Everyone struggles to sleep occasionally but if you struggle to sleep night after night for weeks, months or even years, this is classed as insomnia. You will probably already be aware of its negative impact on your life. You start each morning feeling groggy or lethargic and this can cause you to lose motivation. Your mind can feel foggy and you might find it hard to concentrate. Sometimes, it could be your lifestyle that stops you from sleeping well. Maybe you have a young child who keeps you awake at night or are a shift worker and even when you want to sleep you can’t. You are not alone, as 31% of adults suffer from insomnia in the UK.
The good news is that hypnotherapy has been found to be a promising treatment for people who suffer from insomnia. Hypnotherapy is a relaxing therapy where you’re able to let go of tension and see things from a different perspective. Most hypnotherapy sessions are split into two distinct parts: ‘the talky bit’ and hypnosis. The talking bit, which could be either counselling or psychotherapy will help you to understand why you feel as you do and to understand what can be done about it.
The length of your hypnotherapy session could vary from 30 – 90 minutes. An initial consultation will generally be held prior to your hypnotherapy sessions. This is to agree your aims and goals for your treatment, to discuss your symptoms and to give you a guide to the number of sessions required. This will vary from client to client and depends on the severity of your insomnia. As a rough guide, for long-term results, within less than 8 hypnotherapy sessions you should find yourself sleeping much more soundly.
Most of us will suffer from insomnia at some point in our lives. Almost a third of adults have insomnia symptoms but only 10% had spoken to their GP about it. The NHS sleep guidelines suggest that most adults should get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. If you’re not getting sufficient sleep, this can lead to an increased risk of disease or illness.
You have insomnia if you struggle to get to sleep at night, if you wake up during the night or if you wake up too early. Some sleep issues can be easily fixed by reducing your alcohol or caffeine intake. The body gets ready for sleep when the temperature drops and it gets darker, so shift workers may find it difficult to sleep during the day. Keeping the room cool and investing in some blackout blinds might be all you need to get a good night’s sleep.
Too much sleep (hypersomnia) can also cause issues, particularly if you wake up feeling sluggish and lethargic. Insomnia and hypersomnia can be caused by a number of issues but if you suffer from high levels of stress, anxiety or depression this can often play a significant role. If you’ve tried everything else and are still struggling to sleep properly, hypnotherapy has been shown to help with sleep disorders.
Insomnia occurs when you regularly experience one or more of the following issues:
These persistent sleep disturbances can significantly affect your energy levels, mood, and overall well-being.
The causes of sleep difficulties can vary from person to person, but common factors include:
Each of these factors can have a significant impact on your sleep quality, making it important to identify and address any that might be affecting you.
Improving your sleep habits can make a big difference in managing insomnia. Here are some practical tips to help you get better rest:
Incorporating these habits into your daily routine can support better sleep and reduce the effects of insomnia.
Hypnotherapy is a very relaxing therapy and, once you relax, your body no longer feels in danger. If the brain believes your body is in danger, then the last thing it will want you to do is to go to sleep. Anxiety and stress will increase the sense of danger and increase your stress hormone levels. Hypnotherapy will help to lower your cortisol level, which is a stress hormone, allowing you to fall asleep more easily.
You might find that you get to sleep easily enough but wake up during the night or too early in the morning. In this case it’s likely that anxiety or stress is causing your brain to be too active during the night. Sometimes you might sleep too much and find yourself waking up feeling groggy and lethargic. This can be a sign that your brain has been working too hard while you’re asleep and can also be an indicator of depression or anxiety.
When you are in a trance state, you will be in a state of focused attention. Different brain waves become more prevalent and you will likely be able to see things from a different perspective. The change in brain waves will also make it easier for you to take on new ideas and new ways of thinking. Most hypnotherapists use an element of talking therapy these days and this supports the trance session by helping you to evaluate your current behaviour and the way you think.
Try to improve your insomnia by trying the self-help tips. If this doesn’t work and you’ve struggled with insomnia for 3 months or more, then a visit to your GP can reassure you that nothing else is going on. Sometimes insomnia can be present alongside other conditions. Once you’ve seen your GP, a hypnotherapist will be able to help you.
