Dr Lindsay Browning

09/06/2026

I’m at the conference in Glasgow today presenting a talk on how clinicians can help breast cancer patients who are struggling with their sleep.

Around half of women report sleeping difficulties around the time of a breast cancer diagnosis. Understandably, worries about the diagnosis and treatment can make it difficult to switch off at night.

Sleep can then become even more disrupted during treatment because of side effects and physical discomfort from surgery.

One of the challenges is that when people are trying to maximise their chances of recovery, they often become focused on getting enough good quality sleep. Unfortunately, the harder someone tries to force sleep, the harder it can become!

This is the insomnia paradox.

Of course, we want to help people achieve the best sleep possible to support their overall health and wellbeing. But we also need to normalise sleeping difficulties during periods of stress, illness and treatment. It’s normal to have disrupted sleep when you’re understandably very anxious about something like cancer. We should ensure that people struggling with persistent insomnia are directed towards evidence-based treatments such as CBT-I, which is the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia.

So far, the conference has been fantastic. I’ve really enjoyed speaking with inspiring surgeons about their experiences and discussing how we can improve support for patients in the future.

30/05/2026

I’ve just been on discussing a new study presented at ASCO that has suggested a possible link between insomnia and some cancers in younger adults.

But before anyone panics, it is really important to understand what this means and what it does not mean.

This study found an association rather than causation. In other words, it doesn’t prove that insomnia causes cancer.

Sleep and health are closely linked, and researchers are increasingly interested in how sleep, immune function, inflammation and overall wellbeing may interact. But cancer risk is complex and influenced by many factors.

One thing we do know is that if you’re living with cancer, recovering from treatment, or worried about your health, sleep difficulties are incredibly common.

I’ve written a blog about cancer and sleep on my website, including why cancer can affect sleep and what might help if you’re struggling.

You can read more via the link in my bio.

28/04/2026

I have been tremendously busy recently with a number of huge sleep projects, as well as juggling life in general. Plus, I managed a wonderful few days away last week with my sister to Bruge and Zebrugge.

Now, I am spending some time starting to write my new sleep book. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long while, especially since Navigating Sleeplessness came out 5 years ago! There has been a great deal of advance in the world of sleep since then, so I want to update the advice to be the latest and greatest information, as well as expanding it to cover many more topics than I was able to before.

Last time I was writing a book it was during Covid when I was juggling homeschooling children, looking after neighbours and elderly relatives as well as sick family members. I don’t think I’ve ever been so busy in my whole life as I was then. So this time it should be a breeze! 🤪

Wish me luck!

03/04/2026

Georgia is ready for Easter 🐣🍫 🌷 (and yes… those eggs were very closely supervised!)

My April newsletter has just gone out, and it’s a lovely seasonal one. I’ve included advice on early morning awakenings (for anyone in the 3am club!) as well as links to some recent media features and lots of sleep advice.

If you’d like to have a read, just comment “April” below ⬇️ and I’ll send you the link. If you’ve already signed up to receive my once per month newsletter, you should find it in your inbox.

Easter is always a good time of year to reset your sleep habits, especially with the lighter mornings and the clocks having just changed.

Happy Easter!! 🐣🍫🐣🍫🐣

13/03/2026

Happy World Sleep Day!

A busy week of sleep talks, client work, media and some exciting conversations behind the scenes.

This week I’ve been working with organisations including , , , and , alongside my 1-to-1 CBT-I work and media contributions including and .

Sleep matters so much more than people often realise. It affects wellbeing, mood, resilience, recovery and performance.

World Sleep Day is a great opportunity to take a fresh look at your own sleep. Are you getting enough, are you prioritising your sleep are you feeling energised in the day?

11/03/2026

I was interviewed by for to discuss widely available gadgets marketed as treatments for snoring and sleep apnoea.

We talked about why it’s so important to seek a medical assessment if you are concerned you might have sleep apnoea. Many over-the-counter products that claim to help may not address the underlying problem and, even if they reduce snoring, they may not keep your airway open during the night.

Untreated sleep apnoea, whether obstructive, central or mixed, is a serious condition and is associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and road traffic accidents.

Sleep Awareness Week is a good opportunity to take a closer look at your sleep. Possible symptoms of sleep apnoea can include loud snoring, pauses in breathing during sleep, waking gasping for breath, and morning headaches. If you’re concerned, please speak to a medical professional for assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

Ask me any sleep questions below 👇

02/03/2026

Today I’m at .spa.official. I absolutely needed a day off, since the last few weeks have been crazy 🤪 with interviews and prep for World Sleep Day on 13th March and the huge focus on sleep for the whole of March. I’ve got this week’s copy of .maguk in which I spoke to Rose Goodman about how you can tell if you need more sleep.

💤 The piece has a fun quiz to help you think about if your daytime fatigue might be because you aren’t having enough time in bed, perhaps your sleep quality is poor, or it might be because you are going to bed and waking up at irregular times.

Sometimes people think that it’s normal to always feel tired. It’s not! There are so many things you can do to help and improve your sleep so that you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go.

One reason for always feeling tired might be you simply aren’t going to bed early enough to allow yourself to get enough sleep. For a typical adult that’s usually somewhere between 7 and 9 hours every night. If you are getting 7 hours but always feel exhausted… perhaps you need 8 or 9 hours sleep realistically?

😴 Another common reason for feeling exhausted during the day (despite being in bed and sleeping for enough time) is undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnoea.

Let me know if you wake feeling like you had enough sleep, or not 🤨

01/03/2026

This week’s Woman has a special about what to do when you wake up but still feel exhausted… how can you improve your sleep or tell if you need more. Check it out.

Ahead of the release of her debut book later this week, sat down for an exclusive chat with the lovely about finding love, enjoying single life and her feeling fabulous. Read the full interview in this week's issue, on sale now

04/02/2026

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with about sleep.

Sleep matters for all of us, but in professional sport, performance can come down to very small margins, which makes sleep even more important.

One key message I shared is that trying too hard to sleep can sometimes backfire. Putting pressure on yourself to “sleep well” often increases anxiety, which can make falling asleep and staying asleep harder, not easier.

For players and support staff, the goal is balance: good sleep habits, without unhelpful pressure to force sleep.

I recently wrote a blog on sleep and athletes (link in bio).

Have you ever noticed that the more you try to sleep, the harder it becomes? 🤔

16/01/2026

2016 vs 2026

As it’s all over social media, here are my comparisons!

1) My 2 little kids and I on holiday in Gran Canaria in 2016
2) My handsome husband and I at the 2016 ball. We went to bed at 5am that day! Sadly I will miss this year’s one (2026)
3) 2016 - My super sweet son and I (but now he is a fully grown man!)
4) Christmas time a few weeks ago. I don’t think I look tooooo different, 10 years later.
5) On the cruise just before Christmas - I’m loving being able to travel and opportunities my work brings
6) I’m fitter and healthier now than I was 10 years ago!

Looking back on 10 years ago and life is so different now, but also so much is the same. I’m still a mum of 2 kids (you never stop being a parent even though they are now pretty much all grown up!) and I’m still proud to be working to help people with their sleep.

Tell me how your life is the same or different 10 years on.