Doron Lazarus is the founder of Executive Sleep Consulting. He lives in South Bend, Indiana
I was never a great sleeper, but my insomnia got really bad when I was around 25, and I was going around to doctors and psychologists and nothing helped. My background is in neuroscience and psychology, and I thought, This is ridiculous, there has to be a better way. After some research and a lot of trial and error, I fixed my sleep issue, and I wanted to share what I learned with others. Now I work as a sleep coach, helping people with issues like insomnia, snoring, apnea, nightmares, and general fatigue. I help them get their sleep — and life — back on track.
Mostly the observant Jewish community in the Tristate area, but I also work remotely with people of all stripes from around the world. Most are motivated individuals in their twenties to fifties they tend to be driven and successful, but sleep is a challenge. One that stands out was a fellow therapist who was skeptical — she’d been on sleeping pills too long, knew too much, and couldn’t see this working for her. I told her many of my clients echo a similar sentiment at first. Four days later, she called to tell me she dropped the pills. She hasn’t needed them since.
“What on earth is a sleep coach?!” Some people ask more nicely than that, but everyone thinks it — they’ve never heard of a sleep coach! I explain that I take a holistic view of physical and mental health, helping restore harmony between body, mind, and soul, allowing sleep to come naturally so my clients can get the rest they need to thrive. Everyone should take stock of their sleep, because most of us don’t know whether we’re sleeping well or not. A lot of people walk around tired, grumpy, and hazy, and they think that’s normal — but it’s not. Sleep is an amazing wellspring of energy, health, vitality, and if you aren’t dipping in properly every night, it’s time for an upgrade.
For some, it’s a mental and emotional block in response to trauma like abuse or divorce. But for most, insomnia isn’t a medical issue — usually you’re thrown off your sleep cycle, have a few bad nights, and then you start worrying. You build up the problem in your mind, it feels like you “contracted” this condition called insomnia, and you resort to over-the-counter sleep aides, and from there medical help and prescription drugs. A lot of times it’s just a matter of reminding your body how to regulate this vital function.
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