Sleep and Mood Poor sleep and low mood often occur together, and this link is well supported by scientific research. Many people notice that when they sleep poorly, emotions feel harder to manage and stressors feel heavier than usual. Sleep difficulties such as insomnia do more than create fatigue. They influence the brain systems involved in emotional regulation, motivation, and …
Introducing Our comprehensive sleep health Assessment: A holistic way to understand and Improve your sleep
More than a sleep study – a roadmap to better sleep Poor sleep is more than just feeling tired—it can affect your mood, energy, performance, and overall well-being. In fact, research shows that over 30% of Australian adults experience poor sleep health. If you’ve been struggling with sleep, suspect a sleep disorder like insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), or …
Insomnia and physical health
Here, we look at the relationship between insomnia and physical health outcomes, the mechanisms at play, and the importance of addressing sleep-related worries.
The connection between insomnia and mental health
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 …
Is it time to get help for your trouble sleeping?
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?
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
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, …
Tips for sleeping well when you’re away from home
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
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 …
Treating Insomnia, how can mindfuless help?
Research is uncovering mindfulness to be a powerful aid in the quest to treat Insomnia. In recent years, there has been a huge amount of scientific interest in the benefits of mindfulness to many aspects of health and wellbeing, including Insomnia. After describing what Mindfulness is, we present some interesting summaries of clinical research trials (including one by Dr Melissa Ree from …
Sleep Tips: Get your sleep routines in order
It’s World Sleep Day this Friday March 15th, and to support this we’d like to encourage people to take a step towards building a healthy sleep routine by getting their sleep conditions in order. Give any changes you make a couple of weeks to work. Below are some of the behaviours we help our clients at Sleep Matters to implement. …
2016 Clinical Guidelines recommend that all adult Insomnia patients receive CBT-Insomnia
Insomnia is a very common health problem, affecting 10% of the adult population, but it is often viewed as a symptom of another disorder rather than a condition warranting independent clinical intervention. Further, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) recognised that the previous dichotomy of primary versus secondary insomnia does adequately describe the disorder. Indeed, DSM-5 suggests that ‘Insomnia Disorder’ should be …