The connection between insomnia and mental health

Sleep Matters Teaminsomnia, Blog

Key takeaways Insomnia, a common sleep disorder characterised by difficulty falling or staying asleep, is intricately linked to mental health conditions. The research of Dr Melissa Ree, Clinical Psychologist at Sleep Matters in Perth, examines the profound impact of insomnia on mental health outcomes and the effectiveness of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy-Insomnia (CBT-I) in addressing these challenges. Let’s explore the complex …

Why clinic research matters: Advancing understanding and improving care

Sleep Matters TeamBlog

As Perth’s first behavioural sleep medicine clinic, Sleep Matters is dedicated to helping people overcome sleep difficulties and improve their overall health and wellbeing. We believe that research plays a crucial role in advancing understanding of sleep disorders and finding effective treatments for sleep-related issues. Sleep Matters Director, Dr Melissa Ree trains and supervises the Sleep Matters team as well …

Answers to 5 of your most common questions about sleep

Sleep Matters TeamBlog, sleep facts, sleep tips, sleep tips, teen sleep

Sleep health is important. We understand that everyone needs at least reasonable sleep to function happily and healthily. Yet sleep itself can be somewhat mysterious and misunderstood. The Sleep Matters team have advanced training in the management of sleep difficulties and we wanted to clarify some sleep facts and bust some common myths. So here are the answers to 5 …

Navigating jet lag

Sleep Matters Perthsleep tips, sleep tips

If you’re jet-setting to another time zone this summer, you will likely experience some disruption to your sleep. This can often be due to early or late flight schedules and anxiety or excitement about travelling, but another key factor is the dreaded jet lag. What is jet lag? Jet lag occurs when we travel to a destination in a different …

Is it time to get help for your trouble sleeping?

Sleep Matters TeamBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep facts

                                                                                                               Pri Mithal, BSc. (Hons), MPsych (Clin)                                                                                                Clinical Psychologist Registrar “Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” — Thomas Dekker Ahh…sleep…zzzzz. Some of us love it, and others dread it. Here we debunk a few sleep myths, consider what healthy sleep is and when to seek help for trouble sleeping. So, what exactly is sleep …

Evening exercise and sleep: should we be changing our advice?

Sleep Matters TeamBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep tips, sleep tips

Many of us are interested in improving our health and wellbeing. Sleep is a great way to do this was we know that sleep is the third pillar of health alongside physical activity and nutrition. A very common piece of advice for improving sleep is to avoid moderate-vigorous exercise before bedtime. Many official ‘Sleep Hygiene’ Guidelines suggest no exercise after …

Winding Down for Sleep

Sleep Matters TeamBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep tips, sleep tips

Many people who come to Sleep Matters for help with their sleep use expressions such as “I can’t switch off” to describe having a busy mind that interferes with sleep. Many people mistakenly believe that switching off or shutting the mind down is necessary for sleep. It’s important to remember, however, that the human brain doesn’t have an off switch, …

Sleep Terrors, what are they and what can be done about them?

Sleep Matters TeamBlog, child sleep, sleep disorder, sleep tips, sleep tips, teen sleep

Eleanor Jones (Clinical Psychologist Registrar) What are sleep terrors? Sleep terrors (also known as night terrors) are often confused with nightmares, but they are actually a different phenomenon. Sleep Terrors are a type of  parasomnia, an unusual behaviour that accompanies sleep. Sleep terrors are a partial arousal parasomnia, meaning that the person experiencing the sleep terror shows signs of being …

When kids find it hard to sleep alone

The Sleep Matters TeamBlog, child sleep, sleep tips, sleep tips

Eleanor Jones (Clinical Psychologist Registrar) For some children, sleeping alone at night can be a scary prospect. This can often lead to parents finding themselves co-sleeping with their children or having children frequently jumping into the parent’s bed in the middle of the night. This may be the case for toddlers through to teenagers. Although we all need extra closeness …

Tips for sleeping well when you’re away from home

Sleep Matters TeamBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep tips, sleep tips

Jakub Dammer, Clinical Psychologist (registrar) Australians love to travel during the holidays and the thought of seeing new places and being away from home can be exciting. Many of us are able to travel now that COVID restrictions are lifting. However, for some, travel can prompt concerns about trying to get to sleep in an unfamiliar environment. If you’ve ever …

TELEHEALTH CONSULTATIONS AS EFFECTIVE AS IN-PERSON FOR INSOMNIA

Sleep Matters TeamBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep disorder

It can feel a little strange to think of having a session with your health professional via an online video session or phone. We’ve become a little more used to this during COVID-19 and there is now more evidence accumulating on the effectiveness of telehealth as a treatment format. A recent American study suggests that online telehealth consultations are as …

COVID-19 Pandemic Dreams: the what, the why, and the how-to manage bad dreams

Sleep Matters TeamBlog, COVID, Dreaming, sleep tips

Researchers around the globe are looking into the phenomenon of pandemic dreams and are finding that people are indeed experiencing COVID-19-related dream changes. According to an ongoing French study, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a 35 percent increase in dream recall among participants, and a 15 percent increase in negative dreams. All over social media, people are reporting bizarre and …