The Science Behind Hypnotherapy for Sleep
Are you having trouble sleeping? If you spend the night tossing and turning as you wait to find a peaceful night’s rest, you are just one of the 60 million Americans who are affected by sleep disorders. While scientists know little about how sleep disorders work, the effects of sleep deprivation can be debilitating. Insomnia can be medically treated with various pharmaceutical drugs to aid a good night’s sleep. But for some people, prescription drugs run the risk of addiction, or prove ineffective. If you struggle with insomnia and require a cure, hypnotherapy for insomnia may be an effective treatment for you.
Can Hypnotherapy Help You Sleep Better?
Swiss researchers say a short session of hypnotherapy can result in a better night’s sleep. In their sleep study, the researchers had half of the participants listen to sleep-promoting audio while the other half attempted to sleep without the audio. The audio tape contained hypnotic suggestions. The participants who were prone to hypnotic suggestion spent about two-thirds less time awake than the participants who did not listen to the hypnotic audio.
Bjorn Rasch, the study’s co-author, noted that many reports suggest the benefits of hypnosis for sleep promotion. Rasch points out, however, that previous reports focus on individuals subjectively praising the success of hypnosis. This new study is the first to assess hypnosis by measuring brain wave activity. The measurements reveal to Rasch that the positive influence of hypnosis on deep sleep is real.
Understanding the Impact of Hypnosis on Deep Sleep
When experiencing sleep disorders, the issue is the inability to reach deep or slow-wave sleep. To understand exactly how hypnosis enables individuals to reach deep sleep, the Swiss researchers recruited seventy healthy women aged 18 to 35. The women participated in five sleep studies, each conducted in a lab once a week for five weeks.
Although none of the women presented a history of trouble sleeping, some proved to be highly suggestible while others were considered low suggestible.
Each participant wore electrodes to monitor brain wave activity as a thirteen-minute hypnotic audio played. Researchers found that those who were deemed highly suggestible slept 67 percent more than their low suggestible counterparts. Furthermore, the team found that slow wave activity was significantly enhanced during hypnosis. Thus, hypnosis improves not only sleep quantity but also sleep quality.
Why Consider Hypnotherapy for Sleep Disorders?
Keep in mind that about half of the general population is susceptible to hypnosis. Hence, the researchers concluded that hypnosis can prove to be a valuable treatment for sleep disorders, without all the side effects.
If you suffer from chronic sleep disorders, you are experiencing more than a stormy night’s sleep. Do not let sleep deprivation affect your day to day life, see what hypnotherapy for insomnia can do for you.
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