Better in Bed with The Sleep Doctor
Better in Bed with The Sleep Doctor

The Sleep Anxiety Fix No One Talks About with Mollie Eastman

August 26, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Molly Eastman, a sleep coach who once suffered from acute insomnia while traveling internationally, describes sleep anxiety as a fixation that takes over your waking hours: “I am not getting sleep night after night after night. And I'm now starting to really freak out about it and fixating, spending all my time by day on how can I make this sleep come at night.” The harder she tried to force sleep, the more it evaded her. That paradox — the more intense you are about sleep, the more likely it is to run away — became the central problem she had to solve, and it led her to explore treatments that go beyond conventional sleep hygiene.

The limits of CBT-I and the case for ACT

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the standard first-line treatment, and it works well for many people. But Eastman found it counterproductive for herself and for clients who are obsessive, perfectionistic, or prone to overthinking. The rigid structure — get out of bed if you’re awake, track your sleep efficiency, follow strict schedules — can actually amplify anxiety for people who already try too hard to control their sleep. That’s where acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) comes in. Instead of trying to control or fix the insomnia, ACT trains you to accept the experience as it is. Eastman calls it “a beautiful exploration in how to be with reality as it is.” The goal is to loosen

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:22) **Episode Introduction & Host's Personal Disclosure** - Dr. Michael Bruce introduces guest Mollie Eastman and reveals his recent positive experience with psychedelics, framing the conversation as "a beautiful exploration."
  • 2 (03:36) **Mollie's Origin Story: From Sleep Anxiety to Sleep Expert** - Mollie describes her acute insomnia triggered by international travel and stress, defining sleep anxiety as a fixation on the inability to sleep that worsens the problem.
  • 3 (07:44) **Psychedelics for Sleep: The Personal Experiment** - Mollie explains how her own psilocybin journeys, combined with wearable data (Oura Ring), led to measurable improvements in sleep.
  • 4 (11:47) **How to Approach Psychedelics Safely** - The critical difference between recreational use and a structured, therapeutic process.
  • 5 (19:48) **Listener Question: THC Gummies for Sleep** - Dr. Bruce and Mollie break down the nuanced use of cannabis for sleep, starting with a listener's DM.
  • 6 (26:22) **ACT Therapy vs. CBT-I for Insomnia** - Mollie introduces Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as an alternative for those who find traditional CBT-I too rigid.
  • 7 (32:50) **Key Takeaways from Dr. Satchin Panda** - Mollie shares insights from a recent podcast episode with the renowned circadian rhythm researcher.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Dr. Michael J. Breus sits down with Mollie Eastman, founder of Sleep Is a Skill, to explore the connection between anxiety and sleep. Mollie shares her personal journey from debilitating sleep anxiety and acute insomnia—rooted in a chaotic upbringing and years of benzodiazepine use—to discovering alternative paths to rest and healing like psychedelics and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Insomnia (ACT-I). The episode closes with practical safety guidelines for anyone considering recreational substances as a sleep aid, and Mollie's two core anchor habits: a consistent wake time and morning bright light exposure.

Note: This episode discusses recreational drug use for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice—listeners should consult a healthcare professional before trying anything discussed.

Learn more about Mollie Eastman at sleepisaskill.com and follow her on TikTok and Instagram. For more information about the episode, head here: https://sleepdoctor.com/pages/podcast.


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Chapters:

00:00 Medical disclaimer

01:31 How Mollie slept last night (and her psychedelic journey)

03:14 Defining sleep anxiety

03:22 How international travel triggered Mollie's insomnia

04:44 "Sleep is like love" — chasing sleep makes it worse

05:01 Doctors, benzos, and the fear of a pharmaceutical path

06:00 How Mollie pulled herself out of insomnia

06:48 Connecting psychedelics and sleep

07:16 Mollie's trauma background and psilocybin experimentation

08:19 Tracking HRV and sleep improvements with Oura data

10:12 Beckley Institute and legal psychedelic retreats

11:04 How to safely screen for and prepare for a retreat

13:10 Nervous system dysregulation and unresolved trauma

14:04 "Hardware vs. software" — why psychedelics target the root cause

15:27 Fear as the root of insomnia

16:36 Sponsor: Coop Sleep Goods pillow

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