Sleep Hypnosis – Sleep disorders like insomnia, snoring, apnea, and sleep paralysis may interrupt your night’s rest, leaving you feeling groggy and tired the next day. Those who have sleep problems should seek treatment as soon as possible to help improve sleep. But if the usual steps, such as taking prescription medications, wearing oral devices for snoring, and propping yourself up on pillows are no longer working, sleep hypnosis may be a good option for you.
What Is Sleep Hypnosis
How Hypnosis May Help
Effects Of Hypnosis On Your Sleep
Inducing Hypnosis
Does Deep Sleep Hypnosis Really Work
What Is Sleep Hypnosis?
Sleep hypnosis is a technique involving verbal cues administered by a clinical hypnotherapist designed to lead you into a hypnotic trance using the power of suggestion. Hypnotherapists use various approaches to put you into a relaxed state, such as symptom control, focused attention and guided imagery. You will hear words like, “deep,” “let go,” “relax,” and “easy” during a hypnotherapy session. These terms are designed to encourage you to fall into a state of relaxation [1].
Hypnotherapists will guide you through each meditative step to help calm your mind and relax your body using cue words or visual imagery until you fall asleep. This is usually done in a sleep clinic or center where you are monitored to determine the efficacy of the treatment. Hypnotherapists also use hypnosis to help people lose weight or obtain peaceful sleep.
What Is Sleep Hypnosis
How Hypnosis May Help
Effects Of Hypnosis On Your Sleep
Inducing Hypnosis
Does Deep Sleep Hypnosis Really Work
How Hypnosis May Help
If you are having trouble falling asleep, you’re probably eager to find ways that will help improve your sleep quality so you can wake up feeling refreshed. Those who have tried the usual sleep treatments without finding success may find hypnosis for sleep helpful. However, It is understandable that many people are a bit skeptical as to whether hypnosis can do the job. Here is how a hypnotist may be able to help alleviate poor sleep.
Patients with insomnia
Those who have insomnia may find sleep hypnosis useful in relieving their anxiety by conditioning their mind and body to achieve a state of deep relaxation. Anxious thoughts can result from lack of sleep due to an underlying issue or from not being able to fall and stay asleep.
Sleepwalkers
In the case of patients who sleepwalk, undergoing a hypnosis session can teach the sufferer to wake up during an episode of sleepwalking as soon as their feet hit the floor. This way, the sleepwalker can reduce the incidence of injury.
Improve slow-wave sleep
Another possible benefit of hypnosis is that it can also increase the time you spend in your slow-wave sleep or deep sleep as it is commonly known. Deep sleep hypnosis can improve restorative sleep to help you feel better in the morning [2].
What Is Sleep Hypnosis
How Hypnosis May Help
Effects Of Hypnosis On Your Sleep
Inducing Hypnosis
Does Deep Sleep Hypnosis Really Work
Effects Of Hypnosis On Your Sleep
What are the effects of going into deep sleep hypnosis? The patient undergoing clinical hypnosis will experience focused attention, deep relaxation and a hypnotic trance. The theory of hypnosis is that it helps patients tap into their the subconscious mind in order to let go of everyday stressors and redirect their negative thoughts around sleep.
Since this treatment can increase one’s responsiveness, it is commonly used to improve ones behavioral and emotional reactions that may be causing sleep disorders like insomnia in a patient. Hypnosis is often used in conjunction with other behavioral treatments.
What Is Sleep Hypnosis
How Hypnosis May Help
Effects Of Hypnosis On Your Sleep
Inducing Hypnosis
Does Deep Sleep Hypnosis Really Work
Inducing Hypnosis
Sleep hypnosis may feel similar to losing track of time like while you daydream. You are no longer engaged with your surroundings. Rather, you have turned your attention inwards. Many people prefer working with a hypnotist to ensure they learn the appropriate steps to guided sleep.
For those that prefer to start with self-hypnosis, guided imagery and audio can be used. You can find hypnosis CDs, hypnosis audio, and hypnosis apps as well. There are also online video tutorials designed to help you enter into a relaxed meditative state, conducive to a better night’s sleep [3].
What Is Sleep Hypnosis
How Hypnosis May Help
Effects Of Hypnosis On Your Sleep
Inducing Hypnosis
Does Deep Sleep Hypnosis Really Work
Does Deep Sleep Hypnosis Really Work?
If your circadian rhythm is out of sync, you can experience sleepless nights for days. Unfortunately, this can lead to more severe problems such as stress, an overactive mind and lack of REM sleep. REM sleep is required for your brain to undergo a recuperative process. If you haven’t been sleeping well, you will be less productive at work and more prone to various health issues like high blood pressure and weight gain. Some people who have tried listening to hypnosis downloads while in bed reported that they were able to fall asleep easier after a period of time, but is there any truth to this?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, hypnosis does help patients with insomnia feel more relaxed in both mind and body, helping them fall asleep at night. Even the American Psychology Association said that self-hypnosis may help some people sleep better or correct a specific behavior such as smoking or overeating.
However, some doctors in the field of behavioral sleep medicine hypothesize that hypnosis isn’t really designed to induce sleep but rather to quiet the brain so it can transition into the sleep stage. Some people who experience insomnia have difficulty sleeping because their unconscious mind tends to dwell on stressful thoughts or topics that prevent them entering a state of relaxation and falling asleep. Listening to a hypnotic suggestion or positive affirmations before you go to bed may help you drift into complete relaxation just in time for sleeping.
What about the repetitive phrases that you will hear throughout those sleep hypnosis apps? Similar to mediation, these words are meant to help your mind focus so that your brain does not wander off onto the days events. As a matter of fact, any activity, such as taking a walk or washing the dishes, can be utilized as a mindfulness practice that can harness your thoughts into one specific action. This is why you tend to forget your problems while you are doing a repetitive action [4].
What Is Sleep Hypnosis
How Hypnosis May Help
Effects Of Hypnosis On Your Sleep
Inducing Hypnosis
Does Deep Sleep Hypnosis Really Work
A Last Word On Sleep Hypnosis
We all want to have a restful sleep at night but when sleep deprivation sets in, achieving one can be difficult. If you suffer from sleep deprivation, you might consider trying a hypnosis recording or sleep hypnosis app, even before seeing a hypnotherapist.
A meditation app or hypnosis can help set the stage for sleep. For some, sleep hypnosis may feel like a wonder treatment. However, there is no evidence that this therapy will completely banish sleep disorders. Often, hypnotherapy is combined with a cognitive-behavioral therapy plan whereby patients are taught how to apply relaxation strategies to ward off unwanted thoughts.
The goal of sleep hypnosis therapy is to help you achieve a calm and relaxed frame of mind and body so that you can achieve a good night’s rest. If you think hypnotherapy can help you, it may be time to explore your options with a physician.
Sleep Hypnosis Resources:
[1] National Sleep Foundation; Does Sleep Hypnosis Work?, August 28, 2018.
[2] Sleep; Can Hypnosis Help You Sleep?.
[3] Very Well Health; Can Hypnosis Help With Sleep Disorders?, Cathy Wong, December 31, 2018.
[4] Refinery 29; Do Those Meditation Apps & Videos Actually Hypnotize You Into Falling Asleep?, Cory Stieg, October 02, 2017.
