Sleep Disturbance / Sleep Disorder Therapy and Treatment

Short and Simple List of Sleep Problems
• Difficulty falling asleep
• Early awakening and unable to fall back to sleep
• Spontaneously falling asleep (narcolepsy)
• Nightmares
• Lack of tiredness
• Feeling tired frequently
• Sleep apnea (a breathing problem that jolts one awake)
                    
We know sleep is important to our mental health, but it is also important to our physical health. A recent research report demonstrated that loss in sleep each night can translate into loss of years in our life. Even children have been found to have sleep problems. It can affect their physical and emotional health, as well as the proper development of their intelligence. Occasionally, it can produce symptoms that mimic ADD/ADHD.

Choose from these tips to try to restore sleep:

1. Check with your physician to see if a sleep study may be indicated.  Sleeping medications are best used as a last resort, rather than a first solution. Try natural and common sense methods first.
2. Allow your biorhythms to work. Keep a sleep-hygiene schedule and try to stick to it as best you can, even on weekends. Some good tips are to get to bed before 10 pm and then get up at 6 am (or adjust to your preferences to earlier or later). On this schedule, avoid eating after 7 pm to allow your body 3 full hours to complete the digestive process. With your meal, drink a tea that promotes good digestion, such as mint.
3. Avoid viewing disturbing material on television, disturbing material in books, or conflict with others in the last hours of the evening, especially when you are already in bed. Use your bed only for sleep or for affection with your partner. Create an appealing, relaxed evening ritual and make it your “sanctuary.”
4. Provide yourself with 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night. 
5. If you miss sleep, make it up. For every three hours missed, you should give yourself at last an extra hour at the next opportunity.
6. Find daily aerobic exercise you can enjoy for 20-30 minutes. (walking is excellent).
7. Minimize drinking fluids in the evening so you will not need to awaken just to use the toilet. If you still awaken, try telling your body, “Be quiet, be still, you can go to the bathroom in the morning.” If in 5 min. the urge hasn’t reduced, do go. But you can gradually train an over-sensitive bladder using this method.
8. Be cautious in the use of refined sugar (including alcohol) at night, which can disturb sleep for some people.
9. Be sure you had a nutritious supper, and follow a nutritious diet in general. Being under-nourished can disturb sleep.
10. Minimize the use of caffeine, which includes not only coffee, but chocolate, tea, some sodas and energy drinks. All can disturb sleep. If you feel you need it, avoid taking caffeine after 3 pm and work on reducing your caffeine habit. Because of it’s activating nature, it can increase emotional problems related to over-active areas of the brain. This includes depression (over-active limbic system) and anxiety (over-active basal ganglia).
11. An exception to the drinking rule may be the use of herbal teas that promote sleep. Popular westerns teas are chamomile and valerian.  Commonly used teas from the East include gotu kola, jatamansi, or ashwaganda. Oriental medicine also uses herbs to treat insomnia. 

How Trauma Therapy May Help Insomnia:
 
Sufferers of PTSD, emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, or addiction often have sleep disturbances. Their brains are overactive, struggling to cope with memories, emotions, thoughts and sensations. Recent research suggests that EMDR and trauma therapies improve sleep as a positive side effect. If you check out the EMDR brain scan on the home page, it is easy to see how this is possible, even when improving sleep is not the usual focus of trauma therapy.  Our therapists can provide you with the information, support, and therapy and/or referrals needed to improve your sleep, your health, and your life.

Back to Psychotherapy Specialties for San Diego

San Diego therapist, insomnia, sleep disorder, nightmares, PTSD

Home  •  For the Public  •   Find a San Diego EMDR Trauma Therapist  •   For Therapists  •   Articles & Resources  •   Contact Us