Hypnotherapy for Sleep Disorders & Insomnia

Insomnia & Sleep Disorders

We all know the importance of a good night’s sleep; it can help us feel energised and motivated for the following day. Sleep is as important as eating and drinking; it’s the best thing you can do for your health. However, most of know what it feels like when we haven’t had enough sleep. A sleep disorder can be temporary – for example, you can’t sleep for one or two nights in the week due to a stressful event or a change in your working conditions – and this can last for a few weeks.  However, if your lack of sleep persists most nights for up to four weeks, this is considered as chronic insomnia, which can have unpleasant and serious consequences. Sometimes, you may not know exactly what is keeping you up at night, and you could be struggling with a mental health problem or living with chronic pain.

 

Below are some common symptoms associated with insomnia or a sleep disorder:

• Unable to fall asleep and/or stay asleep
• Feeling constantly tired and restless
• Inability to concentrate
• Feeling low on energy
• Irritability

Please note that it is important that you have spoken to your doctor before trying to treat a sleep disorder to first eliminate any underlying medical conditions.

You don’t have to continue suffering from the relentless stages of non-sleep and low energy levels.

Unlike sleeping tablets, Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy helps you to overcome the core underlying issues related to your sleeping problems. This effective form of treatment aims to decrease the factors that cause you stress and anxiety, replacing with more positive scheduled habits to aid sleep restoration. Together, we will identify areas in your life that you find stressful or anxious. Using evidence-based models, we will challenge and confront your negative thoughts and behaviours. By replacing these with more realistic expectations that will allow your mind to rest, this will enable you to sleep better. This method of treatment is designed specifically for your personal symptoms.

• Sleep Hygiene – this method involves looking at your day-to-day lifestyle and determining factors that may be causing your sleep problems. Smoking, drinking alcohol, not getting enough exercise, and drinking caffeine late in the day can all affect your ability to get enough sleep.

• Stimulus Control – this method is specifically designed to remove the factors that are restricting your mind from resting and falling asleep. This may take the form of consistent bedtimes, wake up times and avoiding naps. We always advise using the bedroom for sleeping, avoiding any mind-consuming activities.
• Sleep Restriction – this aims to set strict limits on the specific time that you tend to spend in bed each day. For example, you may be in a situation where you go to bed at 10pm but do not fall asleep until midnight, which will compromise the quality of sleep you are getting.  This treatment will reduce the time you spend in bed, which may cause you to experience sleep deprivation, but this leads to you feeling more tired the following night. As a result, you may fall asleep faster and wake up less during the next night.
• Relaxation Training – this gives you the necessary relaxation techniques, so you are fully able to control your mind and body, including positioning yourself correctly. Some of these techniques include positive imagery, progressive muscle relaxation and meditation.

If you are struggling with insomnia or a sleep disorder, please get in touch to find out how Cognitive Behavioural Hypnotherapy can help you create positive sleeping patterns.