According to the NHS website, Insomnia is difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep for long enough to feel refreshed the next morning. Sleep is a wonderful thing that we take for granted, that is until we can’t sleep. If Insomnia starts to take over our life then bedtime can feel daunting.
Most adults need between six and eight hours’ sleep each night, although we’re all different. Some people find they can manage on just three hours. Older women often find their night’s sleep is broken, especially if they’ve taken a nap during the day.
You can easily feel that you are not sleeping as much as you are.
Causes
Sleep disturbance can be brought on for a number of reasons. It can be caused by
- Illness
- Anxiety
- Stress
- low mood
- lifestyle choices amongst many other causes
It can have you waking up in the early hours and not being able to get back to sleep; it could be you simply can’t get to sleep in the first place or perhaps you simply have a disrupted sleep pattern. Whatever the problem, it causes issues during the day such as tiredness, lack of concentration and it can even cause health problems.
When to seek help
When this is affecting your daily life – particularly if it has been two weeks or more. If you think it might be related to an illness, go and see your GP who will assess your health. If no physical illness is found to be wrong, they will suggest changes to your lifestyle. We can then help as follows.
Treatments Available
Hypnotherapy can enable a gentle change that encourages relaxation just prior to sleep. These changes can have a beneficial effect with some people and allow them to overcome insomnia. Acupuncture,Tai-chi, Yoga and Pilates can also help. If your insomnia is linked to physical pain, a Physiotherapist or Chiropractor or Massage therapist would fully assess your condition and provide treatment to reduce your pain. Nutritional therapy could also help as it may be that your dietary requirements are not being met.
All of these services are available at Courtyard.
The Royal College of Psychologists has an excellent publication on sleep. Click http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/expertadvice/problems/sleepproblems/sleepingwell.aspx to access their website.
Karla Howes
Solution Focused Hypnotherapist
Jan 2017