If you’ve been lying awake at night since someone died, you’re not alone.

Grief often disrupts sleep, making bedtime feel anxious, frustrating, or emotionally overwhelming. For many people, insomnia becomes one of the most exhausting parts of loss.

In this episode of the GRIEF Ladies Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Larissa Tate to explore how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) can help. CBTI is an evidence-based approach that helps rebuild healthy sleep habits even during grief.

We talk about:

• Why grief interferes with sleep

• How nighttime Anxiety develops

• What CBTI actually involves

• Sleep hygiene myths

• The role of medication

• Why napping can worsen insomnia

• Small, manageable steps to improve your sleep

Sleep struggles during grief are common and they’re treatable.

As always, we close with practical tools you can try this week, because grief changes your life — and you deserve support that helps you live inside that change.

Related topics: grief and insomnia, CBTI for sleep, sleep problems after loss, nighttime anxiety during grief.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Larissa Tate is a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Momentum Behavioral Health, a private practice serving clients in New York, Maryland, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. She specializes in the assessment and treatment of sleep disorders, anxiety, and Trauma, with particular expertise in working with professionals in high-stakes, high-pressure roles including caregivers, medical professionals, attorneys, first responders, military personnel, and others who are used to carrying a lot and rarely slowing down. Her work is grounded in science and evidence-based treatments and a practical, skills-focused approach. Dr. Tate helps driven individuals get out of survival mode, sleep better, manage Stress more effectively, and build resilience in ways that are sustainable – without sacrificing their ambition or values.

She has trained and worked in a range of medical and behavioral health settings, including sleep clinics, primary care, intensive outpatient programs, neurology clinics, and major military and VA medical centers. She earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Uniformed Services University and completed her residency at the University of Alabama-Birmingham VA Medical Center. In addition to individual and group therapy, Dr. Tate also provides diagnostic assessments and military psychological evaluations and is passionate about helping clients create meaningful, lasting change

Connect with Larissa: www.momentumbehavioralhealth.com

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/larissa-tate-new-york-ny/1253112

https://cbti.directory/search-for-a-clinician/home-directory/usa/united-states-cbti-providers/836-larissa-tate-phd

https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissa-tate-phd/

https://www.facebook.com/people/Larissa-Tate-PhD/61561150571404/

https://www.instagram.com/dr.larissa.tate/

GRIEF Ladies: Your Guide to What Comes Next

If you’re ready to move forward without moving on—this show is for you.

🎧 Follow and connect: https://www.griefladies.com/

Kelly Daugherty: https://www.kellydaugherty.com/ Karyn Arnold: https://www.griefincommon.com/

Stay up to date with all the latest information about The GRIEF Ladies- Sign up for our newsletter at: www.griefladies.com

Join the FREE, Private Facebook GRIEF Ladies Community: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/16WuZNsNGu/

The GRIEF Ladies podcast offers Education and support for people living with grief after someone they Love has died. Our content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional Mental Health care or crisis services. If you are in crisis or concerned about your safety, call 988 in the U.S. or contact local emergency services.

Guest perspectives shared on this platform are their own and may not reflect the views or positions of The Grief Ladies.

Most Recent Episodes

June 17, 2026

Grief, Relationships, and Dating After Loss: What Nobody Tells You with Joëlle Lydon

When someone is deep in grief, the people closest to them often want to help — but don't know how. And the grieving person? They're often too exhausted to explain. In this episode, relationship...

Listen · 40:58

June 10, 2026

The Art of Letting Go: Navigating a Loved One's Belongings Intentionally (with Charlene Lam)

What do you do with a loved one's belongings after they die? In this episode, certified grief coach and TEDx speaker Charlene Lam — founder of the Grief Gallery — shares her Curating Grief...

Listen · 42:07

June 3, 2026

Polyvagal Theory & Grief: Grounding Tools to Calm Your Nervous System

Polyvagal Theory & Grief: Grounding Tools to Calm Your Nervous System. Grief isn't just emotional — it's physiological. In this episode (37) of the GRIEF Ladies Podcast, we explore how grief...

Listen · 38:21

Load More Episodes

Kelly Daugherty The GRIEF Ladies

The GRIEF Ladies grew from decades of clinical work, community building, and lived experience. It isn’t a checklist to “get over it.” It’s a path you can re-enter on the hardest days and the ordinary ones.

Kelly Daugherty from Center for Informed Grief and Karyn Arnold of Grief in Common first connected when Kelly was leading a collaborative grief book project and posted in a Facebook group looking for authors. Karyn responded, and from their very first conversation, the connection was instant. They discovered a shared passion for supporting grieving individuals and striking similarities in their approaches and professional paths. Both had worked in hospice, and both believed that there are practical tools that can truly help support someone on their grief journey.

That first book became The Grief Experience: Tools for Acceptance, Resilience, and Connection. From there, their collaboration grew naturally. What began with one project has blossomed into an ongoing partnership including building frameworks, workshops, and now the GRIEF Ladies Podcast to help others navigate life after loss with honesty and hope. Sign up for their newsletter to stay informed about their future ventures!

Karyn Arnold has served grievers for 25+ years as a facilitator, educator, and the founder of Grief in Common, an online community that connects people by shared experiences of loss. With a background in psychology and mind–body work, Karyn blends evidence-informed practice with simple daily actions that help people steady themselves and find support. She has guided thousands of grievers through groups, workshops, and online programs, and partners with clinicians and organizations to make grief resources easier to find and use.

Kelly Daugherty, LCSW-R, FT, BCC, is a clinician, educator, board-certified coach, and founder of the Center for Informed Grief in Malta, NY. A Fellow in Thanatology, Kelly has worked with individuals and families across hospice, schools, and private practice for over two decades. Her commitment to grief work began after her mother’s death during Kelly’s teen years, shaping a career focused on practical, compassionate support. Kelly develops trainings for educators and mental-health professionals, consults with schools on grief-informed practices, and leads community programs that normalize grief while teaching concrete skills. She believes accessible, plain-language tools can change how communities show up for one another.