brennan emphasizes that calmness during the day is key to sleeping well at night. She introduces her 'sleep well formula': breathe, imagine, experience, and faith, which helps train the mind to let go. Brennan discusses common sleep myths, such as the belief that alcohol aids sleep, explaining it actually disrupts REM sleep. She outlines several habits for better sleep, including going to bed and waking at roughly the same time, creating a 60-minute bedtime routine, and exercising during the day. Brennan highlights the importance of light exposure, recommending morning light and dimming lights at night, especially in bathrooms. She advises eating mindfully and not too close to bedtime. Brennan also recommends daily rest practices, like non-sleep deep rest (NSDR), and connecting positively with others. She shares a case study of musician Fanula Sherry, who overcame decades of poor sleep by accepting wakefulness and not chasing sleep. The episode ends with Brennan promoting her sleep workshop in Wicklow and her Instagram page, The Positive Habit.

As heard by us

A calm, practical conversation about rebuilding sleep through rhythm, routine, and self-compassion.

Sleep comes through as a daily rhythm, not a problem to solve only in the last hour before bed. Fiona Brennan, clinical hypnotherapist and founder of The Positive Habit, makes a steady case for roughly consistent bedtimes and wake times, weekends included.

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Why you'd press play

You want better sleep, but your weekend lie-in keeps sending bedtime the wrong memo.

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