#Psychophysiological insomnia symptoms how to#

The good news is that once we understand what we are dealing with, we know how to change conditioning. She has become conditioned to be a light, vigilant sleeper.

Unfortunately, long after the baby is old enough to leave home, the mother is often still sleeping this way. She is so alert during the night that she not only hears the baby when it cries, she is aware of everything else going on at night such as the house creaking, the wind blowing or the dog walking down the hall. The classic example is the new mother who immediately learns to sleep with “one ear open” to listen for the needs of her precious newborn baby. Ultimately, you may become conditioned to associate the bed with mental activity, alertness, and frustration rather than relaxation and sleep. Watching the clock and feeling anxious or frustrated about your inability to sleep can also make your sleep worse. These habits tend to be mentally stimulating and not conducive to good sleep. You may have developed a habit of thinking, worrying, planning or problem solving in bed, or just spending long periods of time awake. The psychological component of Psychophysiological Insomnia is primarily due to conditioning. Even when you fall asleep your body is still in “fight or flight” mode which causes your sleep to be lighter and more easily disturbed. Also, if you are tired and have to push yourself to get through the day, you are essentially “living on adrenalin”. If we suspect an underlying sleep disorder, we will usually order a sleep study or Nocturnal Polysomnogram to more objectively evaluate your sleep. Sometimes they are not so obvious like an underlying sleep disorder such as sleep apnea or periodic limb movement disorder. The physiological factors are sometimes obvious like pain or hot flashes.

We call this “conditioned insomnia” or P sychophysiological Insomnia.Īs the name suggests, Psychophysiological Insomnia consists of psychological and physiological factors that interfere with your ability to sleep. This may occur even after the original factors that caused your insomnia have resolved or significantly improved. If you go through a period of time when your sleep is significantly disturbed and it goes on long enough, you may become conditioned to sleep that way. Good Sleep Health Inc assumes that you have read and understood the Terms of Use Agreement. This information should only be used for educational purposes in consultation with your physician.

Psychophysiological insomnia symptoms