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, …

Treating Insomnia, how can mindfuless help?

Sleep Matters PerthBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep tips, sleep tips

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

Sleep Matters PerthBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep disorder, sleep tips, sleep tips, teen sleep

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

Sleep Matters PerthBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment

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 …

Australian research out this month effective insomnia treatments shifting your beliefs about sleep is key

Sleep Matters PerthBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment

Going to bed each night expecting to sleep badly is part of life for someone with insomnia. People with Insomnia may also believe that the day after a poor sleep will be difficult, mood will be low, important details will be forgotten, and tempers will flare. There might also be worry about sleep being out of control, and worse, worry that …

Sunday Times article – “Ignore Insomnia”

Sleep Matters PerthBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment

Perth’s Sunday Times newspaper yesterday contained an article on Insomnia, with the suggestion that its best cure is to ignore it. This is an eye-catching title and I hope it caught people’s attention. Of course the article contains a mixed message, as on the one hand we know that sleep is so important for health and wellbeing, but on the other, …

Clean up your Slumber: ‘Sleep Hygiene’ Printable tip sheet

Sleep Matters PerthBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep tips, sleep tips

Our infographic contains important tips for improving sleep and setting up a healthy sleep routine. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but is a carefully considered selection of changes that can have a large impact.  Are there some challenges you could set for yourself from these? Try any change for 2 weeks and then evaluate how much it has helped.  The …

To watch or not watch the clock?

Sleep Matters PerthBlog, insomnia, insomnia treatment, sleep tips, sleep tips

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 …