About Sleep First Aid

Welcome to Sleep First Aid, my name is Florian Divi. I’m a Mindfulness of Dream and Sleep Facilitator with an academic background in fine arts living in Austria. I trained with sleep and dream expert Charlie Morley in London, who I have been assisting in workshops on these subjects for several years.

“Have you ever had a nightmare, a sleepless or strenuous night, after which you woke up feeling overtired, emotionally upset and exhausted?
Then you are not alone.”

Estimates and statistics suggest that 20-40% of the adult population suffer from sleep problems. Unfortunately, sleep problems are a growing global phenomenon, reflecting the increasing social pressures and stresses of modern lifestyles as well as geopolitical conflicts – whether in a rapidly accelerating and changing work environment, in the dramatic situation of a refugee, due to geopolitical tensions and conflicts, concerns about global warming, the mass extinction of species on our planet, and more.

In turbulent times, it’s particularly difficult to sleep peacefully. However, restful sleep is a prerequisite for balanced and therefore peaceful people. This commonality, that we all need restful sleep, is independent of culture, language, social status, level of education or gender – and yet it affects some people or groups more than others at certain times.

The subject of sleep is very close to my heart – as a child and teenager I suffered from severe nightmares for years, regularly woke my worried parents by screaming in my sleep (Pavor nocturnus) and was notorious in my family for sleep-walking and sleep-talking. The following project was born out of years of study and research: Sleep First Aid, which in a broader sense can also be seen as a peace project, as the consequences of sleep problems extend far beyond the personal level, as we will come to see.

The knowledge needed to get a good night’s sleep is scarce here and elsewhere. With the Sleep First Aid project, I want to help to change that.

With the Sleep First Aid project I want to counteract the general ignorance and helplessness in the field of sleep and sleep problems. My aim is to provide simple, effective and proven tools to help people find their own way back to restful sleep, where this is possible without medical help.

When people find their way back to sleep, not only does their personal experience change for the better as they become more emotionally balanced, but family members are also relieved, and colleagues and friends benefit too, and enjoy friendlier and more productive interactions.

Furthermore, restorative sleep affects not only us as individuals and those closest to us, but also the entire human population. Restful and restorative sleep has the potential to improve the quality of life on a global scale, thereby reducing the potential for conflict on a personal, social and international level.

People who are better rested can make better use of their intellect, make clearer, more emotionally balanced and less aggressive decisions, while at the same time their ability to empathise is improved.

“We are not the only ones who benefit from a good night’s sleep – we all benefit immensely on a number of different levels from a well-rested community around us.”

Just as most people are fortunate enough to know what to do if they cut their finger – clean the wound, remove any foreign objects, apply ointment, cover the area with a sticking plaster or, if the cut is too deep, seek medical treatment – there are also simple and effective methods that can help if you get too little sleep or suffer from sleep problems.

Unfortunately, these simple methods of getting a good night’s sleep are often completely unknown. We lack the ability to differentiate between distinct sleep problems, the vocabulary to express them, and the basic knowledge of what to do if, for example, we cannot fall asleep, have nightmares, or wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat…

We should also be able to recognise when Sleep First Aid has reached its limits and the help of medical professionals is essential. (To continue with the example of the cut finger above: If the wound is deeper than expected, if a tendon or nerve is injured, or if the bone is exposed, you will want to see a doctor and/or go to hospital as soon as possible – and not rely on a simple plaster…)

“Good sleep is too important:
Well-rested people are more emotionally balanced, less aggressive, act with greater awareness, and are more open to social interactions and positive interpersonal relationships.”

Sleep First Aid is specifically dedicated to seven of the most common sleep problems and offers proven methods for resolving them: all in one place, free of charge and accessible to all, in the form of a website supported by a Sleep First Aid poster, which is currently available in over 60 languages.

Practical exercises are suggested for individual sleep problems, explained both in writing and in the form of short, easy-to-understand videos.

The methods presented are scientifically proven and have been used successfully with people with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and trauma¹. Together with my teacher and sleep and dream expert, Charlie Morley, I have had the privilege of witnessing more than 600 veterans and several hundred civilians in making profound improvements in the quality of their sleep using these methods.

¹ In spring 2023 the prestigious journal Traumatology published the results of a peer-reviewed study led by molecular biologist Garret Yount, PhD, in which 85% of participants experienced a “remarkable reduction in PTSD symptoms” by using Lucid Dreaming taught by Charlie Morley to transform their nightmares: https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Ftrm0000456