Your eyes are getting heavy…
What do you imagine when someone mentions hypnosis?
A colourful swirl rotating on a screen? A pendulum swinging back and forth? Maybe even a man on stage being told to cluck like a chicken or bark like a dog?
Pop culture has given a lot of attention to hypnosis over the years. However, the way that this concept is portrayed is rarely accurate. The reality is that hypnotherapy and hypnosis are good forms of therapeutic treatment, capable of helping with everything from phobias and anxiety, to #Insomnia.
If you’re one of the millions of people worldwide suffering from a sleep disorder, hypnosis could be the answer to your prayers. Various studies are beginning to show that this treatment can be very useful to the right people.
Here’s what you know about using hypnosis for better sleep.
Does sleep hypnosis really work?
So, how does #Hypnotherapy work to induce better sleep?
Well, in general, hypnosis is a form of therapy that combines focused thought patterns and deep relaxation to influence human behaviour. Through hypnosis, therapists can induce a trance-like state, where participants are more relaxed and open to suggestion. Studies suggest that hypnosis is excellent at managing everything from chronic pain to anxiety.
Currently, the available information on hypnosis for sleep is limited. However, many people believe that sleep hypnosis can be beneficial for promoting better relaxation and deeper periods of rest. For instance, one study in 2014 studied 70 otherwise healthy women between the ages of 18 and 35. These women were divided into groups based on how suggestible they were to hypnosis.
The results of the research found that hypnosis had little impact on women with low suggestibility. However, for women who were more susceptible to #SleepHypnosis, the therapy encouraged deeper sleep for almost 80% of individuals. Additionally, the time that the women in this group spent awake when listening to their hypnosis tapes was reduced by 67%.
The researchers from this study believe that people who are open to the idea of hypnosis can see significant improvements to conditions of insomnia and other sleep disorders with hypnotherapy.
How does sleep hypnotherapy work
So, we know that #SleepHypnotherapy can work, but how exactly do professionals use this system to encourage better sleep among their patients?
There are many different kinds of hypnotherapy available for insomnia and sleep disorders. For instance, you might work with a professional during one-on-one sessions. In this case, your hypnotherapist will discuss your condition with you and construct a personalised strategy to help you overcome the issues that are preventing high-quality sleep.
On the other hand, many people are beginning to discover the benefits of self-hypnosis for at-home treatment. If you decide to use hypnotherapy sessions at home, you’ll often access recordings of hypnotherapists that you can listen to when you’re settling down for sleep at night.
Whichever approach you might choose to take, the aim of hypnosis is to place your mind and body into a trance-like state, where you can more easily relax and absorb suggestion. The experience feels a lot like those times when you “zone out” when daydreaming or watching TV. Often, a session of hypnosis for sleep will include:
- Guided relaxation: Where you relax your body and let go of tension.
- Letting go of adverse thoughts: Switching your mind away from upsetting ideas and concepts.
- Opening the subconscious: Dropping into a deeper state of relaxation or trance.
- Deep breathing: Focusing on your breathing patterns to keep yourself balanced.
- Suggestions: Guidance from an expert to help you overcome the anxieties, stresses, and other concepts that might be preventing you from falling asleep.
The benefits of sleep hypnosis
Ultimately, hypnotherapy won’t work for every #SleepDisorder.
If your issues with sleep are caused by underlying medical conditions or something that needs a different kind of dedicated treatment, hypnosis can only be a form of complementary therapy. However, many people do experience the benefits of this solution, particularly when their minds are open to it.
For instance, in the Swiss research that we mentioned above, hypnotherapy not only helped the participants to get to sleep faster, it also improved the amount of time that they spent in a restorative deep sleep. Additionally, other studies have found that participants receiving hypnotherapy were more likely to drop off into slumber faster too.
Some researchers are beginning to learn that hypnotherapy can be beneficial in helping people to avoid night terrors and sleepwalking as well. One report from 2007 examined the impact of hypnosis on sleep problems, looking at disorders like night terrors and sleepwalking. The report indicated that the people receiving treatment were able to improve their sleep quality significantly after just one month.
Can hypnosis help you?
Like most treatments, hypnosis isn’t a guaranteed solution to every sleeping disorder.
Sleep problems and insomnia are complicated. Different people will require specific kinds of treatment, which is why it’s so important to seek guidance from your doctor. However, if you’re open to the idea of sleep hypnotherapy, then the evidence suggests that you could benefit from it. If nothing else, hypnosis makes it a lot easier to relax at night, which can chase off some of the tension that stops you from sleeping.
To learn more about the benefits of sleep hypnosis and how it works, check out our guide to hypnotherapy for insomnia here. For insights into other treatments and solutions for better sleep, tune into siestio.com!
Siestio. Sleep Matters.
