Much of this information is already known to sleep specialists in the medical world, and some is unique to the world of hypnotherapy. All of these methods can help you achieve drug-free and easy sleep if practiced with dedication.
First, talk to your doctor. Many sleep problems are the result of diseases or physical conditions that must be addressed by medical science. If your doctor can’t find a clear medical cause for your condition, he or she may recommend some sleep medication for simple insomnia. These new drugs are very effective and have relatively few side effects compared to older sedatives. But it will probably warn you that sleep aids are addictive in nature. Once you start to depend on the ease with which these drugs help you relax and let go… well, you depend on them. Although you and your doctor may need these medications for a while, there are things you can start doing now to help you overcome drug dependency.
Insomnia has probably affected every human being in every culture throughout history. Anxiety about money or family, grief over a lost love, even the excitement of a pending romance or marriage—these kinds of challenges have kept people awake the occasional night for centuries. But for most of our evolution as a species, insomnia has been an occasional problem, not a major epidemic. That’s because our brains were designed to slow down when darkness descends. The pineal gland, a light-sensitive organ in the center of the inner brain where our sleep center is located, told us by the fading light that it was time to rest. Also at night, the world around us slowed down, became silent, and we were, if not lulled to sleep, at least bored enough with the quiet sound of crickets and the night wind to fall asleep quite easily. most nights. Even the dim light provided by a campfire or oil lamp was certainly not enough to keep us awake for long.
But in our technologically advanced society we can light bright lights… hundreds of candles!… all night long if we want to. In addition we can watch television, enjoy the stimuli of the computer and even communicate with friends throughout the night if we wish. These modern habits are bound to disrupt our sleep patterns in ways our human instincts were never trained to handle. By living this “nightlife” we are challenging, if not destroying, the natural rhythms that lead to easy and restful sleep. And don’t forget about the horrors of jet lag, shift shifts, noisy late-night neighbors, and other sleep-rhythm challenges.
Also, in centuries past, most of us were physically active for most of the day. Whether we were hunting mammoths in the snow, planting the fields, or milking the cows, these intense physical activities left us tired at the end of each day and ready for sleep. Now, with many of our lives given over almost entirely to mental activities and sedentary living, we no longer experience the sense of peace and relaxation that comes from a day spent on a simple canvas or rigorous adventure. Instead, we try to go to sleep with our brains wired from a day of intense mental stimulation and our bodies restless with the unmet need for physical activity.
Also, in ancient times the attack of a wild beast raised our adrenaline, but then we would fight or run, as hard as we could, and exhausted our bodies. Our current late-night addiction to violent and sexually explicit entertainment, an attempt, I believe, to recapture the physical excitement of our primordial past, often leaves us at the end of the night pumped with adrenaline and unable to release it. Taking all of these factors into account, it’s no wonder that insomnia is an epidemic in our society.
To recover the peaceful sleep of our ancestors, perhaps we can return to the simple life that they lived. Well, that idea won’t work for most of us. So instead, let’s at least find a way to bring some of these relaxation items into your bedtime hour. That is what we might, with constant effort, be able to handle. Here are some of the simple things we can do every day to help our bodies relax and sleep:
Most sleep experts agree that you should use relaxing routines so that your body begins to wind down at least an hour before bed. Turn off the lights. Play calm, relaxing music on the stereo. Spend gentle parenting time with family, partner or friends. Avoid movies or television that may be too disturbing or stimulating. Reading a fun and relaxing book, which stimulates the inner imagination, is often more conducive to sleep than television or Internet activities, because it sends our mind inward. Once you’re in bed, use the bed only for sleeping or making love. That way, the body gets used to sleeping (rather than eating, talking, or having fun) in bed.
Patterns of eating before bedtime are of great importance. Doctors recommend that one should avoid drinking caffeine at least 4 hours before going to bed. Even when we are unaware of caffeine’s stimulating effects on our bodies, it can still keep us awake. Alcohol can also disrupt sleep patterns, so more than one glass of beer or wine before bed is not recommended. Alcohol can even be dangerous when mixed with other sleep medications. I recommend not eating a large meal close to bedtime, because a full stomach can often keep us awake. On the other hand, a glass of warm water or a hot herbal tea like chamomile can help prepare your body for a restful sleep. Some specialists recommend warm milk at night because of the amino acid tryptophan that helps us relax. Essential oils dripped onto your pillow at bedtime can also help set the mood for sleep. The scents of rose, lavender and citrus have calming properties. If you use essential oils to help you sleep, be sure to use these particular scents only at bedtime and not for other activities, so your body is conditioned to the scent of sleep. Daily exercise is important in helping the body to sleep naturally, so developing good exercise habits is very important. But most experts agree that you should cut back on physical activity a couple of hours before bed to help your body wind down.
Many people try to combat insomnia by going to bed earlier. This can backfire because they may spend more time tossing and turning in frustrated wakefulness and setting in motion a pattern where time in bed equals tossing and turning in frustration without sleep. Rather, most experts recommend that you stay up later, until you are very tired, before bed. In this way, you are programming your bedtime experience so that you fall asleep when your head hits the pillow.
So how can hypnosis therapy help us fall asleep more easily? Well, it’s simple. Hypnosis is nothing more than a state of relaxation that borders on sleep. In fact, the word “hypnosis” was derived from the Greek word “Hypnos” which means sleep. Learning to relax your body and mind with an induced trance state from a professional hypnotherapist can teach you how to put yourself in a relaxed state of mind where sleep comes easily. I encourage my clients with insomnia to bring their sleeping pillow from home. I put a blanket on them. I encourage them to snuggle up on my couch just like they do on their bed at home. I literally teach them how to go to sleep. But that’s just the beginning.
In the hypnotic state that borders on natural sleep, I often help my clients locate the subconscious mental and emotional blockages that prevent sleep. A client discovers that a stern inner judge is criticizing all his failures in the early morning, knowing that it is the only time this judge can get his undivided attention. (Ironically, this judge even criticized my client for having insomnia. I tried to tactfully point out that this problem was her fault, Your Honor.) sleep.
Another client was haunted by night terrors caused by childhood memories of being abused in bed by her stepfather. We found a new inner father for her, a powerful inner warrior who was a fierce protector for her new daughter. Once she had knocked the ugly stepfather out of her in a hypnotic regression, she agreed to position herself at the door of her adult bedroom every night to protect her. She was ecstatic to find that she was falling asleep easily, waking up every now and then to consult with her guardian and then safely falling back asleep.
Another client couldn’t sleep since her loving husband of 20 years passed away. Her bed was haunted by loneliness and grievance. So we brought the spirit of her late husband to live in her pillow, so she could hug him every night. (Thank God hypnosis is a suggestible state!) She now sleeps peacefully in her arms each night, where he can help her heal the pain of her injury.
Whatever your sleep problem, sleeping pills your doctor recommends can be a big help in getting you through the night. But talk to your doctor about lifestyle changes that can help you get back on track. And ask your doctor if hypnotherapy can be part of your long-term solution. Good luck…good night…and sleep well