SLEEP DEEPLY

Are you struggling to get good quality sleep?  Do you wake up in the morning feeling as if you have been run over by a bus!

One of the most common reasons a client will seek out the services of a Psychotherapist or Clinical Hypnotherapist is to help overcome insomnia.  So whether it’s the inability to get to sleep, or you suffer from broken or interrupted sleep during the night or you wake feeling tired and lethargic and flat, you are in the right place.

It’s important to recognise that occasionally you might find it difficult to get to sleep due to worry or anxiety about a particular problem or you might find yourself experiencing broken sleep during a stressful time.  This is normal every now and again.  However if this becomes the norm and you find yourself struggling to sleep more often than not or regularly experiencing broken or interrupted sleep and you wake feeling tired, irritable and lethargic most of the time then you are most probably suffering from Insomnia.

The main symptoms of Insomnia include:

• Trouble falling asleep at night;
• Interrupted or broken sleep and then not able to go back to sleep
• You wake very early in the morning regardless of when you go to bed
• You wake feel lethargic, tired, no energy
• Relying on sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep
• Daytime drowsiness, fatigue or irritability
• Difficult to concentrate during the day

The main causes of Insomnia:

• Psychological or emotional issues – anxiety, stress and depression are the 3 of the most common causes of chronic insomnia. Other emotional problems can include anger, worry, grief, sadness, fear and trauma.
• Illness or Medical Problems – there are many medical conditions that can contribute significantly to insomnia and these include allergies, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, chronic reflux, cancer and asthma. Chronic or acute pain can also be a significant factor in causing insomnia.
• Medications – it’s important to recognise that many prescriptions drugs can interfere with sleep including anti-depressants, stimulants, hypertension and thyroid hormone treatments and even some contraceptives. Because of the alcohol in cold and flu medications and caffeine in many pain relievers these can also cause insomnia.
• Other sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea, restless legs syndrome, neuropathy (diabetics) and circadian rhythm disturbances due to jet lag, shift work or looking after a baby.
• Environmental Factors – noise, light, food, alcohol, caffeine, stimulation, temperature, lack of exercise and nicotine can all make it more difficult to sleep.

Some Facts about Insomnia

• The amount of sleep a person requires varies and is dependent on a number of things. Although the average number of hour sleep recommended is between 7 and 8 for adults, how you feel in the morning will mostly determine whether you have had enough sleep.  Some people function well on less hours and some need more.  So if you are waking feeling refreshed and energised you know you have had enough sleep.
• Did you know that as you get older you tend to sleep less? More women suffer from Insomnia then men.
• Research show that productivity and effectiveness in the workplace is reduce by 30%-40% when a worker suffers from long term insomnia, so imagine the impact this would have on the overall economy.
• The Sleep Health Foundation has an excellent website and this link has information about Sleep Health Facts relating to sleep related topics.

So how can using your mind help you overcome Insomnia?

• Firstly we identify what is causing your insomnia and any environmental factors that may be exacerbating your problem by asking you to complete a questionnaire.
• We then create a plan to develop a better bedtime routine, and help you to create new habits conducive to good quality sleep
• We discuss your medication and/or medical condition if you have one and may request that your GP be involved.
• We use guided meditation and hypnotic techniques to understand and then provide way to eliminate and remove the emotional obstacles that created the sleep problem. The chart below show what happens in your brain when you go to sleep at night.  As you can see from the diagram below, regenerative good quality sleep, the kind of sleep you need to function well on an ongoing daily basis, occurs when your brain wave activity slows to delta.  This is where the REM sleep which is essential to good health resides.