The Watford & District Hypnotherapy Centre

Hypnosis for Sleeping Issues

By David Holmes on April 9th, 2010

Hypnosis for Sleep Problems  

  

Hypnosis can aid in the treatment of certain sleep disorders, especially bed-wetting and insomnia. Although some may be sceptical of the effectiveness of hypnosis to treat sleep disorders, it has been used as a treatment for sleep disorders since the 1930s. Through hypnosis, people can explore the underlying emotional issues that may be disrupting their sleep.  

The Practice of Hypnosis Therapies  

When a person is hypnotized, he enters a trance-like state in which the mind is open to suggestion within a narrow focus. A therapist addresses the identified stresses or triggers during this stage to help induce a healthful rest at home. A receptive patient can gain greater control over sleep disorders with vocal encouragement that addresses memories, images and emotions.  

In clinical situations, an individual and therapist agree on what will happen in the suggestive state. A therapist may keep the individual in a hypnotic state to reinforce positive behaviours for later implementation. These would include the ability to reach a relaxed plateau at any time and strategies that reduce anxiety.  

Keep in mind that a hypnotic sleep is different from a normal night’s cycle of deep sleep. Under hypnosis, therapists and practitioners can influence the mind and the body. They can alter disorders and reach toward creating effective sleep patterns. Hypnosis is an effective way to re-train the mind to release the day’s worries and concentrate on a full night of rest. Whether a troubled sleeper sees a therapist or practices self-hypnosis, this technique helps people achieve a relaxed state of mind to reach deeper levels of sleep.  

Treating Sleep Disorders with Hypnosis  

Individuals suffer from nighttime issues in one of two ways: they experience trouble falling asleep and/or are subject to repeated wakening throughout the night. The following sleep disorders respond well to hypnosis therapies:  

• Bed wetting, a serious issue for many ages, can occur as young as five and may taper off in the teens. Hypnosis been proven to identify and resolve behaviours that cause bed wetting.
• Insomnia may be mild or critical, temporary or long-standing. Depression, emotional disturbances, exercise and medication can induce this sleep disorder. Insomnia responds well to hypnotic-induced treatment.
• Nightmares area sleep problem that responds to hypnosis. In the hypnotic state, therapists calm the anxiety or stress that may cause terrifying dreams.
• Sleep walking, also known as somnambulism, can occur at any age. It only occurs during deep sleep, rather than the final stage known as REM (rapid eye movement) when the brain is most active.

While doctors may prescribe hypnosis alone, this treatment is generally used in conjunction with other treatments, such as medication, therapy and/or sleep diaries.  

Self-Hypnosis  

  

Although self-hypnosis can help individuals who experience minor sleep difficulties, a professional should diagnose and treat short- or long-term disorders. They may suggest after testing and some preliminary work that you implement self-hypnosis preceded by appropriate instruction.  

Here are the steps to reaching a state of relaxation through self-hypnosis:  

• Settle on your back and close your eyes.
• Let your arms align naturally at each side without touching across your abdomen.
• Begin taking deep breaths, drawn from the diaphragm.
• Work your muscles, beginning at the toes. Flex and release while you concentrate on the various, sequential muscle groups, working toward your shoulders and down to your fingers.
• Concentrate on relaxing. If your mind starts to wander, identify the thought, put it out of your mind and begin focusing on relaxing.
• Begin a countdown and imagine yourself descending gracefully from a high point to a lower one. Set levels, such as 10-9-8, etc. As you reach each level, mentally envision a deeper state of relaxation.
• When you reach the count of “one,” let your mind drift.

You should be completely relaxed, if not asleep, at this point. You may want to increase the backward count starting at 20 or even higher. In time, you’ll learn to reach relaxation with very little effort.  

Make a tape or have a friend with a soft vocal tone create a recording of each step. Work each level and pause in between instructions. When relaxing the body, create an instruction for each muscle group. You can have music playing in the background as well.  

The Environment for Self-Hypnosis  

Using your sleep or rest environment will help deeply relax as you hypnotise yourself. You can make this area more peaceful by eliminating all stimuli, such as bright lights and disturbing sounds. Often, soft music assists self-hypnosis. Experts also recommend self-hypnosis in garden areas with running water, as they tend to be soothing, relaxing places as well.  

Normal Sleep Patterns: How Important is Sleep?  

While we all know that getting enough sleep is important, many of us aren’t getting the sleep we need. According to the Apollo Health Organization, a leader in sleep research:  

• About 75 percent of adults don’t get enough sleep.
• Lack of sleep costs an estimated $150 billion annually due to lowered worker productivity.
• Sleep deprivation is known to contribute to health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure and depression.

