Many people believe that alcohol assists sleep. While it’s true that alcohol may help you initially get off to sleep, this is offset by a less restful slumber later in the night. As the silly season gets underway, it can be useful to bear in mind the impacts of alcohol on sleep. After a few drinks, we are more likely …
Understanding how to sleep well by understanding what gets in the way
There is a great deal of information on the internet about how to get a good night’s sleep. So much so that it can be overwhelming. In order to simplify, it can be useful to think of three types of ‘barriers to good sleep’. Understanding these barriers to good sleep help to make sense of some of the most useful Tips …
To watch or not watch the clock?
Many people have heard the suggestion that is is best not to ‘clock watch’ over night whilst trying to sleep. Today I’ll outline how clock watching can worsen sleep and how the simple suggestion to cover the clock at night can be powerful in improving your slumber. When we treat Insomnia, we work to reduce barriers to sleep. One of …
What is Conditioned Insomnia and how can it be treated?
When people have experienced poor sleep for quite some time, the bed and poor sleep have been paired again and again. A kind of automatic learning, called ‘classical conditioning’, sets in. The bedroom becomes associated with being awake, alert, frustrated and/or worried, rather than with feeling relaxed and sleepy. This is conditioned insomnia. The bed becomes a trigger for feeling alert …