The Self-Care Habit That Changes Everything: Better Sleep with the Finch App

Lorraine Irlam, Registered Clinical Counsellor
Jul 21
5 min read

How small, consistent habits can improve your sleep—and why I'm excited to be working with Finch as a sleep consultant.

Comfortable bed with tea and breakfast, illustrating how better sleep supports self-care and overall wellbeing.

Every year on International Self-Care Day (July 24), we're encouraged to reflect on the habits that support our physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Self-care often brings to mind things like taking a relaxing bath, getting outside for a walk, or spending time on a favourite hobby. While those activities can certainly help us recharge, one of the most powerful forms of self-care is often the one we overlook: getting enough quality sleep.

That's one of the reasons I'm excited to have recently joined the Finch app as a sleep consultant.

Finch self-care app showing daily goals and healthy habit tracking to support better sleep and wellbeing.

If you haven't heard of Finch before, it's a self-care app designed to help people build healthy habits through small, achievable daily actions. Rather than encouraging perfection or dramatic lifestyle changes, Finch focuses on something I talk about with clients all the time: meaningful change can happen one small step at a time.

When it comes to sleep, those small steps can make a surprisingly big difference.

Why Sleep Is One of the Best Forms of Self-Care

Sleep isn't a luxury or something we earn after finishing everything on our to-do list. It's one of the foundations of our overall health and wellbeing.

When we sleep well, we're often better equipped to handle stress, regulate our emotions, think clearly, and make decisions. We have more energy for work, family, exercise, hobbies, and the everyday activities that help us feel like ourselves.

On the other hand, when we're running on too little sleep, even simple acts of self-care can feel overwhelming. Preparing a healthy meal, going for a walk, connecting with friends, or tackling household tasks may suddenly require far more energy than we have available.

There's a reason for this. Sleep plays an important role in helping our brain and body:

regulate emotions and cope with stress
concentrate and think clearly
make decisions and solve problems
stay motivated and follow through with healthy habits

Better sleep doesn't remove life's challenges—but it gives us a stronger foundation for managing them.

How the Finch App Supports Lasting Behaviour Change

One of the things I appreciate most about the Finch app is that it reflects what decades of behaviour change research has shown us: lasting habits are usually built through consistency, not perfection.

It's easy to think we need to completely overhaul our routines in order to sleep better. In reality, small daily actions often have a much greater impact than trying to change everything overnight.

That might mean:

creating a calming bedtime routine
setting a consistent wake-up time
putting your phone away a little earlier each evening
taking a few minutes to relax before bed
celebrating progress instead of focusing on setbacks

These are exactly the kinds of small goals Finch encourages.

Rather than making self-care feel like another item on your to-do list, the app helps you build habits gradually, offering gentle encouragement along the way. I especially appreciate its focus on self-compassion—something that can be incredibly important for people struggling with sleep.

Wooden blocks spelling "CHANGE," symbolizing how small daily habits can improve sleep and support lasting self-care.

Better Sleep Supports Mental and Emotional Wellbeing

Sleep and mental health are closely connected.

Research consistently shows that poor sleep is associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression, while improving sleep can lead to meaningful improvements in mood and emotional wellbeing.

Without enough sleep, our ability to regulate emotions is reduced. Situations that would normally feel manageable can suddenly seem overwhelming because we're working with fewer emotional resources.

As sleep improves, many people notice they feel calmer, more emotionally grounded, and less anxious or irritable. They often describe having more patience, clearer thinking, and greater resilience when life becomes stressful.

This is another reason I like Finch's approach. By encouraging consistent daily habits instead of all-or-nothing thinking, it helps people build routines that support both emotional wellbeing and healthy sleep.

Better Sleep Helps You Enjoy Life More

One of the most rewarding things I hear from clients is that better sleep changes far more than their nights.

People often tell me they have more energy to be physically active. They enjoy their days more. They can concentrate better at work or school and feel more productive. They're more motivated to get out of the house, reconnect with hobbies, and spend time with family and friends.

Many also notice they feel less worried, less emotionally reactive, and more like themselves again.

These changes don't happen because sleep magically solves every problem. They happen because being well rested gives us the energy and emotional resources to engage more fully in our lives.

Whether you're using a journal, reminders, or an app like Finch, building consistent sleep-supporting habits can help make those positive changes more achievable.

Better Sleep Can Strengthen Relationships

Our relationships are also influenced by how well we sleep.

When we're exhausted, we often have less patience, become frustrated more easily, or withdraw socially because we simply don't have the energy to connect. Over time, ongoing sleep difficulties can affect communication, emotional availability, and our enjoyment of time with the people we care about.

With better sleep, many people find they feel more present in their relationships. They have more energy to listen, communicate, spend time with loved ones, and enjoy social activities again.

If you'd like to learn more about the connection between sleep and relationships, you can also read my blog on how sleep affects our relationships.

What About Chronic Insomnia?

While healthy habits are an excellent place to start, sometimes sleep difficulties continue despite our best efforts.

If you've been struggling with chronic insomnia, it's important to know that you don't have to simply accept poor sleep as your "new normal." Evidence-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is considered the gold standard treatment and has helped so many people improve their sleep without relying on medication – myself included.

Apps like Finch can be a wonderful way to support healthy routines and reinforce positive habits, but they aren't intended to replace individualized treatment when insomnia has become persistent.

This International Self-Care Day...

This International Self-Care Day, I encourage you to think about sleep a little differently.

Rather than seeing sleep as something you fit into your schedule after everything else is done, consider making it one of your most important self-care practices.

If you're looking for a gentle, encouraging way to build healthier habits, the Finch app may be a great place to start. Its focus on small daily goals, self-compassion, and celebrating progress aligns beautifully with what we know about creating lasting change.

And if sleep continues to be a struggle despite your best efforts, remember that help is available. You don't have to navigate insomnia alone.

Because better sleep doesn't just help you feel more rested—it helps you show up more fully for your life.

Ready to start small?

Download the Finch app today and try adding one simple evening wind-down habit to your routine tonight. Because better sleep doesn’t just help you feel rested—it helps you show up fully for your life.

DOWNLOAD FINCH APP

References

Lim, J., & Dinges, D. F. (2010). A meta-analysis of the impact of short-term sleep deprivation on cognitive variables. Psychological Bulletin, 136(3), 375.

Scott, A. J., Webb, T. L., Martyn-St James, M., Rowse, G., & Weich, S. (2021). Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 60, 101556.

Trauer, J. M., Qian, M. Y., Doyle, J. S., Rajaratnam, S. M., & Cunnington, D. (2015). Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine, 163(3), 191-204.