The number of sessions you will need for insomnia will vary from person to person. The questions that your hypnotherapist will ask to help them calculate the number of sessions you might need might include: “How long have you had insomnia?” or “How severe is the insomnia?” Another factor to consider might be the level of your commitment. You might be expected to listen to an MP3 download every night or to perform some other task between sessions. You will see results much more quickly if you do the things your hypnotherapist suggests.
The cost of hypnotherapy for insomnia can vary from one therapist to another. This will depend on your location and the qualifications and experience your hypnotherapist has. To give you a rough guide prices can vary from £40- £150 per hour.
It’s worth remembering that your children will need even more sleep than you do. As a guide, toddlers should get 11-14 hours per day, preschool children 10-13 hours, primary school children 9-12 hours, while teenagers need 9-9.5 hours per night. The good news is that hypnotherapy can help children with insomnia. Children often find it much easier to go into a trance state than their adult counterparts. This is thought to be because children are more open about trying new things than many adults.
Even before lockdown many hypnotherapists were running online hypnotherapy sessions for Insomnia. The good news is that there is now evidence to support the effectiveness of online hypnotherapy sessions for a range of conditions. All you would need to take part in an online hypnotherapy session would be a laptop, tablet or smartphone, access to the internet and somewhere quiet where you can relax.
Hypnotherapy works in two ways. Most hypnotherapy approaches use a blend of talking therapy plus trance. The talking element of the session will help you to look at your insomnia from a different perspective. You might explore your current behaviours or thought patterns that are getting in the way. The talking element might be some form of counselling, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or a solution focused approach. The aim is to help give you a better understanding of how to get better. This will then be followed by a trance session where the therapist will use hypnosis to relax you into a trance state. While in the trance state, which is a natural state of focused attention, you will be able to let go of any tension and relax fully. When you are in a trance state the predominant brain waves change from Beta to Alpha and Theta, these allow you to change the way you think and to problem solve more effectively.
Hypnotherapy has been shown to be a very effective treatment for insomnia and helps you to get your life back. It was also found that hypnosis was more effective when combined with a psychological element than just hypnosis alone. However, it is not possible to guarantee a cure with any condition.
You can expect to see some slight improvement in your insomnia after the first hypnotherapy session. However, everyone is different and much will depend on the severity of your symptoms and your commitment to the hypnotherapy process. You might feel more relaxed and have more energy. Your sleep pattern might improve a little, particularly if listening to the hypnotherapist’s MP3 download every night. In up to 8 sessions, you should see a consistent change in symptoms, feeling calmer and more relaxed. You will probably notice that you’re sleeping better and waking up refreshed.
As hypnotherapy is considered to be a complementary therapy in the UK, we are not allowed to publish success rates for IBS. Your commitment to the hypnotherapy process is also very important. If you engage with your hypnotherapist and follow their advice, such as listening to an MP3 download every night, then your treatment will be more effective than if you don’t. However, all that said, a number of research studies have shown hypnotherapy to be effective for insomnia.
Unfortunately, you will probably be unable to access hypnotherapy for Insomnia through the NHS. This is despite the British Medical Association’s assertion, in their submission of evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on science and technology in the year 2000, that ‘Hypnotherapy and Counselling may be considered as orthodox treatments’. However, your GP might suggest hypnotherapy as an option for insomnia, but it will be up to you to source and fund your treatment.
Self-hypnosis can help with insomnia as all hypnosis is technically self-hypnosis. This is because it is your brain doing the work, with the hypnotherapist as the facilitator. However, it can be difficult to achieve on your own and therefore finding a qualified hypnotherapist to help you initially can be the best solution. Once you have experienced going into a trance state a few times with their help, you will find it much easier to go into that same state on your own. It is worth pointing out that the counselling or psychotherapy element of the hypnotherapy session would be missing from any self-help approach and research has suggested that hypnosis is more effective alongside it.
Start out with the basics, Search for “hypnotherapy for insomnia” in Google or Bing. The results will contain a map with local hypnotherapy businesses. Start looking through their reviews either in the search engine or on their social (Facebook) pages.
The best hypnotherapists will be registered with a professional association and with organisations that are accredited by the professional standards authority. There are only two in the UK and they are the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) and the National Hypnotherapy Society.
Related Articles
