--- title: Sleep Coaching Practitioner url: https://thestudyguild.com/programmes/sleep-coaching-practitioner type: programme published: 2026-03-20 last_reviewed: 2026-07-14 reviewed_by: nadia-hassan publisher: The Study Guild --- # Sleep Coaching Practitioner An 8-week live programme training sleep coaches in evidence-based behavioural methods and clinical referral, taught by a doctorate-level sleep researcher. ## Programme facts - Price: £299 (payment plans available, never discounted) - Format: Live online + self-paced - Live contact hours: 16 - Expected self-study hours: 28 - Duration: 8 weeks - Level: All levels - Tutor: nadia-hassan ## Learning outcomes - Explain sleep architecture and circadian regulation accurately to a client - Run a structured sleep intake that screens for sleep apnoea and other clinical presentations - Apply CBT-for-insomnia principles within a coaching scope of practice - Distinguish evidence-based sleep advice from the large volume of popular sleep misinformation - Build and adjust a six-week behavioural sleep plan with a real client - Refer appropriately and document that referral ## Curriculum 1. **How sleep actually works** — Sleep architecture, circadian regulation and homeostatic drive, at the depth a practitioner genuinely needs. Topics: Sleep stages and cycling; Circadian rhythm and light; Sleep pressure and the two-process model; What tracker data can and cannot tell you 2. **Screening and red flags** — Recognising sleep apnoea, restless legs, narcolepsy and parasomnias, and referring rather than coaching them. Topics: Validated screening instruments; Obstructive sleep apnoea indicators; When insomnia is secondary to something else; Writing the referral 3. **CBT-I principles within scope** — The behavioural core of the most effective insomnia treatment, and where a coach must stop. Topics: Stimulus control and sleep restriction; Cognitive components and their limits; Why sleep hygiene alone underperforms; The boundary with therapy 4. **Shift work and irregular schedules** — Practical strategies for clients whose work makes conventional advice impossible. Topics: Circadian misalignment; Rotating shift strategies; Light and timing interventions; Managing realistic expectations 5. **Sleep across the lifespan** — How sleep changes with age, and the interaction with menopause and midlife health. Topics: Age-related architecture changes; Vasomotor symptoms and sleep; Adolescent phase delay; Older adults and daytime napping 6. **Evidence appraisal** — Reading a sleep claim critically, which is the main skill protecting a practitioner's credibility. Topics: Study design and sample size; Popular claims that do not survive scrutiny; Supplements and the evidence base; Saying 'we do not know' 7. **Running a practice** — Contracts, insurance, records and data protection for a UK coaching practice. Topics: Professional indemnity insurance; Informed consent and scope statements; UK GDPR for health-adjacent data; Supervision 8. **Case clinic and assessment** — Live review of learners' real client cases with tutor and peer feedback. Topics: Presenting a case; Screening decisions reviewed; Plan adjustment; Your first ten clients ## Assessment One assessed client case: a completed sleep intake including screening outcomes, a six-week behavioural plan with rationale, and a reflective review of what changed. Marked by Dr Nadia Hassan against a published rubric weighted heavily towards screening and referral judgement. Written feedback with one free resubmission. ## Upcoming cohorts - 2026-09-29 to 2026-11-17 — Mondays 19:00–21:00 UK, 8 weeks (open, cap 24) - 2027-01-26 to 2027-03-16 — Mondays 19:00–21:00 UK, 8 weeks (open, cap 24) ## What is a sleep coach? A sleep coach helps adults improve sleep through behavioural change, schedule adjustment and education, working outside a clinical setting. A sleep coach does not diagnose sleep disorders or prescribe. The role complements medical care by supporting the behavioural work that clinical treatment often depends on. ## Do you need a qualification to be a sleep coach in the UK? No. Sleep coaching is not regulated in the UK and no qualification is legally required to use the title. The practical case for training is different: undetected sleep apnoea is common, and a coach who cannot screen for it may coach someone with a serious untreated condition for months. Sources: - [Regulated professions and their regulators](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/regulated-professions-and-their-regulators) — GOV.UK ## Does sleep coaching actually work? The behavioural methods it draws on have strong evidence: cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is the recommended first-line treatment for chronic insomnia and outperforms medication long term. Coaching delivers a subset of that within a non-clinical scope, which helps many people and is not a treatment. ## How is this different from a self-paced sleep course? It is taught live by a sleep neuroscientist, and you are assessed on a real client case with screening decisions marked. A self-paced course can teach you sleep facts. It cannot tell you whether you correctly recognised that a client should have been referred instead. ## Common questions **Is this about baby sleep?** No. This programme covers adult sleep only. Infant and child sleep is a genuinely different discipline with a different evidence base, and we would rather not teach it than teach it badly. **Will I be able to treat insomnia?** No. Chronic insomnia is a clinical condition and treating it is clinical work. You will be able to apply behavioural principles within a coaching scope and recognise when someone needs clinical CBT-I instead, which is a genuinely useful and honest offer. **Do I need a client already?** You need one practice client for the assessed case, and they can be a friend or colleague rather than a paying client. We help you find one if that is a barrier. --- Source: https://thestudyguild.com/programmes/sleep-coaching-practitioner · The Study Guild