Our Blog: Upward Alabama

When Falling Asleep Feels Like Falling Apart: Understanding Fear of Sleep and Its Ties to Insomnia, PTSD, Anxiety, and OCD

By Courtney Worley, Ph.D., ABPP, DBSM, M.P.H.

Sleep

Anxiety OCD PTSD Insomnia

Posted: September 12, 2026

Most people who struggle with sleep are afraid of NOT sleeping. But there is a smaller, less-discussed group of people for whom the dread runs in the opposite direction. For them, the frightening moment is not the hours of wakefulness.: it is the instant sleep starts to take hold. They fight to stay awake, not because they cannot sleep, but because some part of them does not want to.

The Pill, the Patch, and Your Sleep: What Every Woman Needs to Know About Hormonal Contraceptives and Sleep Health

By Courtney Worley, Ph.D., ABPP, DBSM, M.P.H.

Sleep

Behavioral Sleep Medicine CBT-I Insomnia

Posted: July 18, 2026

A newly published systematic review in Sleep Medicine Reviews — one of the most prestigious journals in the field — has brought into focus something that has been quietly under-researched for decades: hormonal contraceptives, one of the most widely-used medications in the world, appear to meaningfully influence how women sleep. And yet, most women have never been told this, and most healthcare providers haven’t been trained to ask. This post is about changing that conversation.

Why Sleep During Pregnancy Matters More Than You Think (And What You Can Actually Do About It)

By Courtney Worley, Ph.D., ABPP, DBSM, M.P.H.

Sleep

Insomnia Treatment CBT-I Pregnancy Perinatal Health Postpartum Health

Posted: May 12, 2026

You are growing a human. You are exhausted. And yet — somehow — you cannot sleep. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Sleep disturbances affect 75% of pregnant people, peaking in the third trimester. Despite being incredibly common, poor sleep during pregnancy is often brushed off as “just part of it.” But the science tells a different story: sleep health during pregnancy is a serious maternal health issue — one that is treatable, and worth taking seriously.

Sleep Apnea Awareness Week 2026: When Sleep Apnea Doesn’t Come Alone

By Courtney Worley, Ph.D., ABPP, DBSM, M.P.H.

Sleep

Insomnia Nightmare Treatment Behavioral Sleep Medicine CPAP Support

Posted: April 18, 2026

For a significant number of people living with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the condition does not arrive in isolation. It arrives with insomnia. It arrives with nightmares. It arrives as a constellation of sleep disturbances that interlock, amplify one another, and demand a treatment approach that is just as layered as the problem itself.