The Impact of Insomnia

One common call for the hypnotherapist is to help with insomnia. The tricky thing about insomnia is that it is many times connected to stress from huge problems. Sometimes simple relaxation inductions and suggestions for good sleep work, and sometimes there is much more to be shifted before results come.

As hypnotherapists, it is part of our job and commitment to our clients to be healthy, mentally fit and well-rested so that we can provide the best possible service. And yet, when we are well-rested and ready for the day, it can be easy to forget the ravages that lack of sleep can wreak upon us and our clients.

Here's an article I saw that talk specifically about the subtle and not-so-subtle effects of poor sleep, especially over the long term. Keep this in your bookmarks, and review it before seeing any clients with insomnia.

I've had cases where the client's themselves were so absorbed in their problems and trying so hard to get solutions that they ignored their sleep problems, compensating with coffee, energy drinks or worse. For these clients, this is an article for them to read so they can understand better that, without good sleep, they are fighting an uphill battle. A little relaxation and good-sleep hypnosis may be just the place to start to shift the outlook on things. Better sleep often has great effect on depression as well.

Read up on the effects of bad sleep here, in the Health and Wellness section of Alternet.org:

Article: The Stunning Consequences of Not Getting Enough Sleep

Also mentioned are:

Article: "In Need of Sleep? Join the Club"

Web site / Organzation for deeper information: The National Sleep Foundation.

And, the hard-to-read numbers from the studies:
Abstract, study: "The Impact of Insomnia on Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults"

Abstract, study: The impact of insomnia on patient satisfaction with quality of life in advanced cancer: A longitudinal analysis