Overcome sleep disturbances and feel better

Overcome sleep disturbances

Are you struggling to get a good night’s sleep? You are not alone, up to one-third of the population struggles with sleep disturbances. Two of the most common approaches for treating sleep disturbances and insomnia is pharmacology and cognitive behaviour therapy. However, both have limited clinical effectiveness. Not only does pharmacology have risks like dependency, but the quality of your sleep is reduced by the suppression of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep (Wofford et al., 2023). I personally am terrified of sleeping pills because my mom became dependent on them and fatally injured her liver.

An effective and safe alternative for improving your sleep is hypnotherapy. Hypnosis comes from the Greek god of sleep ‘Hypnos.’ It literally means ‘sleep.’ Hypnotherapy can improve your sleep by directly or indirectly targeting intervening conditions that may negatively impacting your sleep, such as anxiety, stress, pain, night terrors, sleep walking, and bedwetting (Ng & Lee, 2008; Wofford et al., 2023).

When combined with some sleep hygiene, the effectiveness of hypnotherapy is even better. I mostly sleep well, especially when I work at it. I try and get outside every morning to reset my circadian rhythm. One of my favourite things to do is to have my morning tea outside on the deck. In the winter I sit on a sheepskin and bundle up with blanket and hot pad. I love hearing the birds and noticing the daily changes in my little backyard. I used to drink a pot of coffee every day, now I usually only have one mug of tea. Cutting back on caffeine helps improve sleep. I also have a nice bed-time routine that includes a warm bath. Then I listen to an audio book and do a few gentle stretches. My bedroom is nice and dark and cool. I have a comfy supportive bed with pillows and warm blankets that I love crawling into.

Once you are sleeping better, everything feels better. Sleep is vital to both our mental and physical well-being. If you are suffering from insomnia and sleep disturbances, an investment in a 4 to 8 session series with a well-trained clinical hypnotherapist will be well worth it. Learn to sleep well each and every night.

Ng, B.-Y. &, Lee, T., (2008). Hypnotherapy for sleep disorders. Annals Academy of Medicine Singapore, 37(8), 683-688.

Wofford, N., Snyder, M., Corlett, C. E., & Elkins, G. R. (2023). Systematic Review of Hypnotherapy for Sleep and Sleep Disturbance. International Journal of Clinical Experimental Hypnosis, 71(3), 176-215. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207144.2023.2226177