Hypnotherapy for better sleep

When sleep won’t come

Most of us have the odd restless night. But when difficulty getting to sleep, waking in the night or waking too early becomes a pattern, it can affect your mood, your concentration and your health. Insomnia is the name for this kind of ongoing sleep problem.

Often, worrying about sleep becomes part of the problem. You watch the clock, work out how many hours you have left and try harder to sleep, and trying harder only makes you more awake. Breaking that cycle is one of the main aims of hypnotherapy for sleep.

How does hypnotherapy help with insomnia?

Hypnosis and sleep are not the same thing, but they share a quality of deep relaxation. Hypnotherapy helps you reach that relaxed state more reliably, and eases the patterns of thought that keep your mind busy at night. Sessions may include:

• guided relaxation and self-hypnosis techniques to use at bedtime
• exploring the worries or stresses that tend to surface at night
• reducing the anxiety that can build up around sleep itself
• a relaxation recording to listen to at home, where it is helpful

Learning self-hypnosis is often the most useful part. It gives you something practical to do when you wake at 3am, instead of lying there frustrated. With regular practice, many people find their body begins to associate the routine with rest, which makes it easier to let go at the end of the day.

Hypnotherapy can be helpful whether your sleep problems are recent, perhaps triggered by a stressful period, or have built up over many years. The approach is adjusted to suit your situation.

What causes sleep problems?

Sleep is affected by many things, including stress, anxiety, routine, caffeine, alcohol, screens, shift work and physical health. That is why your first conversation looks at the whole picture rather than just the hours you sleep. Hypnotherapy is often combined with simple, practical changes, such as a regular wind-down routine or keeping your phone out of the bedroom.

If stress or worry are keeping you awake, you may also find the pages on hypnotherapy for stress and hypnotherapy for anxiety helpful.

When to see your GP about sleep

Some sleep problems need a medical check. Please speak to your GP if you snore loudly and wake up gasping or choking, if you feel extremely sleepy during the day, or if your sleep problems started alongside other health changes. These can be signs of conditions such as sleep apnoea, which need medical assessment.

Simple habits that support better sleep

Hypnotherapy works best alongside a few good sleep habits. These are not strict rules, just small changes that make it easier for your body to settle:

• going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time each day, including weekends
• cutting back on caffeine after lunchtime
• giving yourself a wind-down period of 30 to 60 minutes before bed, away from bright screens
• keeping the bedroom cool, dark and quiet
• getting up for a short while if you have been lying awake for a long time, then trying again when you feel sleepy

Your self-hypnosis practice can become part of this wind-down routine, so your mind starts to link it with switching off.

What to expect from sleep sessions

Sessions are led by Sonya Hudson, a clinical hypnotherapist with more than 20 years of experience, and last around 60 to 90 minutes. You will start by talking through your sleep pattern and what tends to keep you awake. The hypnosis part of the session is calm and gentle, and you will leave with a simple technique to try that night. Sessions are available at the clinic in Wallsend or online, which many people find convenient for evening appointments.

Looking forward to better nights

Start with a free, no-obligation phone call to talk through your sleep and what you have tried so far. Send an enquiry or call 0191 580 1548.