If you have ever experienced insomnia, you know how quickly sleeping soundly with sweet dreams can turn into the nightmare of being awake all night. Many people do not get enough sleep each night because of sleep disturbances. If you have experienced sleepless night or sleep deprivation, you know how little or no sleep in the night can affect your day.
Insomnia’s nighttime sleep disturbances and daytime disruptions do not have to be your normal. Many people have found relief for their insomnia through counseling.
If you’ve experienced insomnia and are ready for better nights and days, the counselors at Columbia, SC have a multi-faceted approach to guide their clients toward better sleep.
Sleepless Nights, Drowsy Days
It’s no secret that sleep is important. Sleep restores your body’s immune, nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems. Sleep helps heal your body, soul, and mind. Enough sleep is linked to increased cognitive ability and memory.
So, what can happen when people do not get enough sleep?
- Weight gain
- Irritability
- Inability to focus
- Increased risk for mental and physical diseases
- Decreased sex drive
- Lower job performance
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that keeps people from getting the restorative sleep they need. Unfortunately, it’s also a common problem. Have you experienced any of these symptoms?
If you have, maybe you wake in the middle of the night. Instead of eight, continuous hours in dreamland, your nights looks like two hours of sleep, four hours of wakefulness, followed by two more hours of sleep.
Or maybe you can’t fall asleep until almost sunrise. Your mind and body are tired, but sleep won’t come. Then, an hour or two before your alarm buzzes, the sandman finally shows up.
For some, insomnia looks like seemingly sleeping all night but waking exhausted. For others, they fall asleep quickly but wake in an hour or two or three. Their days start at two in the morning.
Insomnia’s Causes
Causes of insomnia can be physical. Diet and exercises can affect sleep habits. Health issues are often accompanied by insomnia. Chronic pain, hyperthyroidism, menopause, and diabetes are linked to insomnia.
Insomnia’s causes can also be mental. Depression and anxiety can cause insomnia. Stress and life changes can trigger insomnia as well.
Insomnia can also be its own issue without any obvious, accompanying physical or mental health problems.
Insomnia Counseling for Better Nights, Better Days
Many people know the pain and frustration that insomnia brings to their lives, but not everyone knows that many people who suffer from sleep disorders have seen great improvement to their mental and physical health through cognitive and behavioral therapy. Insomnia counseling at Columbia, SC offers its client this holistic approach.
Cognitive behavior therapy crafts practical sleep strategies and addresses insomnia’s underlying causes.
Our professionals know that underlying causes matter, but so does short-term relief from insomnia’s symptoms. That’s why we work with our clients for a multi-faceted approach.
Practical Sleep Strategies
Keeping a Sleep Log. In order to help their clients reach their sleep goals, our counselors first help them correctly identify their sleep problems. Insomnia looks different in each person, so our counselors work individually with clients to identify their current sleep habits. Knowing the problem is a big step toward finding the right solution.
Cultivating Sleep Hygiene. People’s daily habits affect their nightly habits, for better or worse. Our counselors know what habits increase the likelihood of good sleep and which decrease the likelihood. They work with their clients to identify and increase healthy sleep hygiene.
Maintaining an Optimal Sleep Environment. Light, time, noise, and temperature all affect sleep. Insomnia therapy involves identifying and cultivating an environment in your bedroom that is amenable to restorative sleep.
Underlying Causes
Practical steps matter and can bring much-needed relief, but holistic therapy addresses the underlying causes of insomnia. When people struggle to sleep, they can develop anxieties or false beliefs about themselves or sleep that can cause insomnia or increase it.
Insomnia therapy at Columbia, SC identifies unhealthy thinking patterns and helps replace them with healthier belief systems. Rational, positive thinking can lead to better health, and our professionals have led their clients to regain control of their thoughts.
Insomnia and anxiety are usually linked, hand-in-hand. When people struggle with anxiety and insomnia, their thoughts can feel out of control, but trained counselors can teach their clients how to regain control of their anxious, negative thoughts and redirect their mind toward positive, rational thinking.
Of course, this process is not quick or easy. It often takes practice and the guidance of a professional. However, with time, people can gain control of their thoughts and feelings.
Our Counselors Want to Help
Are you suffering from insomnia? Are you ready for a full, restorative night’s sleep? Call Columbia, SC to schedule your insomnia counseling appointment. We accept most insurance plans. We also have appointments available, often within 24 hours.
Insomnia can feel lonely and overwhelming. Our insomnia counselors want to help.
