Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Hypnotherapy for Sleep and Sleep Disturbance

by Dan Regan | Sep 29, 2023 | Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Hypnotherapy for Sleep and Sleep Disturbance – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

There can be few more frustrating, debilitating and exhausting challenges than long term sleep issues and ongoing sleep disturbance.

You can start to dread your bedtime routine, feel anxious just thinking about whether you will be able to sleep or not and then lie awake stressed for hours through the night. You start to wonder how you’ll cope through the day and your ongoing stress, frustration and inability to sleep makes you feel physically and mentally drained and worn out. You’ve probably tried all the things you can think of to break the pattern and improve your sleep, only to find that nothing really helps.

Some people I have helped had just grown resigned to living with sleep disturbance and just expected to have to lie there at night, spending hours thinking, worrying or just looking at their phone. Others dread and feel anxious about sleep and then feel worse and worse as the evening draws closer.

Sleep problems can start to become habitual and enduring. It causes anxiety, stress and frustration. And, it can lead to all sorts of negative thoughts and feelings that can spread into each and every aspect of what you do.

Sleep disturbance can negatively affect your physical and psychological health, however, hypnotherapy can be very effective for helping you with improving your sleep.

Sleep and Insomnia Issues – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Jun 16, 2023 | Anxiety Stress and Panic Attacks, Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Sleep and Insomnia Issues – Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

We all know the importance of getting enough quality sleep each night. It’s right up there in how we can actively support our own physical and mental health, alongside drinking enough water and eating healthily.

Yet perhaps one of the most interesting things about our sleep is that, even now, we aren’t entirely sure why we sleep. There are lots of theories and persuasive reasons that can be put out there, yet none where we can be certain of the function of sleep. We know it is important, even if sometimes we don’t give it the priority it deserves or sometimes we even actively avoid it or put it off in favour of doing something else during our waking hours so we don’t ‘waste’ time on sleeping.

And, of course, if you are struggling to sleep or battling with insomnia, then rather than putting off sleep, you would probably give just about anything to be able to sleep better. Sleep deprivation causes all sorts of psychological and physical headaches, and for those who struggle to get to sleep and stay asleep, night time can be a waking nightmare of frustration, stress and anxiety.

Given the importance of sleep it is funny how when we are younger we often try and avoid bedtime and want to stay up later. I’m pretty certain if my children, who that bit older now, had access to the internet all night then they’d be up until the early hours at every conceivable possibility. We might know we should go to bed yet decide instead to watch some more TV or stay out late or do whatever else with out dwindling waking hours. We can engage in unhelpful behaviours (as far as sleep is concerned) like relying on caffeine to stay awake and alcohol to nod off. And given how problematic sleep deprivation can be, if you are going without enough sleep or have insomnia, then every aspect of your life can be adversely impacted upon.

Hypnotherapy To Help With Sleep Disorders – Insomnia Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

by Dan Regan | Jun 9, 2023 | Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Hypnotherapy To Help With Sleep Disorders – Insomnia Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

Is there anything worse than sleep deprivation? Well, maybe there are some things that are worse but a lack of regular, quality sleep definitely appears high up on the list of things that can affect your mood, mindset and well-being.

If you struggle with anxiety, stress, worry or have a tendency to overthink then getting to sleep, and staying asleep, can be a real issue. The state of your sleep is something I always ask about when you first come to see me because of how much it can impact upon your daily functioning. It becomes harder to challenge your own thoughts if you are tired and can lead to feeling low, down and sluggish. Even small daily tasks can seem like huge challenges to overcome and you may find yourself turning to caffeine and sugar to get through the day.

Probably most of us have the odd night that is disturbed. Perhaps we have something on our minds, or you wake up from a noise or needing the loo and your mind starts going, or maybe the kids are going through one of their phases of disturbed sleep that then impacts upon everyone. If it is the occasional night then it is probably something manageable and may not adversely impact upon things too much.

There are few things that aren’t improved by sleeping well. It becomes easier to manage your own thoughts and feelings and to make better decisions. You have more energy for things and you can feel more ready to handle, deal, cope with whatever comes your way.

Yet poor sleep and insomnia can exacerbate anxiety and stress, make your racing thoughts harder to manage and can lead to weight gain and less reasoned decisions. And if you are in a pattern of poor sleep, you may even feel anxious or dread going to bed because of the hours of struggle and frustration ahead. You may start to delay going to bed because of your insomnia and you may have started to develop all sorts of unhelpful thoughts, feelings and habits that means a decent night’s sleep is now seemingly further away from you than ever.

Coronavirus and Mental Health – Sleep Deprivation and Dreaming

by Dan Regan | Sep 28, 2020 | Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Coronavirus and Mental Health – Sleep Deprivation and Dreaming

As I’ve covered in several recent articles, the coronavirus pandemic has impacted upon the mental health and well-being of many people.

