What is Insomnia?
The World Health Organisation states that we all need around 8 hours of sleep a night to function at our best. The bad news is, if you’re getting less than this as an adult, it will start to impact on your life. Approximately 1 in 3 people in the UK suffer from insomnia. For most the problem is short-lived. Unfortunately, for as many as 10% it becomes a chronic problem, having a negative affect on their lives.
Sleep is vital for maintaining good physical and mental health, playing a significant role in healing and repairing our heart and blood vessels. Further, it helps us to maintain a healthy weight and a good balance of hormones as well as controlling our sugar levels. It is also important for brain function, aiding concentration, performance, and productivity.
There are two main patterns of insomnia which affect people. Some struggle to go to sleep at all and lie awake frustrated with a head full of racing thoughts (Type 1 Insomnia). Another 30% of people CAN go to sleep but then awaken in the early hours and cannot get back to sleep (Type 2 Insomnia).
How Can Hypnotherapy Help?
Anxiety is one of the most common causes of insomnia. Worrying that you’re not sleeping only makes the problem worse! It’s not long before a vicious cycle sets in and the harder you try the more elusive sleep becomes.
Hypnotherapy can help insomnia sufferers by addressing the underlying cause of anxiety. This is often caused by work, relationship, health or financial worries. Ruminating on problems only increases their negative effect. Even small issues can get out of proportion in the middle of a sleepless night.
In the first session I will explain how anxiety and insomnia arise in the brain. I will also give you a free mp3 download to listen to whilst going to sleep at night which will re-pattern the negative thinking that is adding to the problem. Hypnosis is then used in further sessions to recreate the state of trance used for learning (REM). In this state, your subconscious mind becomes more receptive to beneficial suggestions, accepting directions to promote positive change. Brain waves change during this process, so you become more focused, relaxed and able to make decisions easier.