This week Nicola and Di chat with award-winning author Annabel Abbs about her incredible new book Sleepless. Annabel has written both novels and non-fiction books, which have been published internationally in 30 languages. Her latest book Sleepless gives a refreshing and positive new take on sleepless nights and how we can all discover the power of our night self.

In this conversation, Annabel shares how it was an inexplicable period of grief during 2020 that led to her writing this book. As someone who had experienced insomnia for years, the sleeplessness she experienced during this time felt different and Annabel became curious to learn more about how other women throughout history had dealt with sleepless nights, why it didn’t seem to match up with the sleep studies we hear about these days and what gifts we could learn from their experiences. 

We hear all about what Annabel calls the night self. The ways that our physiology and brain changes during the night, and how that can lead to extraordinary creativity and a feeling of connectedness. Annabel tells us some great stories about the amazing women over the centuries - artists, writers, astronomers and scientists - who had wonderful discoveries and bursts of inspiration during the night. 

This is such a different take on what we usually hear about sleep. We’re so used to being told that if we don’t get enough sleep, all sorts of health issues will ensue, but Annabel offers a unique perspective and shares why she believes that sleep scientists and the sleep industry may be benefiting from selling us one central message about sleep. 

We absolutely loved talking to Annabel. We learnt so much from her and were reassured by everything she shared - we hope you will be too. A quick heads up - this conversation was recorded online, with Nicola and Di in their Sydney homes and Annabel in Bath. It was a stormy night with some technical issues, so we hope you’ll understand that the audio quality is echoey at times. Thanks for listening. 

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Buy Annabel’s book Sleepless here

Find out more about Annabel’s work here 

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