This World Mental Health Day, the theme is “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change”, recognising the importance of listening to people’s experiences and using them to help shape better mental health care. 

So we're sharing Katrina's experience of living with insomnia for more than 20 years, and the effect it had far beyond her nights. During the day she became anxious and tearful, sometimes struggled with her emotions at work, and described feeling as though she was 'in a fog'.

“I would get up in the morning and just think, if I could just get through today.”

More than 20 years of poor sleep

Katrina’s sleep problems began in her early thirties, and were later linked to menopause symptoms. At first, the difficult nights would come and go. She would have two or three nights every few months where she couldn't sleep, before things settled again. But over time, her sleep became harder to manage and it began to affect how she felt and functioned the following day. 

“I was anxious, I was getting tearful, I was getting angry at times at work. It just felt like I was in a fog.”

Mornings quickly became about getting through the day and hoping she might be able to catch up on sleep later that evening. 

Like many people with long-term insomnia, Katrina tried to make changes to her routine herself to see if that would help. She stopped drinking alcohol for several months, cut down to one cup of coffee in the morning, ate healthily, and experimented with changing the time she went to bed, but her sleep continued to get worse. 

“I’d done everything I could think possible that should sort my sleep out and my sleep was still getting worse and worse. I just felt like it was completely out of my control.”

Finding a different way to treat insomnia

Katrina first learnt about Sleepio through her GP practice’s website. She didn’t want to become reliant on sleeping tablets and was interested in finding an evidence-based treatment that could help her address insomnia differently. 

Sleepio uses cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). It helps you understand and change the thoughts and habits around sleep that can keep insomnia going.

For Katrina, just knowing there was a structured treatment she could follow brought a sense of relief.

“I remember saying to my friends, I just feel relieved that I’m doing something. I’m not just carrying on with the situation.”

Learning to approach sleep differently

One of the things Katrina began to recognise was how much effort she had been putting into trying to control her sleep. She had tried going to bed earlier and later, and had become very focused on getting to bed and waking up at particular times. 

Through CBT-I, she started taking a more structured approach. One of the techniques she used was a sleep window, where the time spent in bed is temporarily limited and kept more consistent. The aim is to strengthen the connection between being in bed and sleeping, rather than spending longer in bed trying to catch up on lost sleep. 

“I did find the sleep window took a good three or four weeks. I think it was like my body was almost fighting it.”

For Katrina, it took time to adjust, and that's a normal part of CBT-I. The techniques can take some getting used to, and with practice, progress tends to build rather than happening straight away.

As Katrina continued with the treatment, she began to notice her sleep becoming more settled the more she practised the techniques. If there is a change to her routine, such as a birthday celebration or night out, she is able to enjoy these occasions, then return to what she has learnt to get herself back on track. The treatment has helped improve her sleep and change how she feels during the day too. 

"I feel happy and confident again. I’m no longer tearful… I’m just with it.”

Katrina's experience is her own, and not everyone's will be the same. But for World Mental Health Day, her story is a reminder of why lived experience matters.

Insomnia can affect far more than the hours we spend awake at night. It can impact our mood, concentration, confidence, and ability to cope during the day.

Listening to people like Katrina helps us understand what that really feels like, what people try before they find the right support, and what access to effective treatment can change. 

If poor sleep is affecting how you feel or your ability to get through the day, evidence-based treatment can help. Sleepio is a NICE-recommended¹ digital CBT treatment for insomnia, available through the NHS in Scotland.

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Sleepio is a digital therapeutic intended to provide Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for the treatment of insomnia disorder and insomnia symptoms in adults aged 18 years and older.

DOC-4334 Effective October 2026