How can hypnotherapy help with sleep?

There is a growing body of evidence that hypnosis can be used therapeutically to reduce insomnia and to improve conditions that impact negatively on sleep, such as anxiety and irritable bowel syndrome.

The Greek word “hypnos” translates as “sleep,” but during hypnosis, you are not actually asleep. You are conscious of your surroundings, while your body is in deep relaxation and brain activity slows right down. Think about how you feel just at the moment of falling asleep—this is the “theta state,” during which the brain generates very slow, high-amplitude theta waves. This is very different from the state you experience during meditation, in which the brain produces medium-speed, relaxed-but-alert alpha waves.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Hypnosis should always be delivered by a qualified professional who is preferably an expert in sleep issues. During a session, your therapist will bring you to a relaxed state using verbal cues (certain words or phrases), by directing your focus to an object, or a combination of both. They will then gently suggest ways to change your perceptions and habits around sleep. Because you are in a slower-wave brain state, you absorb these suggestions on a deeper level, making you more able to act on these once you return to normal consciousness.

Around 10 percent of patients are deemed by practitioners as “highly hypnotizable,” while for roughly the same percentage, hypnosis won’t work at all. Most of us fall somewhere between the two extremes, and there is no doubt that for many with sleep issues, this therapy can be effective and beneficial. If you have a specific sleep issue, it’s worth seeking out a therapist to discuss whether hypnotherapy could be appropriate for you.

“Hypnotherapy can help patients increase the time they spend in slow-wave, restorative sleep by as much as 80%.”