Have you ever said: “I know I should get off my phone earlier. I know that glass of wine disrupts my sleep. I know I should make rest a priority…” — and then didn’t do it?
This is one of the greatest paradoxes of our lives: we know what to do, but we don’t do it.
Bob Proctor called this the Knowing–Doing Gap. Ayurveda calls it Prajñāparādha — “the mistake of the intellect.” Both point to the same truth: we act out of alignment with what we know is right for us.
And nowhere is this more obvious than with sleep.
One of the most common things students say to me is they know not to do the things— scroll in bed, watch late night tv, eat late.. But they do. And they don’t know how to interrupt the pattern.
I hope this helps sort things out and that maybe a shift is possible tonight in your bed time routine.
The Knowing–Doing Gap Explained
Bob Proctor taught that most people don’t fail because they lack knowledge — they fail because their conditioning overrides their knowledge.
When it comes to sleep, the Knowing–Doing Gap looks like this:
- You know scrolling late overstimulates your brain — but you do it anyway.
- You know alcohol fragments sleep — but you pour the wine anyway.
- You know rest would help you perform better — but you push through one more task.
Why? Because our subconscious patterns, not our intellect, run 95% of our daily choices.
Ayurveda and the Mistake of the Intellect
Ayurveda describes the same problem through Prajñāparādha — the mistake of the intellect. It’s when we know what will bring harmony, yet we choose against it.
Examples:
- Knowing you should go to bed early, but staying up “just one more episode.”
- Knowing sugar at night will disrupt your sleep, but grabbing it anyway.
- Knowing sleep is sacred, but treating it like an inconvenience, almost resenting it.
Each choice against wisdom weakens ojas — your vital life force — and strengthens imbalance.
Why Sleep Gets Sacrificed
- Culture of Overdrive → Hustle is rewarded, rest is shamed.
- Addiction to Stimulation → Screens, caffeine, alcohol hijack the nervous system.
- Trauma & Conditioning → For many, rest feels unsafe; vigilance feels necessary.
- Reframing Needed → Sleep is treated like a chore, not as sacred medicine.
The missing piece isn’t more information. We already know.
The missing link is embodiment — living in alignment with what we know.
The 3-Step Framework to Close the Gap
- Know – The Intellectual Layer
Learn the truth about sleep:
Your brain detoxes during deep sleep.
Cortisol lowers; melatonin rises.
Sleep strengthens immunity, balances hormones, resets the heart.
But knowledge by itself doesn’t change behavior.
- Condition – The Subconscious Layer
Unconscious patterns run most of your life.
- Beliefs like “hustle makes me worthy” keep you up.
- Habits like “wine helps me relax” override knowledge.
- Trauma imprints make rest feel unsafe.
This is where old conditioning blocks new results.
- Embody – The Feminine Sleep
Here is where the shift is
- Create sacred evening rituals to calm the nervous system. Anchor in one habit at a time like having a warm beverage at night, dimming the lights at 8p and stack them every 30 days until it becomes second nature to you
- Reframe sleep as medicine, not a checklist or something you have to do but look forward to
- Use breath, mantra, and practices to feel safe letting go.
Sleep will become something you desire to slip into at night and protect.
The gap between knowing and doing isn’t a lack of willpower — it’s a lack of alignment.
When you embody the truth that sleep is active medicine for the brain, you begin to reframe sleep.
Inside the Sleep Sanctuary, we go beyond “knowing.” We reprogram the conditioning, release the mistakes of the intellect, and embody sleep as sacred.
You’ll receive:
- The DREAM Method to restore deep rest.
- 30-day resets (Bedroom Detox, Sleep Reset, Energy Detox).
- Weekly live coaching to close your own Knowing–Doing Gap and make sleep your superpower.
If you’ve ever said “I know, but I don’t do it,” this is your space to get the accountability and connection so you’re not alone.