   

The Importance of Sleep  

Biologically, our bodies operate on a 24-hour clock. The entire cycle, transitioning from wakefulness to sleep and back to wakefulness, is known as a person’s circadian rhythm. During this cycle, people experience daily hormonal changes, body temperature fluctuations and a host of other changes in bodily functions. This “rhythm” allows us, in most cases, to achieve normal sleep patterns.  

Individuals who experience normal sleep patterns generally feel more energetic during the day. In fact, studies have shown that sleep disruptions cause people to operate more slowly, reducing productivity in classrooms and the workplace.  

Along with feeling more alert, those who get adequate sleep tend to have stronger immune systems, making them better able to stave off disease and infection. Experts also state that adequate sleep is important for resisting disease and is intrinsic in children’s mental and physical growth.  

So why don’t many of us get enough sleep? The answer to this question is complicated. Simply put, many factors affect a person’s sleeping patterns including his or her mental and physical health, lifestyle and age. Gaining knowledge of your personal habits, often with the aid of a sleep diary, may help you focus on creating an ideal environment for achieving adequate rest.  

How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?  

Lifestyle, health, age and genetics factor greatly into an individual’s sleep requirements. For example, while an infant spends nearly 50% of his or her non-waking time in REM sleep, adults generally spend about 20% of their sleep time in the REM stage.  

Experts recommend the following guidelines by age:  

• Infants: as many as 16 hours, including naps
• Ages 3-6: 10 to 12 hours
• Ages 6-9: about 10 hours at night
• Ages 9-12 and teenagers: about 9 night time hours
• Adults: While the adult range can vary anywhere from 5 to 10 hours, it averages at about 7 to 9 hours.
• Seniors: Older adults tend to require as much sleep as children, including daytime napping.

Basics of Average Sleep Patterns  

During a night of sleep, the brain experiences periods of intense activity in different parts of the sleep cycle while the body’s muscles are in a paralyzed state. Experts suggest this occurs simultaneously to prevent physical movement in the dream stage.  

Two types of sleep emerge during an average night: rapid eye movement (REM) preceded by non-REM (NREM). The latter comprises four stages in which individuals slide from drowsiness toward a deep sleep into the REM stage that involves dreaming.  

• The waking stage is a precursor to NREM staging.
• Stage 1: An individual becomes drowsy and is easily awakened. Muscles begin to relax and eye activity is slow.
• Stage 2: Also known as the “light sleep” stage, stage 2 is characterized by no eye movement while internal temperature drops and heart rate decreases.
• Stages 3 and 4: The deep sleep cycles, known as “delta” or “slow-wave,” are progressively intense. In these stages, a person is difficult to wake and is also more like to sleepwalk or wet the bed.
• REM sleep: As the most erratic sleep stage, the REM part of the sleep cycle involves rapid eye movement and dreaming, making the brain as almost as active as if it were awake. A person may experience this cycling up to five times each night.

While stages one through four typically last up to two hours, each cycle can vary from five minutes to 15 minutes. However, the stages aren’t necessarily sequential, meaning that sleep may not progress from stage one to four and then to REM. For example, you may experience this: waking, 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, and then REM. As morning nears, most sleep activity remains in Stages 1-2 plus REM to create the healthiest possible balance to prevent  

fatigue and irritability during waking hours.  

Those who are sleep deprived or are getting less than ideal sleep may want to consider seeing a sleep consultant and/or therapist to discover the cause of their disruptions. At the first sign of variance from these patterns, experts recommend keeping a sleep diary that may quickly identify problems. For persistent sleep problems, consult a licensed practitioner to identify any specific health threats.  

Building Your Sleep Environment  

One of the most important aspects to getting adequate sleep is to create a sleep environment free from distractions. Similarly, your body needs to be prepared for sleep, meaning that both you brain and muscle activity need to be slowed down.  

  

Along with making sure that you sleep in comfortable surroundings, eliminate objects that provide stimulus to the brain. Other steps to getting good sleep include:  

• Exercise early: Intense physical activity later in the day provides too much stimulation in the evening.
• Maintain consistency: Keep a regular schedule both on weekdays and weekends to get your body used to a routing.
• Perform rituals: Develop relaxation techniques before bedtime that you associate with resting, such as drinking a cup of hot tea and reading a book.
• Restrict food, alcohol and caffeine before bed: Each of these stimulates physical and/or mental activity, making it harder for you to get to sleep.
• Save worrying for the next day: Most problems cannot be solved while you’re asleep. Try to put stressful thoughts aside. If you have trouble doing this, consider writing down your worries in a diary. This is a good way to process these thoughts and release them for a while.

If you still have trouble falling asleep, try taking a hot bath about an hour before bedtime. This forces your body to reduce its temperature and may help you enter NREM sleep more efficiently. If in bed lying restlessly, don’t stay in bed tossing and turning. Move around, read a book and try to create the right mood for a full night-time of restorative rest.