Insomnia is a persistent sleep condition that disrupts your rest and quality of sleep. It leads to daytime symptoms like fatigue, sleepiness, and impairments in memory and focus. Sleep specialists create comprehensive treatment plans based on the individual diagnoses of patients dealing with sleep, movement, or neurological disorders. Here are some solutions that help with insomnia:
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia
Insomnia affects sleep latency, which is the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, your quality of sleep, and how easy it is to wake up. Sleep deprivation has side effects like impaired memory, slower response times, irritable mood, persistent sleepiness, and lack of motivation. Cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) helps you identify and build tools and routines for better sleep consistency and quality. Sleep specialists use CBT-I to connect your behaviors and thoughts to the conditions you are dealing with. They use this data to assess why your sleep is being affected and which treatments may help you achieve high-quality rest.
Possible Sleep Techniques
Learning healthy sleep habits improves your sleep cycle by reflecting on what anxieties and aspects of your lifestyle are connected to your insomnia. A professional will guide you through treatment options to find what helps you fall asleep and stay asleep. Some methods include stimulus control, relaxation and grounding, sleep restriction and compression, and sleep pattern education.
Some techniques help your mind and body associate sleep with your bed by only using it for rest. Going to bed and waking up at similar times every day may also help sleep patterns become more consistent. Having more consistency in your sleep routine is a good foundation for getting your body to naturally start winding down at the end of the day. Creating a relaxing nighttime routine that includes activities like showering, stretching, or meditating can calm your thoughts and your nervous system to help you fall asleep more quickly and for longer.Â
Breathing techniques decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, aiding in relaxation. Vagus nerve breathing is a method that involves breathing in through the nose, pausing, and exhaling out the mouth very slowly. Journaling or yoga are interactive options that enable you to release stress and focus on relaxing your mind and body.
Other Therapy Options
Psychodynamic and other talk therapies treat insomnia by teaching you self-awareness and introspection. Different life factors, like stress, diet, and childhood, affect you and your insomnia. A professional will guide you through conversations about these topics and how they may be impacting your sleep routine. A sleep specialist will recommend sleep techniques and give advice for healing emotional responses that disrupt sleep.
Neurofeedback therapy is a neurological treatment that uses frequencies and precisely placed electrodes around your head to stimulate brain function. The neurofeedback process addresses sleep latency to help you wake up faster and give you more control over sleep patterns. This improves body and mind relaxation to help you fall asleep at night and stay alert during the day.
Schedule an Appointment With Sleep Specialists
Treating insomnia and getting enough rest allows you to function well throughout the day. A sleep specialist offers multiple treatments that may help relieve insomnia symptoms, such as CBT-I, neurofeedback therapy, medications, and relaxation techniques. If you’re struggling to sleep at night, visit a sleep specialist today to discuss their services and solutions.