In their latest release, the Office For National Statistics (ONS), say that there has been a general increase in anxiety levels among the overall population, the most vulnerable in society, such as disabled adults, people with a health condition and who feel unsafe outside the home because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, have experienced greater increases in anxiety levels. This builds upon their previous release where just over half of adults said it was affecting their well-being and nearly half of adults reported high levels of anxiety. Coronavirus and lockdown impacted on their mental health.

Whilst some may have found the easing of lockdown has resulted in an equivalent easing in anxiety, there are many, many people still struggling with anxiety, worry and fear associated with the coronavirus.

I’ve written before about some of the research and evidence around the link between the coronavirus and mental health (Covid-19 & Easing Lockdown: A Ticking Mental Health Timebomb?). In the earlier days of the pandemic, Shevlin et al (Anxiety, Depression, Traumatic Stress, and COVID-19 Related Anxiety in the UK General Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic, April 2020), investigated the prevalence of COVID-19 related anxiety, generalised anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms in a representative sample of the UK population during an early phase of the pandemic. They found that there were higher reported levels of anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms compared to previous population studies, but not dramatically so. Anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms were predicted by young age, presence of children in the home, and high estimates of personal risk. Anxiety and depression symptoms were also predicted by low income, loss of income, and pre-existing health conditions in self and others.

And, in relation to the USA, Twenge & Joiner (Mental distress among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020) concluded that mental distress was considerably higher in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults in late April 2020 compared to a nationally representative sample from 2018, providing “an early indication that serious mental illness has become strikingly more common during the COVID-19 pandemic“. And another study from the USA by Adams-Prassl et al (The Impact of the Coronavirus Lockdown on Mental Health. 2020) has suggested that the large negative effect on mental health has been entirely driven by the impact on women’s mental health. They suggest that the negative eﬀect on women’s mental health cannot be explained by an increase in financial worries or childcare responsibilities.

I’ve worked with many people in recent weeks who have found that fears and worries over coronavirus have impacted upon their mental health, with increased anxiety and stress levels and worries about the future (such as catching the virus or losing employment).

Today, I’m covering the impact on your sleep (or sleep deprivation) and upon your dreaming when you do sleep.

How To Sleep Better – Seeking Solutions When You Can’t Sleep

by Dan Regan | Nov 20, 2017 | Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

How To Sleep Better – Seeking Solutions When You Can’t Sleep:

Last time out I wrote about sleep disorders and the epidemic of chronic sleep deprivation. That is, about how we often view sleep as something passive that eats into our busy lives and so we downplay it as a priority in our lives even though all the evidence shows how vital good quality sleep is for our physical and mental wellbeing.

In fact, sleeping less than six hours a night has been linked to an increased risk for obesity, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. If you are struggling with a sleep disorder or consistently can’t sleep then it can impact on your memory and ability to learn, on your strength and endurance and can lead to an inability to focus and making more unhealthy food choices.

Perhaps ironically, although I tend to sleep really well usually, after writing about sleep deprivation last time I had one of the worst night’s sleep I can recall having for years! Curses! The day after I felt lethargic, unmotivated, and like my whole body ached. Perhaps it was a reminder to myself of how important sleep is to my own sense of wellbeing! Certainly since studying a University of Michigan course about sleep recently, I’ve become much more strict with myself about having a good night time routine and not sitting on the sofa channel hopping when I know I should be switching off the TV and switching off my brain.

Having worked with over 1500 clients, as well as from my own experience, I think that investing time and thought to ensuring good quality sleep is time certainly spent well if you want to feel better each day. But what can you do to increase your likelihood of sleeping better each night? How do you end the cycle when you can’t sleep?

Sleep Disorders – The Epidemic of Sleep Deprivation

by Dan Regan | Nov 17, 2017 | Insomnia and Sleep Disorders

Sleep Disorders – The Epidemic of Sleep Deprivation

How’s your sleep right now? I don’t know about you but with the coming of winter here in the UK, it often feels like I would love just five more minutes in bed each morning before I get up and get on with the day. Just let me lie in bed for five more minutes each morning!!

Yet if you struggle with sleeping well (or even at all in the case of some insomnia sufferers), then your whole bedtime and night-time experience may seem like one long wrestle in which you desperately seek, yet struggle to find, enough sleep.

And whilst the odd night of poor sleep may not impact too greatly, consistently struggling to get enough good quality sleep can leave you feeling drained, unmotivated, irritable, struggling to focus and like your head is one great ball of fuzziness. You may find yourself relying on caffeine to drag yourself through the day, or smoking more to try and revive yourself, or over-eating in a quest for more energy.

Then the whole struggle recommences each night.

Recently I’ve been studying a course by the University of Michigan called, ‘Sleep Deprivation; Habits, Solution, Strategies’ where their Sleep Disorders Centre discuss the modern epidemic of chronic sleep deprivation.

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