The One Where I Learned to Sleep Better with Chronic Illness

Jul 20, 2025

3 min read

Updated: Aug 7

Peaceful sleeping cat, among white bed sheets, representing the natural ease of good sleep. — Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash

How Sleep Became One of the Roots of My Healing Journey

For a long time, I didn’t give sleep much thought. I didn’t feel I needed to. I went to bed when I wanted, slept and then got on with the next day. Life was busy and stressful for so many years that I never noticed whether I was sleeping well, getting enough sleep, or waking feeling refreshed.

When I became ill, it became more important to pay attention to my sleep. I found I could sleep for 12 hours straight but would wake up still feeling exhausted. It was like plugging in a mobile phone to charge overnight, but always starting with far less than 100% battery in the morning.

black iPhone 5 on white surface,plug in to a charging cable, with very low battery indication — Photo by Wengang Zhai on Unsplash

Other nights I could fall into bed more exhausted than I ever thought possible, only for my brain to light up like Blackpool Illuminations the moment my head hit the pillow. That feeling of being tired but wired is sometimes called 'twired'. I think we've all experienced it at some time or another. It's that feeling of being exhausted while our brain is wide awake and active, leaving sleep as elusive as a needle in a haystack!

Over the years of living with chronic fatigue, sleep has been both a lifeline and a mystery. I needed it so badly, but it never seemed to do what it was supposed to.

Eventually, I realised I couldn't just hope for better sleep. If I wanted to sleep better with chronic illness, I had to work on it deliberately. It wasn’t about sleeping more, but sleeping better. And over time, with plenty of trial and error, I discovered what actually helped me to feel better rested again.

The Roots of My Healing Journey

Sleep is just one of the areas I've been working on as I rebuild my health and energy. Looking back now, I think of sleep, nutrition, movement, mindfulness and connection as the roots of my healing journey. Each one has strengthened and supported me in different ways, helping me grow into the life I have today.

Sleep is the first thing I return to whenever my health begins to slip.

Sleep was the one I underestimated the most, yet now it's the one I return to first whenever I feel my health starting to slip away again. As I started paying more attention to when I sleep, how I prepare for bed, how I wake up, and what I eat and do throughout the day, I started to see real, tangible changes. This is when sleep became one of the roots of my healing journey.

A Sleep Improvement Mini-Series (That Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously)

Over a few blog posts, I’ll be sharing what’s helped me move from restless nights and groggy mornings to something much more sustainable. These aren’t medications, supplements, or miracle cures, and they’re definitely not rigid rules. They’re small shifts I’ve made, one step at a time, tested on my real life, and kept because they actually help me. I'm not perfect. No one is. So I don't stick to everything all the time. I’m only human, and I aim for most of the time. Aiming for all of the time just isn’t realistic or achievable for most of us.

Coming Up in This Mini-Series

(Links will be added as each post goes live)

The One Where I Took Sleep Hygiene Seriously (And It Helped)
The One Where A Consistent Sleep Schedule Became My Superpower
The One Where I Catch Daylight and Ditch Screens for Better Sleep
The One Where Sleep Stats and Naps Taught Me About Quality Over Quantity
The One Where Everything Started to Come Together

Whether you're struggling with sleep, dealing with fatigue, or just curious to see what's helped someone else, I hope you'll find something useful in the posts that follow.

Have you ever gone through a period where sleep just wasn’t working? Or have you found little rituals that help you switch off and get the rest you need? I’d love to know.