One of the most common symptoms of stress or depression is Insomnia. Whether you have a hard time falling asleep, or you fall asleep promptly and then awaken later and are unable to fall back to sleep, you have a sleep disturbance.

THERE ARE FOUR TYPES OF INSOMNIA

PSYCHO-REACTIVE INSOMNIA: Psycho-reactive Insomnia is generally caused by tension. It is generally worry that is keeping the person awake. In addition, they may begin to worry about getting to sleep because they have to awaken in the morning. Often, people worry that they may become ill or die from lack of sleep.

ENDOGENOUS INSOMNIA: This is often caused by a discomfort within the body ranging from indigestion to pain.

EXOGENOUS INSOMNIA: This is caused by disturbances outside of the body such as noise or a partner's snoring. This is the easiest type of insomnia to eliminate.

FUNCTIONAL INSOMNIA: This is caused by a physical problem in the subject's sleep-wakefulness center in the brain.

Many insomniacs develop a phobia of getting into bed because they expect to lie awake. This negative expectancy will bring about a bout of insomnia all by itself.

HERE ARE THE FACTS

1. No person ever died from not having enough sleep. The mind and body will always get at least the minimum amount of sleep that it requires, no matter what. If you don't get enough sleep one night the next night you will get enough sleep to make up the loss.

2. Our internal clock brings about a valley of fatigue in cycles. Every four to six hours you will experience your maximum fatigue, and this is when it will be easiest to fall asleep. Once you pass that valley of fatigue you will experience a renewed feeling of energy and it will become difficult to fall asleep.

3. If you are worried that you have not slept for a second, stop worrying because research in sleep labs has proven that we all sleep during the night. Sometimes you feel that you've been lying awake thinking, but actually you have been sleeping lightly and dreaming.

4. Trying to fall asleep: There is a law of nature called "The Law of Reversed Effect." It says that if you "try" to do something, you will get the opposite. And the harder you "try," the more you will get the opposite. So, trying to fall asleep will insure that you will remain awake. Do not "try" to fall asleep, and do not try to will yourself to sleep. Merely allow yourself to fall asleep.

5. Alcohol will put you to sleep: This may be true, as alcohol is a depressant. However, as soon as the booze wears off, you will awaken abruptly and it will become harder than ever to fall asleep.

6. Sleeping pills will help: It is the dream phase of sleep in which you get your rest. Narcotics suppress the dream phase of sleep (REM sleep). That is why one generally awakens more tired than before going to sleep after using pills.

EFFECTING A CURE

1. See when you feel the most tired in the evening. From that point on, every evening at least an hour before that time, take a bath that is slightly warmer than body temperature for 20 minutes. A shower won't have the intended effect.

2. Drink a warm drink, preferably not tea because of the caffeine, which will wake you up. It's best to drink warm milk if your stomach can tolerate it.

3. Stop dwelling on problems and think about something soothing. Don't think about what you need to do tomorrow. If you are worried about forgetting what you have to do tomorrow, write it down.

4. Refrain from stimulating thoughts and television shows. If you must read, then read something that is tiresome.

5. Reserve your bed for sleep. Watch TV or read only while sitting in a chair or while on a couch.

6. Get into bed at least 20 minutes before your valley of fatigue. Once you are in bed, if worries start to pop into your thoughts, repeat this mantra several times to yourself, "I'll think about it tomorrow." This will help to put a halt to the excessive thinking. Do not try to make your mind blank and don't try to fall asleep. Just allow yourself to get some rest.

7. For Endogenous Insomnia, you should eliminate the discomfort to the best of your ability.

8. For Exogenous Insomnia, make the bedroom as quiet as possible. If you have a partner who snores, you can move to another room. Running a fan motor can bring on sleep, as it will tend to cover up noises. The monotonous drone of the fan can prove to be quite hypnotic.

HYPNOSIS FOR INSOMNIA - PSYCHO-REACTIVE AND FUNCTIONAL INSOMNIA

Practice self-hypnosis for insomnia on a daily basis. Anxiety exacerbates and can even cause a sleep disorder. Self Hypnosis can help you to quickly eliminate stress. Post-hypnotic suggestions for coping, and to encourage the expectation of sleep can help. Your sub vocalized slogan should be: "I fall asleep promptly, and sleep soundly and restfully all through the night."

Alan B. Densky, CH. is certified by the National Guild Of Hypnotists, and he is an NLP Practitioner. He offers hypnosis for insomnia CDs. He hosts a FREE hypnosis article index on his Neuro-VISION Video Hypnosis & NLP website.