If you're feeling out of sorts because you didn't get enough sleep last night, you aren't alone. At least one in four adults in the United States suffers from insomnia. Insomnia is a sleep disturbance in which an individual is unable to fall asleep after lying in bed for 20 minutes. Alternatively, some people can fall asleep quickly, but then they wake up and lay awake for hours. Some waken frequently during the night, or do not find themselves rested after several hours of sleep.

While this disorder can be troublesome and annoying, severe insomnia can become very dangerous. People who are awake for 24 hours experience the same problems with reflexes and motor controls as people who are legally drunk. You may be very surprised to learn that, after not sleeping through an entire night, a person who is driving is as dangerous as a drunk driver!

Sleep disturbances are caused by a number of factors, including medication, stress, working evening or night shifts, eating habits, and poor sleep rituals. Certain medicines, such as prednisone, or asthma medicines such as theophylline, can cause insomnia. Consult the doctor who prescribed the medicine about whether a different drug can be substituted. Other insomnia causes, such as eating habits and poor sleep habits, are easier to change.

An overwhelming percentage of insomnia is caused by anxiety and stress. People worry about jobs, careers, education, grades, home or auto repairs, and relationships. Most days are fast-paced and filled with activities and interactions with other people. Until the day's work is done, most people have little or no time to process these activities and interactions. Unfortunately, for many, the first chance that they do have to mentally begin to process this information is when they get into bed to go to sleep.

You've probably heard the old adage that 98 percent of what we worry about never happens. It is true! Furthermore, worrying about getting the car fixed isn't going to help you get to work tomorrow to earn a paycheck to help fix that car. Worrying doesn't solve anything. Unfortunately, as logical as this is, conscious logic won't help stop you from worrying or make you into into a good sleeper.

What will make you into a good sleeper is to learn how to calm your mind and create a positive expectation of sleep. So many are turning away from drugs and toward a more innovative approach, which effectively treats most cases of stress based insomnia. Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) experts can begin providing the critical relief needed by victims of insomnia within a few short sessions. Practitioners can help their clients to uncover and address the underlying causes of insomnia and alleviate the problem almost instantaneously.

People are different, so the same techniques don't always work for everyone. Traditional hypnosis is usually most effective for people who are open to suggestions from others, without analysis or critical thinking. People who resist the suggestions of others will not benefit greatly from insomnia treatment that centers on traditional hypnotherapy.

The majority of people who are bothered by severe insomnia are critical thinkers. They are usually less suggestible, and find it difficult to simply accept that a fact is true just because someone says that it is. Typically, these individuals find that both Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Ericksonian Hypnotherapy are much more effective in relieving their sleep disturbances.

Ericksonian hypnosis is effective at bypassing the normal resistance to post-hypnotic suggestion by hiding the suggestions within conversation, stories, and metaphors. It's difficult to resist what you don't consciously pick up on.

NLP is a modality that doesn't rely on suggestion. It is a technology that allows one to get their mind to use the same thought patterns and processes that it is using to create a problem, to eliminate it. There are some powerful NLP techniques that one can employ, which will get their brain to use the stressful thoughts and worries as automatic triggers for soothing and relaxing thoughts. These methods will not only make you feel more peaceful overall, they will send you into a deep, natural sleep.

Summary: People suffering from insomnia often develop related health problems. They are at risk for accidents and relationship problems. Most people don't understand how severe the effects of insomnia can be. Hypnotherapy and NLP can help people begin to overcome insomnia within a few short sessions. If the high cost of visits to a reputable consulting hypnotist are out of your reach, it's possible to obtain high quality hypnosis and NLP CD's that can work just as well as an office visit, and maybe even better. Get ready for a good night's sleep.

A list of the common uses of hypnosis.

Alan B. Densky, CH. is certified by the NGH, and he is an NLP Practitioner. He offers self-hypnosis for sleep disturbances. He hosts a FREE hypnosis article index on his Neuro-VISION Video Hypnosis & NLP website.