Sleep

Insomnia and the Overthinking Mind

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Many people believe insomnia means the body cannot sleep.

More often, the body can sleep but the mind won’t allow it.

You may feel exhausted all day then as soon as you go to bed your thoughts begin.

You replay conversations, plan tomorrow, imagine problems and remember things you hadn’t thought about for years. You check the clock. You try to force sleep. The harder you try, the more awake you feel.

This is one of the most common experiences people bring to hypnotherapy.

Why the Brain Stays Awake

Sleep is not something we consciously do.
It happens when the brain feels safe enough to switch off.

Your brain has a protective system designed to keep you alert when needed. When stress builds up work pressure, family responsibilities, anxiety or emotional strain and then that system remains active.

The brain believes:
“Stay awake, we still have things to solve.”

At night there are no distractions, so thoughts surface. The brain attempts to process the day but becomes stuck in a loop instead of entering REM sleep.

The 3am Wake-Up

Many people wake around 3-4am.

This is when the mind tries to process emotional experiences. If stress levels are high, the brain activates instead of settling. You wake alert and unable to return to sleep.

This leads to a cycle:
less sleep → more stress → busier mind → worse sleep

The problem becomes not sleep itself but a mind stuck in alert mode.

Why Forcing Sleep Doesn’t Work

Trying to make yourself sleep often increases frustration and anxiety. The brain interprets this as a problem needing attention, so alertness increases further.

Sleep returns when the mind no longer needs to stay vigilant.

How Hypnotherapy Helps Insomnia

Solution-focused hypnotherapy guides the brain into a relaxed trance state similar to the REM processing stage.

This allows:

  • thoughts to organise
  • emotional load to reduce
  • the nervous system to calm

When the brain processes during the day, it no longer needs to do it at night.

Clients commonly report:

  • falling asleep more easily
  • fewer night wakings
  • reduced racing thoughts
  • waking clearer and more rested

We are not teaching sleep.
We are helping the mind feel safe enough to sleep.

Support Available

Hypnotherapy sessions are available in Bath, Paulton, Midsomer Norton and online.

If your mind becomes busiest when the world goes quiet, your brain may simply need support processing what it has been holding.

Sleep often returns once the mind no longer has to stay on guard.

Healing space and time for body and mind…

Why Your Mind Won’t Switch Off at Night (and How Hypnotherapy Can Help)

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Many people come to hypnotherapy for anxiety but what they actually describe first is sleep.

They tell me they feel exhausted all day, then suddenly wide awake at night. The body is tired but the mind becomes active. Thoughts replay conversations, plan tomorrow, revisit worries or imagine problems that haven’t even happened.

You might recognise this:

  • You feel tired until you go to bed

  • The moment your head hits the pillow, your brain “wakes up”

  • You overthink past conversations

  • You lie awake predicting future scenarios

  • You wake at 3am and can’t settle again

This is incredibly common and most importantly, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you.

Your Brain Isn’t Broken But It Is Stuck in Alert Mode

Your brain has a built-in protection system. When it thinks you need to stay alert, it keeps problem-solving and scanning for danger. That’s helpful during the day but at night it prevents the brain from entering its natural processing state.

Sleep relies on a stage called REM (rapid eye movement). This is when the brain sorts emotional experiences, files memories and reduces stress levels. It’s essentially the brain’s housekeeping process.

When stress, overwhelm or anxiety builds up, the brain struggles to enter this state. Instead of processing thoughts, it keeps holding onto them so they appear at night when everything else becomes quiet.

Many people assume their problem is insomnia.
Often, it’s actually an over-busy mind.

Why Night-Time Is Hardest

During the day you have distraction, structure and activity.
At night you have silence.

That silence allows thoughts you’ve pushed aside to surface. The brain is simply trying to process, but without guidance it loops instead.

This is especially common for:

  • busy professionals

  • parents

  • people experiencing life changes

  • ADHD adults

  • people who are “coping well” outwardly

You may function perfectly during the day but feel mentally overloaded by evening.

How Hypnotherapy Helps Sleep

Solution-focused hypnotherapy works by helping the brain access the same natural state it enters during REM sleep but while you are awake and relaxed.

During hypnosis you remain aware and in control but your mind becomes calm and focused. In this state the brain can process thoughts and emotions more efficiently allowing it to stop holding onto them overnight.

Clients often notice:

  • falling asleep faster

  • fewer night wakings

  • reduced racing thoughts

  • waking feeling clearer

  • improved mood and energy

The Knock-On Effect

Sleep is rarely just about sleep.

When the brain rests properly:

  • anxiety reduces

  • emotional reactions soften

  • concentration improves

  • confidence increases

  • coping feels easier

Many people initially come for insomnia and find other areas of life improve naturally.

Hypnotherapy in Bath, Paulton and Midsomer Norton

I offer solution-focused hypnotherapy sessions in:

  • Bath

  • Paulton

  • Midsomer Norton

  • and online

Sessions are calm, supportive and practical. You don’t need to revisit difficult past experiences, we focus on helping your mind move forward.

If your mind won’t switch off at night, it may simply need guidance on how to process the day.

Sleep is not something you have to force.
Often, it returns when the mind no longer needs to stay on guard.

Healing space and time for body and mind.