Hypnosis and insomnia are two terms that are often mentioned together, but what is the relationship between the two? Is hypnosis a treatment for insomnia, and if so, how does it work?
Insomnia is a common sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep. It can cause a range of symptoms, including fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and a lack of energy. Insomnia can be caused by a variety of factors, including stress, anxiety, depression, and poor sleep habits. Inadequate sleep duration has been linked to 7 out of 15 leading causes of death in America—including cardiovascular disease, cancerous tumors, cerebrovascular disease, accidents, diabetes, septicemia, and high blood pressure. We live in a society that is in constant stimulation between phones, television, internet and the busy bee way of life. We are constantly in fight or flight mode and in some of us, our bodies have forgotten how to "turn off" at night, just like some of us forget to turn off our computers. This is an important task for your computer and yourself. If you don't turn off your computer and remain on the internet, your computer continues to collect data, virus' and spam that is attaching to your computer. We need to get back into the rhythm of the days where we were exhausted at night, fell into a relaxed state and fell asleep for the night, knowing that we can pick up the next day with a fresh perspective. Now-a-days, we tend to run just like the computer, 24/7. It's easy enough to jump on the internet in the middle of the night to research the ideas we're thinking of and to fix the problems we're trying to solve. Whether you're jumping on the computer or just jumping to thoughts, these are habits we develop that are learned states and coping mechanisms that in the end, are compromising. Yes, we, like a computer, can be programmed and our brain does what we tell it to do. This is good and bad news. For one, we are not a computer. We actually need sleep, more specifically, restorative sleep. This is sleep where we sleep through the sleep cycle all the way through REM sleep and experience a full nights rest. Our body, mind and soul needs this sleep to repair, physically and mentally, so that we can be our best selves the next day. Without it, over time, our body's and minds can and will pay a big price with our mental and physical health. The good news is, just like a computer, we can program ourselves to get back to restorative sleep and make a big difference in our lives, perhaps saving our minds, moods, health and life. Hypnosis is a state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility. It is often induced by a trained hypnotherapist, who uses techniques such as relaxation and visualization to help the individual enter a trance-like frequency. In this state, the person becomes more open to suggestions and may be more receptive to making changes to their thoughts, behaviors, and habits. I know from personal experience what sleep deprivation is like. I've experienced it in a way where my thoughts kept me up. I've experienced it in a creative way, when I lived by myself and would pop up in the middle of the night with a new song running through my head and I would have the freedom to work on it in the silence of the night. That was the last time sleeplessness proved uplifting and productive for me. What once was the lure and seductiveness of being creative in the darkness of the night would turn into quite the night time tale. I'm also a mother and from the very moment I became pregnant, I began losing sleep. I didn't realize I was pregnant, I thought something was wrong with me due to my extreme stomach pain. For about a month I was in and out of the emergency room, doctor visits and of course, not sleeping very well. Thanks to the 99 cent store, I found out I was pregnant. From the beginning I was uncomfortable and had trouble sleeping. Once my baby came, she had colic and we would stay up much through the night trying to comfort her to go to sleep. I didn't take the advice "sleep when your baby sleeps" and my deprivation grew and grew. Due to her acid reflux, she couldn't sleep laying down so I sat up in a chaise lounge we had so we could both get some sleep. Then the normal nightly feedings took hold of the night. Until my daughter was about 10, she continued to experience nightly night terrors and nightmares, which I would awake for her comfort. Needless to say, I wasn't myself. I was a somewhat zombied version of who I once was hidden behind a mask of content. I couldn't think or concentrate and felt overwhelmed by everything because I had less than half a mind to cope. I felt trapped in a cloud inside myself and saw no way out to rescue myself. I continued my schedule of nutrition and working out, but you can't fool the body. After many years I felt worse. I was clumsy. I hyperextended both of my arms and legs. This was a clear sign that my body was breaking down but when I went to the doctor they just wanted to prescribe me drugs. It got to the point where one day after I dropped my daughter off at school, I felt dizzy and weak and knew I couldn't drive home. I went to the nurses office and called my husband for help. As it turned out, I had an iron deficiency. I continued on in the same way for years until I finally made the decision that sleep had to be a priority because without health there is nothing. It was a long and winding road back and now I realize I should've prioritized it much sooner as the heart palpitations and bodily cues were giving me signs as to my ill health. There is evidence to suggest that hypnosis an effective treatment for insomnia. One study found that hypnotherapy was effective in improving sleep quality and reducing the amount of time it took to fall asleep in individuals with insomnia. Other research has found that hypnosis may be helpful in reducing anxiety and stress, which are common causes of insomnia. There are several ways in which hypnosis may help to improve sleep. First, hypnosis can help to relax the body and mind, which can make it easier to fall asleep. Second, hypnosis can help to reduce negative thoughts and beliefs about sleep, which can interfere with the sleep process. Finally, hypnosis may help to change behaviors and habits that contribute to insomnia, such as staying up late or using electronic devices before bed. In conclusion, hypnosis may be an effective treatment for insomnia instead of utilizing prescriptions for sleep which in the end, studies have shown may not even help with sleep. They can lead to dangerous sleep habits and unconscious activities while leading to a possible addiction. Hypnosis can help to relax the body and mind, reduce negative thoughts and beliefs about sleep, and change behaviors and habits that contribute to insomnia. If you are interested in trying hypnosis for your insomnia, it is important to work with a trained hypnotherapist. It is the safest and most effective way to get to finally get some sleep!
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marlo boutte'Marlo. Some call her Miss Bootay, Miss Marlo, Bootay but she's just a spirit living in this world, seeing what's here. She's mostly an observer who likes to jump in once in a while and participate in a big way, singing, writing, hypnotizing and sharing thoughts to lift up those around her. Archives
January 2024
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