How Therapy Helps with Sleep Anxiety

Sleep is a baseline need; without a good night’s sleep, our bodies cannot heal or effectively carry us throughout our day. Anyone who has struggled with sleep anxiety knows how agonizing it is to watch the hours slip by without any restful relief. What’s more, is that sleep anxiety can be challenging to treat, and those who live with sleep struggles may give up hope and depend on caffeine and other stimulants to get through the day.

There are options, and there is hope! A treatment plan of cognitive behavioral therapy, lifestyle changes, neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), and hypnosis therapy for sleep anxiety can all help transform one’s relationship with sleep. Miami Hypnosis and Therapy takes an integrative approach, so that our clients have multiple tools in their toolbelt for when sleep seems unattainable. Read on to learn more about how we can help, or get in touch now to discuss options with us.

What Causes Sleep Anxiety?

Sleep can be impacted by many environmental, health, and personal factors. A sleep disorder can also lead to more serious complications or exasperate existing health conditions. Therapy for sleep anxiety can help to unwind the thread of the knots that have caused the disturbance in the first place.

Some factors that can influence sleep include:

• Diet/Exercise
• Uncomfortable Sleep Environment
• Stress
• Caffeine Intake
• Underlying Medical Conditions

It’s important to consider all elements of your day-to-day that may play a role in sleep anxiety and learn how techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep disorders may help. Anna Marchenko (LMHC, M.A., Ed.M) brings her exceptional experience to Miami Hypnosis and Therapy to help our clients navigate their lifestyles, habits, and patterns to help reframe them in a way that is productive, empowering, and effective for their goals.

Building a Plan

So where do we start? We start with your individual unique needs. Everyone’s sleep anxiety comes from a different place and so a unique approach to therapy for sleep anxiety is necessary for an individualized, tailored experience. At Miami Hypnosis and Therapy, we take a toolbox approach that’ll give you the diverse methods designed to help approach sleep issues from different angles.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works by helping you confront negative thoughts and feelings in order to challenge and reframe them. It is a widely studied mental health therapy that is proven to help people manage depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. Cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep disorders helps by giving you ways to challenge the racing thoughts keeping you awake at night.

Therapy for sleep anxiety can help you work out the thorny issues in life. For example, let’s say you are hyper-fixating on a moment from work. Maybe there was a difficult communication with a coworker, and you’re overthinking what happened. You are trying to sleep but your brain keeps telling you stories about what-ifs and makes you believe your colleague may think ill of you, or that your workplace may take negative action against you. You can challenge this thought by asking yourself for solid evidence of these thoughts and remember that such spiraling is, in fact, just a story. Things begin to unravel when you can challenge these thoughts. CBT for sleep anxiety is an extremely effective way to assist with your sleep.

• Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) helps strengthen the connections between the conscious and unconscious mind, and overcome the patterns of behavior that are holding clients back. NLP is a practice where participants “imprint” new behaviors and develop healthier patterns. When paired with other practices, NLP can be a powerful therapy for sleep anxiety.

• Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy for anxiety may seem like an outside-of-the-box approach, but we have seen it effectively help athletes, professionals, and many others to overcome their anxieties and live a happier life. Hypnotherapy for improving sleep can help by creating a safe and relaxing space where it becomes easier to navigate those late-night thoughts or feelings keeping you from a restful night.

Hypnotherapy is the method that sets Miami Hypnosis and Therapy apart. Anna Marchenko is certified by the only certification program recommended by the Department of Education in Florida. Combining hypnosis therapy with the above methods of neuro-linguistic programming and cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep disorders gives you all the right tools needed to combat insomnia’s root causes.

• Lifestyle Changes

There are many small changes you can make to improve your sleep hygiene and get a better night’s rest. Here are some of our favorite tips to be used in conjunction with therapy for sleep anxiety.

• • Diet & Exercise

This can be one of the most important elements of your sleep hygiene. Eating too close to bed might trigger an upset stomach. Also, not getting enough exercise during the day could prevent you from fully resting at night. When looking to engage in diet and exercise changes, it is always best to consult with your primary care physician to figure out a plan that would be best for you.

• • Creating a Good Sleep Environment

Is your bedroom a tranquil environment? If not, how could you make it one? Putting together an environment conducive to sleep can be just as important as therapy for sleep anxiety. Investing in well-made sheets, adjusting the temperature, and blocking out light are all great ways to create a sleep environment that is more inviting and comfortable. And there is one small thing you can do in the morning to make the evening better––make your bed.

It may seem like a small and silly thing to do, but being able to return to your bedroom already ready for you to sleep again is a great way to encourage more productive rest. Having a restful, clean place to land after a long day will also help cognitive behavioral therapy for sleep disorders be more effective.

• • Limit Screen Time

We live in an age where putting down the phone is much easier said than done. However, therapy for sleep anxiety can only work if lifestyle changes are taken seriously. If we want to improve our sleep hygiene, this is a crucial step that needs to be taken. Invest in a real alarm clock to keep your phone out of your bedroom, power down all devices an hour before bedtime, and try to limit your daily use. Something like this can be so powerful when paired with CBT for sleep anxiety. These are all small steps that lead to big changes.

Lifestyle changes don’t come easily. It is always best to consult with your primary care physician and your therapist when making any significant changes to your diet or lifestyle. When you combine therapy for sleep anxiety with productive lifestyle changes, you can experience large and lasting effects on your life.

Rediscover Restful Nights with Help

Sleep is one of the most important functions of your body, and with some techniques and proven therapy methods, you can overcome sleeplessness and live a happier life.

Hypnotherapy and CBT for sleep anxiety offer a powerful two-fold approach for sleep concerns. Call us today to get started on a therapy plan with in-person sessions and to learn if an in-person treatment plan or hybrid in-person/online sleep therapist would be an option for your situation. Reach your sleep goals with therapy for sleep anxiety at Miami Hypnosis and Therapy.