Do I have insomnia?

If you can’t sleep at night but feel tired during the day, you may have insomnia. This is when you have trouble getting to sleep, waking in the night, waking-up too early or just not feeling rested after sleeping. Sleep problems can be temporary but if they have been going on for more than 3 months it could be insomnia.

Sleep is one of the three pillars of good physical and mental health – along with what we eat and moving our bodies. Insomnia means that we struggle to get enough good quality sleep, and it affects how we feel and function during the daytime.

What causes insomnia?

Insomnia can be caused by lots of different things. For example, a stressful event, being pregnant, having a baby, menopause, chronic stress, anxiety, depression, physical pain and grief. It can also be a side effect of some medications.

Poor sleep is a serious issue. It can cause a variety of problems such as depressed mood, irritability, low energy, difficulty concentrating and increased appetite. Insomnia has also been linked in studies to developing mental health problems, such as depression.

Whilst insomnia is very common, it’s important that if you have trouble sleeping you speak to your doctor first. This is because underlying medical conditions, mental health problems and some medications can cause sleeplessness.

Can sleeping pills help insomnia?

Sleeping pills may be prescribed by your doctor for short-term relief from insomnia, but there is a more sustainable solution.

This solution has been proven to work as well as sleeping pills in the short term and better that sleeping pills in the long term. And there are no drugs needed. CBTI has been around for 40+ years and has lots of high-quality research to back it.

What is the best way to beat insomnia?

It’s called Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI). CBTI looks at what we do in the daytime, our sleep habits, our beliefs about sleep and how we cope with worry & stress generally in our lives. All of these areas might be stopping us from getting a good night’s sleep.

CBTI also looks at the lifestyle choices you make during the daytime. What are you eating and drinking (including caffeine and nicotine consumption – both of which can wreck our sleep)? When do you exercise? What is your bedtime routine? Do you nap in the daytime? Naps can also ruin our sleep at night.

How we think about sleep, can stop sleep happening

Some people believe that they must get at least 8 hours sleep in order to be happy and healthy. Others believe that sleep will only happen for them if they follow a strict bedtime routine. This might involve things like having a bath or using a pillow spray. Or taking a supplement and eating certain foods. But if these routines or rituals don’t work (spoiler alert: they rarely do), then you can fall into the trap of believing you’ve ruined any hope of getting decent sleep.

We might also have trouble relaxing our mind and body in the evenings, which gets in the way of falling asleep or might wake us up with a racing mind and pounding heart.

How does CBTI work?

CBTI targets thoughts, habits and tensions that don’t help you sleep and replace them with new ones that will. If you are taking sleeping pills, you can still work with a CBTI therapist to help you improve your sleep naturally.

Remember, if you have ever slept well before you are almost certainly able to sleep well again. However long you’ve struggled with your insomnia. Clients can see big changes with in 1-2 weeks.

For optimal health, good quality sleep is essential. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI) offers an evidence-based approach to help you sleep well again so that you can stop worrying about sleep and live your life.

CBTi is the foundation of my Menoinsomnia Method coaching. So if you’re fed up of lying awake at night and feeling tired all the time, book your FREE 15 minute consultation call with me here. Or to learn more, grab my free guide here. Don’t put your life on hold any more. Better sleep is possible for you. I look forward to hearing from you.