The importance of sleep is key to maintaining good health both physically and mentally. However, many people go through periods in their lives when sleep can be challenging and elusive. One third of the population will suffer from insomnia or poor quality sleep at some point and, it seems, the more you worry about it, the worse the cycle becomes.

A lack of sleep can increase anxiety and health issues and can also affect how well we eat and how motivated we feel during the day. When your body gets used to unusual sleep patterns and hours of wakefulness, it can become a habit.

I see lots of people in my hypnotherapy work who struggle with sleep and encourage them to download my Sleep Better audio. Hypnosis for sleep is extremely effective and will help you to relax, reduce tension and fall into a restful calmness. We can also address other issues which may be causing you to be wide awake in the middle of the night. Certainly, the pressure we put on ourselves to sleep well can be the very thing that is keeping us awake!

As I was reading the excellent Breathe magazine late last night, I came across an article titled “Rest Up.” It talks about the fact that we can feel there are only two options, sleep and being awake. However, there is a third option. Rather than becoming fixated on not sleeping, we can use the time instead to rest. Worrying about feeling exhausted the next day and watching the clock actually makes us more anxious – so choosing to just rest and relax will have a restorative effect.

The worry-cycle of not sleeping can trigger the body’s stress hormones like adrenalin and cortisol and the “fight/flight” state will make it even harder to drift off! This will also increase anxiety about the next day and not being able to function because of the lack of sleep.  By purposefully doing something restful – listening to music, an audio or meditating and seeing this time as an opportunity for some “me time” – you will lower your heart rate, soothe your nervous system and promote feelings of calm. This way you will be more able to cope with whatever the new day brings – even if you are awake for a few hours.

Sleep expert Neil Stanley, points out that rest is not a substitute for sleep but that it can be a useful Plan B when sleep just isn’t happening.

Being able to practice some self-care and taking some time out for yourself, even during the day, will give your body and mind regular breaks and help you to access that state of rest that will encourage sleep and make it easier to achieve.

Hypnotherapy can help you to shift your focus and change the way you feel about bedtime. So why not prioritise yourself and get in touch for an online appointment with me and invest in some restorative hypnosis which will stop the negative thought patterns causing sleep disruption. Think of it as a massage for your brain!