Sleep concerns are the second-most talked about subject in my therapy practice (only anxiety gets brought up more often, and can be closely related). Sleep issues are not only a cause of psychological symptoms, but symptoms themselves. In our modern times, persistent daily routines— how busy we are, how stressed we are, how much multi-tasking we do, how late we’re awake, how many people we live with or near…— can drastically impact our ability to get to sleep, stay asleep, and have quality sleep. Because I’d struggled with sleep myself, as do my clients, my approach to recovering healthy sleep has become a keystone practice.
When treating sleep disturbances, I outline three big categories of focus: Sleep Hygiene, Sleep-Loss Risks, and Sleep Routines. “Hygiene” for sleep refers to best-practices, which are research-backed and simple to understand (even though they can be less easy to implement into our day). Risks for sleep loss are sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle, and vary based on personality and lifestyle. These need to be discussed at the outset of therapy. Everything from food, to substances like caffeine, from stress, to late night cravings all impose risk. Identifying your risk often takes more than one session. Finally, Sleep Routines integrate knowledge about Sleep Hygiene with habits (your personal risk level) into a daily plan that starts with how you wake, then move, whether you’re able to be outside or not, and ends with your wind-down (unwinding hint: start earlier than you think).
If this treatment plan sounds promising, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me about scheduling (top menu). Consultations are always FREE.