The Quiet Hours
Wake up to the rest of your life
What’s keeping you up at night?
Doctor-led care for sleep and mental health, in Cape Town.
The Quiet Hours is a doctor-led practice built around two areas of care: behavioural sleep medicine and mental health. Whether the problem is a mind that won’t switch off or waking up in the early hours of the morning, the approach is the same: careful assessment, evidence-based treatment, and a plan built around your life rather than a generic protocol.
What we treat
We diagnose and treat the full spectrum of sleep disorders, including:
Insomnia
Sleep Apnoea
Snoring
Nightmares & Night Terrors
Restless Legs & Periodic Limb Movements
Delayed Sleep Phase / Circadian Rhythm Disorders
Daytime Sleepiness & Fatigue
Jetlag
Anxiety & Phobias
Panic Attacks
Burnout & Overwhelm
Intrusive & Repetitive Thoughts
Who’s behind it
I’m Dr. David Backwell, a medical doctor with an MBChB from UCT and postgraduate training in mental health (Diploma in Mental Health, CMSA). I hold CBT certification through the Beck Institute, with further training in CBT for insomnia and nightmares, and I’m currently completing a Masters in Sleep Medicine at Oxford. I work with adults on the patterns of thought, behaviour, and emotion that shape daily life. I believe good sleep is the foundation of being able to live a meaningful life.
Our philosophy
Our main focus is allowing people to engage in their lives, with purpose and clarity. This begins with careful assessment to understand you as a unique individual. You are the expert of your life, and treatment is decided collaboratively to help it help you.
The work is quiet, careful, and grounded in evidence. We slow things down, make space to think, and build tools that help life feel more manageable and more meaningful. It is in the quiet hours that we can make sense.
The Path Ahead
The Path Ahead
Book an assessment
Taking a few minutes now means your first session is focused entirely on you, not paperwork.