Insomnia

Insomnia is when a person cannot sleep properly. However, what is ‘normal’ sleep differs from person to person, some people are happy and function well on little sleep, others need more. However, any of the following if they continue for more than three weeks, are classed as insomnia:

• Difficulty getting to sleep
• Waking in the night
• Waking early in the morning
• Not feeling refreshed after sleep – feeling irritable, tired, having difficulty concentrating during the day

The common causes of insomnia can be split into different categories:

• Physical - there is another condition that is causing involuntary movement, pain or discomfort, e.g. restless leg syndrome, obstructive sleep apnoea, arthritis, headaches, hot flushes, excessive itching or Parkinson’s disease
• Physiological - this is when there are disruptions to the sleeping environment or bedtime routine. This includes noise, light, snoring or movements of a partner, jet lag or intellectual or physical activity just before bedtime
• Psychological - loss or worry caused by events such as bereavement, relationship problems, work worries and even anxieties about getting to sleep.
• Psychiatric - underlying mental health problems such as depression, dementia or anxiety.
• Pharmacological - withdrawal of certain drugs, such as hypnotics, which are prescribed for short-term insomnia may cause the insomnia to return. Other drugs can also impair the quality of sleep, e.g. alcohol, anti-depressants, appetite suppressants, beta-blockers, corticosteroids, recreational drugs, sleeping pills and tranquilisers, some contraceptives, diuretics, slimming pills.

Reflexology and Insomnia
Clients often say that they have the best night’s sleep in years the night after their first reflexology treatment. Reflexology is very effective at improving sleeping patterns and with regular treatments, maintaining good sleep is possible. Often, 4 to 6 sessions, either bi-weekly or weekly will kick-start the sleeping process, after which monthly sessions can be used to maintain the sleep pattern, then tailing off to just a few treatments a year.

It is worth bearing in mind though that reflexology alone cannot undo some of the underlying conditions that can cause insomnia. If there is a physical reason why sleep is a problem, perhaps you should look at that. It may be a condition that responds well to reflexology so discussing it with your reflexologist will help as work for this condition can be incorporated into the treatment. If it is things that you are actually doing, for example exercising before bedtime, worrying, anxieties about work, etc. a combination of reflexology and changing some of your routines will help. If the cause is psychiatric or related to medication, perhaps looking at the drugs you are taking and discussing it with your doctor will help. Depression responds well to reflexology and counselling, so perhaps you need to look into this.

There are some simple strategies aimed at improving sleep that can help:

• Train your own body to sleep at night. Set a specific time for getting up and going to sleep (these should be stuck to, even at weekends and during periods of insufficient sleep).
• Create a bedtime routine, such as a warm bath and warm milky drink every night. These activities will then be associated with sleep and will cause drowsiness.
• Do not nap during the day if this prevents sleeping well at night.
• If it is necessary to sleep during the day, for example if you do shift work, then use thick blinds or an eye mask to create a dark environment.
• If noise is a problem, wear earplugs.
• Do not use the bedroom for watching television, talking on the phone, eating, working and so on.
• Try to reduce stress levels. Rather than worrying about things in bed, try to make a list of your worries and solutions, before you go to bed.
• Avoid or limit tea, coffee, chocolate, cold remedies containing caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
• Do not eat a big meal just before bedtime – a small snack may help though.
• Take exercise during the day, but not in the immediate few hours before bed.
• If it takes longer than 20 or 30 minutes to get to sleep, do not lie in bed becoming anxious about sleeping. Instead, get up and go to another room for a short period and do something else such as reading or watching television, then try again.
• Try relaxation techniques such as the following:
• Lying on your back in bed, close your eyes. Start thinking of your feet and how heavy they feel. When you start to feel the heaviness in your feet, move on to your legs, then your pelvis, follow that with your abdomen, your hands, arms, chest, face and finally head.
• Now concentrate on your breathing, all the while remaining heavy throughout your body. Breathe in through your nose and imagine the air slowly moving around your body. When you breathe out of your mouth, try to imagine that the breath you are exhaling is taking all the tension in your body away. Continue this regular breathing for a little while.
• Then, after an exhalation, take a pause before inhaling again. Don’t worry if you feel like inhaling again, as your lungs are actually still exhaling. Then inhale. Repeat this several times and you’ll notice that you are able to pause a little longer each time and each inhalation will become longer and deeper.