By Penny Finnegan – Clinical Hypnotherapist
Hypnotherapy to help overcome insomnia
Do you struggle to get to sleep at night, or wake up frequently and can’t get back to sleep? Or maybe you just feel groggy and un-refreshed when you wake up? Sleep is fundamental to the optimal functioning of our health and wellbeing and sleeping problems such as insomnia, can prevent some people from getting the quality sleep they need. If we don’t get enough sleep, or the quality of our sleep is poor, then it may have a detrimental effect on a number of factors, including our energy levels, ability to concentrate, memory retention, immune function, diet, emotional wellbeing and how we deal with stress in our lives.
Insomnia can take many forms and can affect each person differently, or be experienced in the same person in different ways, at different times. It can be defined as the perception of poor quality sleep due to: difficulty falling asleep, frequent waking during the night and then difficulty falling back to sleep, waking up early and not being able to return to sleep, or waking feeling unrefreshed. Many of us will have experienced periods of disrupted sleep at some point in our lives. Sometimes it is a temporary blip, but for others it can be more prolonged, resulting in feeling regularly tired and irritable, coupled with the associated worries about getting to sleep each night. This can become an unhelpful cycle of worry, causing anxious feelings about sleep and subsequent poor quality sleep, which can negatively impact our mental health.
Hypnotherapy can be an effective treatment option for sleeping problems for many people and takes a holistic approach. It’s important to speak to your doctor first to eliminate any psychological or physical causes which need to be addressed first, but where hypnotherapy may still be very helpful in correcting behaviours and thoughts that might be contributing to, or maintaining insomnia. Relaxation therapy, adopting good sleep habits and having strategies to manage unhelpful thoughts or an overactive mind are of proven benefit to insomnia and are key components of a hypnotherapy treatment plan.
The following tips can be practiced at home and enhance your ability to get a good night’s sleep with a focus on creating a calm, restful environment and a consistent sleep routine and ritual.
- De-clutter. Studies show that people sleep better in an uncluttered environment, so it’s important to create a place where you can go to relax
- Create a routine. As much as possible, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This helps establish a regular sleep-wake schedule that is consistent with the circadian (24 hour) sleep/wake cycle.
- Exercise regularly. Exercise can help to decrease stress, which can be a major inhibitor of sleep. However, vigorous exercise before going to bed is not advised as it fires up your metabolism, making it harder to relax.
- Cut down on alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. Replace tea and coffee with herbal teas.
- Eat lightly in the evening. Heavy meals make it more difficult for your body to shut down during digestion.
- Make relaxation a priority. Dedicate some time before bed to winding down the body and mind, for example have a warm bath, read a book, or practice some meditation.
- Keep electronic devices out of the bedroom. Studies have found electronic devices to affect sleep. If possible, keep TVs, phones, tablets etc. out of the bedroom and stop using them an hour before bed.
- Make your bedroom more sleep-friendly. Ensure your bed and pillows are comfortable and keep your room cool, dark and as quiet as possible. This will help natural sleep to occur more easily.
- Face your bedside clock away from you. Clock watching can be very disruptive for sleep, because the stress caused by being aware of the slow passage of time during the night, increases mental activity, can promote anxious feelings and make it harder to fall asleep.
- Morning sunlight. If possible, expose yourself to bright (yellow) light in the morning as this entrains the circadian or 24 hour clock system. Morning sunlight helps you feel more alert in the morning and promotes drowsiness in the evening.
If you would like to book an appointment with Penny to discuss how hypnotherapy could help you restore healthy sleeping habits and a renewed sense of energy, then please contact The Thornbury Clinic on 01454 838366 or info@thethornburyclinic.co.uk. More information can also be found on their website www.thethornburyclinic.co.uk