— Jane Mackenzie
Hypnotherapy for Sleep
By Jennie Kitching, Hypnowoman, Senior Adv. Hypnotherapist & Trainer
Can hypnotherapy help me to sleep?
I am so glad you are reading this because I get to tell you right now that sleep happens all by itself - but ironically, it is in trying to sleep that it becomes so evasive. Sleep is in the domain of the unconscious mind, and so by consciously wanting to sleep, or being plagued by conscious intrusive thoughts, it's no wonder that sleep has so much trouble kicking in.
It seems just when we want to settle down and think of ‘nothing’ so we can sleep, often that is the time your mind seizes to remind you of all sorts of stuff you should be doing and have not, or brings up situations that you cannot do anything about anyway. Sometimes, even a silent mind struggles to find sleep, perhaps because of outside influences, diet, or habit. But no matter what causes your sleepless nights, hypnotherapy is here to help and settle all of those issues for you. Literally. We can talk to your unconscious mind and get all of that conflict out of the way so you can do what you are supposed to do: sleep deeply and heal your mind and body, every single night.
What are the symptoms of insomnia?
Are you struggling to sleep and cannot, plus the more you try to sleep the less you seem able to do this thing? Babies do it so easily, and yet here you are, lying awake trying to force yourself. Then, you are being really hard on yourself for not being able to do this ‘simple’ thing, and you know you have an important day tomorrow.
Or, maybe you have distracted yourself all day and now you dwell on the past or worry about the future and you think your will power is to blame. There is nothing worse than feeling like you cannot control yourself, so let's fix that.
You might be interested in:
Check out our kindle e-book of simple subliminal texts to positively change the mind.
How does Hypnotherapy help?
Sleep does not happen when the brain is too active. If you attach an electroencephalograph to a person's head, you can record the person's brainwave activity. An awake and relaxed person generates alpha waves, which are consistent oscillations at about 10 cycles per second. An alert person generates beta waves, which are about twice as fast.
During sleep, two slower patterns called theta waves and delta waves take over which have oscillations of less than 3.5 cycles per second. As a person falls asleep and sleep deepens, the brainwave patterns slow down. The slower the brainwave patterns, the deeper the sleep and hypnosis puts you into those deeper brainwave states so you can more easily access them again when in the privacy of your own bed.
Worries, frustrations and concerns about things we cannot do anything about, especially when we are supposed to be sleeping, actually cause the brain to be too busy for sleep. Hypnotherapy calms everything down and talks to your Sleep Gatekeeper to allow you to sleep peacefully throughout the night, attending to all those other things in your waking hours, when you can do something about them!
Quick Tips for You
1. Keep your bedroom just for sleeping.
If it's possible for you, don't do work whilst you're in bed. Associate your bedroom with only relaxing things.
2. Room Temperature
Keep your room temperature between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius. If you're too cold at night, you can always bring a hot water bottle to bed - and if you're often too warm, keep a fan nearby.
3. Keep your room decluttered and clean.
Create a gentle atmosphere which is quiet, dark and tidy. Too much clutter in your bedroom can almost feel like 'visual noise'. If you're going through a rough patch, you might have forgotten how comforting clean sheets and a clean bed can be. Do whatever it takes to make your bedroom inviting again.
4. Comfort
Make sure you are as comfortable as possible; even though rock climbers can sleep on precarious ledges, you don’t have to. The more gentle comfort and soft ease you can surround yourself in, the better.
You may find it helps, temporarily, to spend a night on the floor or the sofa. The change of scenery and comfort can help break the current association with your bedroom as somewhere where you 'can't' sleep. And getting into bed the next night will feel much more comfortable by comparison.
5. Help your circadian rhythm.
Your circadian rhythm could become your greatest ally... If you could only help it find its rhythm again. Aim for a similar wake up time and a similar sleeping time, no matter when that is. The time that you have breakfast and dinner can also influence your circadian rhythm - if you've been skipping either of them or eating at irregular times, experiment with changing that and see how it affects your sleep.
6. Relax before bed.
If you're currently flopping into bed at the end of the day without some kind of wind-down routine, maybe it's time to change that. Develop a bed time routine that's actually worth looking forward to. Remember, we want to associate bedtime not with frustration, but with comfort, relaxation and ease.
Extra Advice
You are a biochemical machine. Certain foods may stop you getting a good quality sleep. The most obvious to avoid are stimulants - anything that speeds the body up, like coffee and sugary treats. A little alcohol may seem like a good idea, though when your body has to work hard to purify your system afterwards, you may awaken with a quickened heartbeat and profound sweating during the night.
Luckily, there are certain foods that actually promote quality sleep. Tryptophan is an amino acid found in foods like turkey and almonds, and your wonderfully clever liver converts Tryptophan into serotonin and melatonin. Give it a try, and sleep well!
I'm Jennie Kitching, otherwise known as Hypnowoman. I'm an Advanced Senior Hypnotherapist with over 20 years of experience. I'm based in the UK, but as long as you've got an internet connection, I can work with you wherever you are.
You deserve more than you know. If you're ready to be who you want to be, then let's make things better, together.
