Hypnosis for Sleep – Does It Work? Here Are the Studies

Can hypnotherapy help you to sleep better, even reach deep sleep for optimal rest? Here are the studies about the impact of hypnosis for sleep …

The length and quality of your sleep affects your performance. If you want to achieve your goals in an optimal way, then you will need to sleep in an optimal way also. Proper rest is one of the pillars of good health, and we can’t have wealth without good health.

If we don’t sleep well enough, we can feel drowsy throughout the day. We can lack concentration when working on our tasks. The impact is that we don’t finish what we intend to finish that day. Achieving our goals become delayed.

This study[1] states that around 40% of adults in America experience sleep disorders, so it’s quite a common issue. How can we get good quality sleep? If you’re having trouble sleeping, or if you aren’t getting deep sleep, then one of the methods you can try is sleep hypnosis.

Sleep hypnosis can mean one of two things. First, it can mean hypnosis therapy where the patient receives suggestions to make their sleep better. Second, it can mean using hypnosis to fall asleep.

This article talks about the second meaning, using hypnosis directly to fall asleep.

Hypnosis and Sleeping

Hypnosis and sleep are tightly correlated because the hypnotized state is where the mind is relaxed and susceptible to suggestions (that come from the hypnotherapist or a recording). This condition is similar to sleep, where the mind is minimally active and calm.

Getting to the hypnotized state can be done with the help of a therapist or using a recording, also known as self-hypnosis. Using hypnosis for sleep is most sensible done with a recording, because you listen to it as you try to fall asleep for the night (imagine sleeping in a therapist’s office for a night).

Hypnosis can help us to fall asleep easier, get more quality deep sleep, and/or eliminate any sleep disorders that disturb our sleep. The voice in the hypnosis recording contains sentences and triggers that aid us to fall asleep quickly in a relaxed way and go into deep sleep.

Deep Sleep Hypnosis for Slow Brain Waves

Deep sleep is important – the “Holy Grail” of sleep – because that’s the phase where the most cell restoration and recovery occurs. Sleep is supposed to be refreshing, so if you wake up not feeling very refreshed, or groggy, then you may be lacking deep sleep.

Deep sleep is where your brain enters the Delta brain waves state. If you reach deep enough sleep, your brain will almost be only in this state, where the most body repair and healing occurs.

Delta brain waves are highly sought after by meditation practitioners since they carry many benefits other than for rejuvenation. Using sleep hypnosis, you can experience more of this slow brain wave activity, resulting in better health and mental condition.

Listen to My Voice, You Are Falling Asleep …

The process of hypnosis for sleep begins with you getting ready for sleep. Cleaning up your body and tidying the bed – though not ground breaking information – is very helpful to get you in the right condition for sleeping.

The hypnosis starts with the induction stage, where you are instructed to relax and enter a calm state of mind. The recording usually counts down from ten to zero, where zero is you being very relaxed.

Once you are relaxed, the suggestion stage can begin. Here is where the recording says sentences to help you relax even further, and go into a deep sleep when you’re ready.

Unlike a normal hypnotherapy session, the termination stage – the stage where you come back awake – is not done here by the recording. It is done naturally when you awake in the morning, feeling fully aware and ready to go.

Are You Aware During Deep Sleep?

You might be asking, if you are sleeping, then how do hypnotic suggestions enter the brain. Are we aware of the sentences being spoken, even as we sleep? Or do they get ignored like other sounds that don’t wake us up when we’re in deep sleep?

Interestingly, your brain is aware of sounds when you sleep, and can even respond to them without you waking up. A study by Megan Scudellari [2] discovered that not only does your brain receive the information, it can process it and come to a decision for it if required.

Therefore, listening to suggestions while sleeping can be an effective method. Some people who have trouble sleeping say that listening to sleep hypnosis helped them fall asleep easier and even feel refreshed when they wake up in the morning.

Not only can the hypnosis help you sleep, it can also gently guide you to a deep sleep state and improve your deep sleep with the suggestions in the recording.

References:

[1] The prevalence, cost implications, and management of sleep disorders: an overview https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12075483/

[2] Why learning in your sleep is an idea that’s reawakening
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22630250-800-why-learning-in-your-sleep-is-an-idea-thats-reawakening/