So, what is insomnia?

It is a sleep disorder in which people have trouble sleeping. The symptoms vary according to the type of sleeplessness you are experiencing but the important thing to understand is - insomnia is typically followed by daytime sleepiness, low energy, irritability, and a depressed mood.

How long does insomnia typically last?

It depends greatly on the type of insomnia, and the cause of the sleeplessness, but can vary between a few nights and a virtually permanent state.  The general recognised types are

• Acute insomnia describes a brief episode of difficulty sleeping
• Chronic insomnia refers to a long-term pattern of difficulty sleeping
• Comorbid insomnia occurs with another condition

And the two typical symptoms are:

• Onset insomnia which refers to difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night
• Maintenance insomnia which is the inability to stay asleep for a beneficial period of time. (Struggling to stay asleep or waking up far too early.)

There are a couple of other groups of people who experience extreme tiredness: 

Parents of young babies and children can experience periods of disturbed and erratic sleep.  We’ve all known the chap who sneaks out to the car at lunchtime for a quick kip!

Shift workers may experience symptoms of disordered sleep due to the struggles of having no sleep routine.

There are many contributing factors to poor sleep, and in my practice I work with clients looking at how they might use some of these.

Each person is an individual, and different things work for different people so support might include stress management techniques, Mindfulness, Meditation and Mindset training, hypnotherapy or other support.

If you would like to discuss how I can help you, your child or your team, drop me a message.

Here’s what a client said,

"As a long term insomniac I knew a cure would be difficult but Karen was a true professional who immediately put me at ease and after just two sessions was able to restore my sleep pattern and improve my wellbeing.  I would recommend Karen to anyone considering hypnotherapy."