Difficulty Falling Asleep

One of the Four Kinds of Insomnia.

This is a very common form of insomnia, sometimes called “sleep-onset insomnia”. Many people find it difficult to get the day's events off their mind at bedtime, often finding themselves reviewing and overanalyzing all that occurred during their waking hours. The mind seems to be racing, going a mile a minute, and sleep seems very far away indeed. Some clients say they wish their mind had an “off button” so they could simply turn off that almost obsessive thinking and just sleep.

Other clients find themselves focusing on outside noises rather than internal distractions. Minor noises from the house, from outdoors or noises or movements from their spouse are perceived in a way that is out of proportion. Sometimes an annoyance with outside noises is compounded with a physical restlessness - twisting and turning, having difficulty finding a comfortable position, struggling with the blankets and pillow, etc.

Then, as more and more time goes by, a certain frustration sets in... “I've GOT to get to sleep, I've got a big day tomorrow...got to get up early... I need a night's sleep!...” This frustration only compounds the problem, adding more and more tension, and pushing sleep farther and farther away.