If you’ve been wondering why you can’t sleep after someone dies, you’re not alone. Grief and insomnia often go hand in hand — especially in the weeks and months after a loss.

In this episode (22) of The GRIEF Ladies Podcast, Kelly Daugherty and Karyn Arnold are joined by sleep expert Kelly Myerson to explore the powerful connection between grief and sleep disruption. We talk about why nights can feel harder, why your nervous system stays on high alert, and why sleep problems after loss are more common than most people realize.

You’ll learn:

• Why grief affects your sleep cycle

• How Anxiety and loss impact the nervous system at night

• Practical strategies to calm your body before bed

• How to create a sleep-friendly environment while grieving

• Gentle coping tools you can experiment with right away

We also discuss how staying connected to the person who died through ritual, memory, and intentional reflection — can ease some of the emotional intensity that surfaces at night.

This episode connects to the Grounding trail marker in our G.R.I.E.F. Framework, focusing on stabilizing your nervous system and creating small, steady routines for sleep when everything feels disrupted.

If sleep has felt impossible since your loss, this conversation offers validation, practical support, and realistic strategies you can try tonight.

Guest Bio: Kelly Myerson is a Human Design–informed leadership guide, facilitator, and speaker who supports people navigating moments of transition, reorientation, and becoming. Her work lives at the intersection of Human Design synthesis, intuitive pattern recognition, somatic attunement, and reflective dialogue.

Rather than teaching Human Design mechanically, Kelly approaches it with artistry and depth, helping people understand how their energy moves and how to work with it in real life. She is especially skilled at holding liminal spaces, moments when Clarity is emerging but not yet fully formed.

Kelly offers private Threshold Sessions as well as group facilitation for retreats, summits, and intentional communities. Her work is grounded, compassionate, and deeply human, designed to foster self-trust, meaningful leadership, and sustainable change.

Connect with Kelly:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelly-myerson-b6217843/

Substack: https://substack.com/@kellymyersonvoiceamplifier

Calendly: https://calendly.com/kellymyerson/building-the-bridge-conversation

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.

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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.