Natural
Insomnia Treatment In Brighton
Insomnia
treated naturally in Brighton Sussex with therapist Laurel
Alexander
What is insomnia?
Insomnia is a sleep disorder characterized by an inability to
sleep and/or inability to remain asleep for a reasonable period.
Insomnia can be divided into two basic categories: primary insomnia
and secondary insomnia:
Primary insomnia
Primary insomnia refers to a sleep disturbance that occurs without
any specific underlying condition that causes the insomnia. Primary
insomnia is largely due to learned maladaptive sleep patterns
and represents the most common form of insomnia.
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of Interest
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Secondary insomnia
Secondary insomnia differs from primary insomnia in that a specific
condition can be identified as the cause of the sleep problem
and should be evaluated by a GP. Some examples of secondary
insomnia are:
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Sleep-wake schedule or circadian rhythm disorders are sleep disorders
caused by having sleep-wake schedules that do not match up with
your natural sleep schedule. People who work the night shift may
suffer from this problem.
- Insomnia due to medical conditions: Many common medical problems
and the drugs that treat them can cause insomnia, including
allergies, arthritis, heart disease, hypertension, asthma, Parkinson's disease,
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or hyperthyroidism.
Physical
discomfort (e.g. chronic pain) may also cause problems
sleeping.
- Insomnia due to substance use or withdrawal: Many drugs and medications
can cause sleep disturbances, either while taking them
or while withdrawing from them. Alcohol, stimulants, sedatives, and even
long-term use of sleep medications can cause insomnia.
- Insomnia due to an emotional problem: Insomnia can be a symptom
of a number of emotional difficulties.
- Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder caused by difficulty breathing
during sleep. Persistent, loud snoring and frequent long
pauses in breathing during sleep, followed by choking or gasping for breath
are the main signs of sleep apnea.
- Restless Legs Syndrome is a sleep disorder characterized by unpleasant
sensations (creeping, burning, itching, pulling or tugging)
in the legs or feet, occurring mostly in the evening and at night.
| STEVE’S STORY Steve
is 55 and runs his own company. He came to me having a
history of sleep problems, partially exacerbated by a wakeful
child. He had been on the sleeping tablet zolpidem and diazepam
for a while and was having distressing anxiety attacks as
well as unpleasant physiological symptoms. Following a crisis,
Steve’s medication was changed to mirtazapine (anti-depressant)
and zopiclone. Steve wasn’t happy with being on medication
and wanted to come off the tablets. We agreed (with the consent
of his GP) that the best way of achieving this was to take
both sleeping tablet and anti-depressant for a while. Over
the next few months, we worked on a nutritional plan and
cognitive behavioural interventions to help manage Steve’s
anxiety and improve his sleeping patterns. The aim was for
Steve to stabilise, using his “toolbox” of interventions
and at an agreed point in time and with his GP’s knowledge,
he would gradually come off the sleeping tablets. With regular
support, Steve stabilized and was able to stop the sleeping
tablets while still maintaining a good sleeping pattern.
After a further period of stabilisation, Steve was able to
stop the anti-depressants (with his GP’s knowledge)
with little or no side-effects. He is now medication free,
in control of his sleep patterns and has a greater self awareness
which he uses on a daily basis.
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What are the natural insomnia treatments?
I offer the following treatment and self-care strategies for managing
insomnia:
Benefits Of Natural Insomnia Treatment
You will:
- approach sleep in a more positive frame of mind
- learn about sleep hygiene
- recognize faulty thinking with regard to sleep and wakefulness
and be able to correct it
- learn relaxation techniques
- feel more refreshed during the day
- have a balanced nutritional approach to your body’s
needs
- learn techniques to manage wakefulness
- feel more relaxed in general
- gain more energy
Client Testimonials
- - dropping a you a line to say I've been feeling a
lot better and sleeping better since I went away for Xmas, just
enjoying feeling (nearly!) normal, and having a bit of a break
from therapies etc. I wanted to thank you for all your help over
the last few months. You really helped me with some very deep
problems, and I found the whole experience profound and eye-opening.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you. Sanj, musician
- Try calming down a mad, excitable, go-getting entrepreneur
and help them back into the ability to sleep solidly again?
Through a step-by-step process and careful guidance Laurel
managed to do just that with me. Oh the joy to sleep properly
and feel good in the day again!” Darren,
award winning entrepreneur
IMPROVING ELAINE’S
SLEEP
When I first met Elaine, she was suffering
with chronic insomnia. She had regular nightmares, sweet
cravings, was
underweight, had thin hair, dry skin, was light sensitive,
felt constantly chilly and was “wired and tired”.
Regular night sweats would wake Elaine around 3am and she
could rarely get back to sleep again. Several of Elaine’s
symptoms could be related to adrenal fatigue and blood
sugar levels. So I advised her to take an adrenal test
to ascertain
hormone function. We
explored cognitive/behavioural interventions to help
her manage sleep preparation and times of wakefulness during
the night. We talked about how faulty thinking e.g. I’ll
never get to sleep again can lead to unhelpful behaviour
e.g. staying awake. She agreed she wouldn’t clock watch
and that she would get up if she was awake longer than an
hour. I taught Elaine strategies for identifying and managing
her faulty thinking.
When we next met, Elaine was getting back to sleep quicker
during wakeful periods e.g. within 30 minutes rather than
2 hours. These wakeful periods were now happening only once
a week instead of three times a week. Elaine was using imagery
to manage external night noises and the nightmares were becoming
less. The adrenal test results showed a hormone imbalance.
To rectify this and balance blood sugar levels, we agreed
a nutritional plan including herbs.
When we next met, Elaine was sleeping through the night
to 5am 70% of the time. However, she was finding that she
had an energy slump around 4pm in the afternoon. We managed
this by adjusting when she took her herbal supplements.
When we next met, Elaine’s 4pm slump had gone. She
was eating properly and had less sweet cravings. Elaine was
more aware of her stress levels, what wound her up and was
allowing herself “down-time”. She was sleeping
through to 5am and when she woke up, she would use her cognitive
exercises and return to sleep again promptly. Her skin was
not so itchy and dry and the night sweats were much less.
Elaine realises that for her, a good night’s sleep
is about the right diet plus a realistic and positive attitude.
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Laurel's
Treatment Room
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Brighton insomnia appointments and fees
My clinic is in Brighton, Sussex. My fees are £35 per hour
(supplements, herbs and tests are extra). If you wish, you can
pay in advance using a debit / credit card (here). Evening and
Saturday appointments are usually available as well as daytime
appointments. If you cancel an appointment without giving twenty-four
hours notice, the full fee will be payable.
Booking insomnia treatments in Brighton
If you would like to book a consultation/treatment, please telephone
me on 01273 564030 or email me at info@laurelalexander.co.uk
Pay Online now with PayPal
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| Insomnia treatment |
£ 35
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IMPORTANT NOTE:
This content is not intended to
substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your
GP, consultant or other qualified healthcare provider with your
questions regarding a medical condition
Insomnia Links
NHS
Encyclopaedia - Insomnia
BBC
Health Conditions - Insomnia
BUPA
- facts on Insomnia
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