Insomnia - trouble sleeping

What is insomnia?

Insomnia is a feeling of not being able to get enough sleep. It is usually related to finding it hard to get to sleep, waking up without having had enough sleep, or having unrefreshing sleep.

Who is affected by insomnia?

People differ in their need for sleep, and everyone has the occasional night of disturbed sleep. Almost a quarter of the population frequently experience sleeping difficulties, and it becomes more common with increasing age. Over the age of 65, 29% of men and 37% of women are affected.

Sleep

The exact function of sleep is not fully understood, but the effects of lack of sleep suggest that its main function is to rest and repair the body. There are also psychological benefits. One phase of sleep is called rapid eye movement (REM) because the sleeper's eyes can be seen to move rapidly behind the lids. This is thought to be the time when dreams occur. People who don't sleep for long enough or who sleep very lightly, become deprived of REM sleep. They can become irritable and anxious and, in extreme sleep deprivation may even have hallucinations.

 

What are the symptoms of insomnia?

The symptoms of insomnia typically include:

• difficulty getting to sleep (taking more than 45 minutes to get to sleep),
  
• difficulty staying asleep (frequent awakenings and difficulty getting back to sleep),
  
• early morning waking,
  
• feeling tired and unrefreshed in the morning.
  
• Some people notice that the irritability that results from their insomnia has an effect on partners, families and work colleagues.
  

Accident statistics have shown that daytime sleepiness can double the chance of having an accident while operating machinery or driving a car.

There's also a link with physical illness. People with insomnia have an increased risk of dying from cancer, heart disease or stroke.

Insomnia can be described as either transient, intermittent or chronic. Transient lasts only a few nights to a few weeks. Intermittent insomnia occurs occasionally but not every night. Chronic insomnia occurs most nights and lasts three or more weeks.

What causes insomnia?

Typically, there is no single cause for insomnia but a number of factors are known to contribute.

• Lifestyle - eating late at night, jet lag, hunger, alcohol, caffeine, stimulant drugs, including nicotine.
  
• Environment – noise (eg partner snoring), uncomfortable bed or bedroom.
  
• Physical health problems – sleep apnoea (abnormal breathing while asleep), asthma, tinnitus, pain, prostate problems that mean frequent trips to the toilet at night, and indigestion.
  
• Psychological – including stress or grief.
  
• Mental health problem such as depression or anxiety.
  
• Medication – eg certain tablets for asthma and treatments for nasal congestion, vertigo and depression.
  
• Rarely, insomnia occurs even when none of the above are present. This is known as 'primary' insomnia.

 

How can hypnotherapy help in the treatment of insomnia?

Insomnia will usually be caused by some kind of deep-rooted and unresolved emotional issue from the suffers past, but may be triggered by, for example, continuous exposure to unhealthy stress levels. Hypnotherapy helps by creating an relaxing and safe environment for the sufferer to expore and resolve the cause of the problem while enjoying a highly relaxed and comfortable state called hypnosis. Once the emotional issues have been resolved, the insomnia invariably dissapears.

Describe the treatment for insomnia

The treatment for insomnia usually involves a course of analytical therapy. Usually taking between 6 and 8 sessions (a maximum of 12) during which the sufferer is hypnotised and encouraged to release bottled-up emotion.

How long is the treatment for agoraphobia?

Usually insomnia will successfully treated within 6 to 8 sessions lasting about one hour each.These sessions should be carrried out once a week on consecutive weeks.

How much will it cost?

Analytcial therapy costs £45 per session.
Please see our Fees.

Contact us now by email: help@headhighhypnotherapy.co.uk