The sleep agency for insomnia

A sleep agency founded by me, Ed Gorst, focused on providing online services to help adults experiencing difficulty sleeping and insomnia.

Many who suffer from a difficulty sleeping find a scarcity of effective options that really help. Sleep hygiene advice and other lifestyle changes are usually ineffective and fail to resolve the problem. Furthermore, providing any underlying medical conditions are excluded, the common treatment options available for insomnia are typically sleeping pills or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Unfortunately sleeping pills are usually only a short-term solution and whilst CBT-I can help some, it proves ineffective for many.

I offer an alternative approach for helping helping using a simple to follow drug-free approach called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This is an approach that can be delivered through minimal online sessions and offers immediate tools to help improve sleep. It solely focuses on sleep problems, avoiding the need to delve into other personal issues.

I can help with common sleep issues such as trouble falling asleep  and or staying asleep, longer term insomnia issues and disturbed sleep due to pain and physical discomfort.

Please note that I can’t offer help to individuals over 65, as sleep problems at this age might be due to other health issues and I am not a medical professional.

There are certain sleep disorders that I’m not qualified to address, requiring specialist medical attention. These disorders might also result in insomnia as a secondary symptom. In such situations, it’s essential to seek medical help for the primary condition. These disorders include:

• Narcolepsy

• Sleep apnoea

• Parasomnias e.g. sleep walking, night terrors, nightmare disorder, REM sleep behaviour disorder and other abnormal nocturnal events

• Restless legs syndrome

• Periodic limb movements disorder

• Circadian rhythm disorders e.g. advanced & delayed sleep-wake phase disorders and irregular sleep-wake rhythm disorder.

Anyone can have occasional difficulty sleeping. However, if you’re frequently distressed about your sleep, or regularly struggle to sleep, you may be seeking help.

Common sleep issues include:

• Difficulty falling asleep

• Frequent nighttime awakenings

• Trouble returning to sleep

• Feeling particularly tired/sleepy the next day

• Worrying and getting anxious about sleep

• Obsessing over sleep and sleep hygiene

• Relying on sleeping pills – prescribed or over the counter

• Using substances like alcohol or cannabis to aid sleep

These issues may also indicate sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea, narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome or parasomnias (e.g. sleepwalking & sleep terrors). Therefore a medical diagnosis can be needed to rule these out.

You can also sleep badly and not suffer from insomnia. Poor sleep may be a temporary response to lifestyle factors and stress, such as in work and relationships.

Difficulty sleeping can affect all ages, sexes, and socio-economic backgrounds. It’s prevalent among those with mental health issues but can also affect otherwise healthy individuals too.

Steven C. Hayes pioneered the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the early eighties. Since then more than 400 peer reviewed research papers have been published and over 900 randomised controlled trials completed to show how effective ACT can be for treating mental health problems and improving wellbeing. In particular many of these support how succesful ACT can be for improving sleep.

Subsequently the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) endorse the use of ACT.

More information about the evidence for ACT can be found at: https://contextualscience.org/state_of_the_act_evidence

I only help adults over the age of 21 and do not offer any sessions for children. I also do not offer services for helping parents to improve their babies sleep. However, I can help parents themselves deal better with their own interrupted sleep patterns due to their newborns.   

I’m a sleep coach dedicated to helping adults overcome insomnia and sleep difficulties through Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT). Having personally faced sleep challenges, I understand the frustration of restless nights. While I'm not a formally qualified professional, I offer practical, evidence-based coaching to improve your sleep without delving into unrelated personal issues. My goal is to provide clear, honest support to help you achieve restful nights.