It is normal to have disrupted sleep during times of stress or strong emotions. However, if poor sleep is ongoing then you may be suffering from a sleep disorder. Those with sleep disorders find that they struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep which can cause both daytime fatigue and problems with daily functioning.
A sleep disorder is when you have a frequent problem with being able to get good quality sleep. If left untreated, it can lead to other physical and mental health problems. Some sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, can increase blood pressure which may increase the risk of heart and cardiovascular disease. Other sleep disorders can be a symptom of mental health conditions like depression or can exacerbate existing ones.
Regularly feeling tired during the day can have a detrimental effect on performance and productivity at school or work. As energy levels suffer, it can mean you do less activity which makes it harder to sleep the following night. It can quickly become an unhealthy negative cycle which is difficult to break.
Sleep disorders include a range of problems including:
The most commonly reported of these disorders is insomnia.
Insomnia is when someone is unable to get enough good quality sleep as they are unable to fall asleep or remain asleep.
When someone reacts to a stressor, it is normal to have short-term insomnia for a few weeks or even months but with time sleep quality should improve again. When insomnia goes on longer than this, you may be suffering from chronic insomnia. Studies show that around 1 in 3 adults have insomnia but up to 2 in 3 adults have periods of insomnia during their lifetime.
Ongoing poor sleep can have a negative effect on health. Sleep deprivation can affect your mood making you quick-tempered, irritable, more anxious, or depressed. It can lead to poor concentration and slow reaction times. It can impact hormonal balance which can lead to signals to the brain being disrupted, causing you to eat more as the brain hasn’t recognised that you are full. It can also lead to longer-term physical health problems such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Commonly those with insomnia may experience a range of symptoms. The most common include:
Treatment for insomnia may depend on why the initial sleep disturbance occurred. The first line of treatment for insomnia is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).
CBT-I is based on the theory that all thoughts, feelings and behaviours are linked. Therefore, a change in one area should lead to a change in the others. For this reason, CBT-I splits treatment into different components:
Mindfulness can improve sleep quality by helping teach you to be more present in the moment rather than worrying about whether you don’t sleep. Mindfulness can include breathing exercises which help the body and mind to relax, making sleep more possible.
At Turning Tides, our team of Psychologists are highly trained and have many years of experience working with common mental health conditions and sleep difficulties.
Our therapists are all fully qualified in using a range of different approaches that can help manage problems with sleep and they can integrate aspects of different approaches to ensure your sessions meet your individual needs.
We offer regular face-to-face appointments at our modern and comfortable clinic in Hoult’s Yard, Newcastle or we can offer online therapy via Zoom if you live further afield or have a preference for online sessions.
Online TherapyWe have tried to keep our pricing as simple as possible. We charge £120 for a 60-minute appointment, regardless of whether this is an assessment or therapy session. Our fees are the same for face-to-face appointments and online appointments as you will receive the same high standard of care from our psychologists, regardless of how it is delivered.
A psychologist will then be in touch to arrange a free 15-minute no-obligation call, where we can discuss your requirements in more detail and you can get a feel for whether Turning Tides is the right psychology practice for you.
If we’re not right for you, we’ll try and signpost you to somewhere that is.
Please note – Turning Tides is not a crisis service, and if you feel you need urgent support or are experiencing a mental health crisis then it is important that you contact your GP if they are available, or attend A&E.