How to Overcome Insomnia Naturally: Self-Hypnosis and Meditation for Deep Sleep
- Sharon Shinwell
- Aug 19
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 22
In this post:
If you’ve ever lain awake at night, staring at the ceiling and wondering why sleep just won’t come, you’re not alone. In this post, we’ll look at: how to overcome insomnia naturally
What insomnia really is and what causes it
Simple ways to improve your sleep naturally
How self-hypnosis can calm your mind and body before bed
How guided meditation can help you drift off more easily
When to seek medical help for ongoing sleep problems
When Sleep Just Won’t Come
Almost everyone goes through sleepless nights now and then—but for some, insomnia becomes an unwelcome routine. It can feel like a nightly battle between your tired body and your busy mind. You might fall asleep only to wake again and again, or lie there for hours hoping your thoughts will slow down.
Insomnia is far more common than most people realise. Millions struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep, often feeling exhausted and foggy the next day. The good news? There are gentle, natural ways to retrain your body and mind to rest again.
What Counts as Insomnia?
You may have insomnia if you regularly:
Find it hard to fall asleep
Wake several times during the night
Lie awake for long periods
Wake too early and can’t get back to sleep
Feel tired and irritable during the day
Struggle to concentrate because of lack of rest
Short-term insomnia lasts less than three months and is often linked to stress or changes in routine. Long-term insomnia—lasting three months or more—can seriously affect mood, memory, and overall well-being.
Why Can’t I Sleep? Understanding Common Causes
There’s no single cause of insomnia, but many familiar culprits play a part:
Stress, Anxiety, and Worry
Your mind keeps running through the day’s events or tomorrow’s to-do list, keeping your nervous system on alert when it should be winding down.
Pain or Illness
Chronic pain, breathing problems, hormonal shifts, or other medical conditions can interrupt your natural sleep rhythm.
Lifestyle and Environment
Too much caffeine, alcohol, or screen time before bed can make it harder to relax. A noisy, bright, or uncomfortable room can do the same.
Sleep Apnea and Restless Legs
Conditions like sleep apnea (where breathing stops and starts during sleep) or restless leg syndrome (a twitchy, crawling feeling in the legs) can seriously disturb rest. If you think you might have these symptoms, it’s important to speak with your GP—these need proper medical assessment.
How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?
Most adults need around seven hours of good-quality sleep each night. Some can manage on less, others need more—the key is how refreshed you feel in the morning. If you regularly wake feeling groggy or irritable, it’s a sign your body isn’t getting the restorative rest it needs.
Simple Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Help Sleep
Keep to a Regular Sleep Schedule
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day—even on weekends. A consistent routine helps your body’s internal clock know when it’s time to rest.
Create a Calming Evening Routine
A warm bath, soft lighting, reading, or light stretching before bed can all help prepare your body for sleep. Avoid stimulating activities like checking emails or scrolling through social media right before lights out.
Build a Sleep-Friendly Bedroom
A peaceful sleep space can make all the difference:
Keep the room cool (around 18°C or 65°F)
Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask
Limit noise with earplugs or soothing background sounds
Make sure your bed and pillows are comfortable
Keep the space tidy and calming
Should You Use Sleeping Pills?
Sometimes, doctors may prescribe short-term medication for severe insomnia. While these can provide temporary relief, they often come with side effects and risk of dependency. If you’re struggling with ongoing insomnia, it’s always best to speak with your GP before taking medication—there are many other natural options worth trying first.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Sleep
CBT for insomnia helps you understand and change thought patterns that interfere with sleep. It can be very effective, but it usually involves multiple sessions and may not be accessible for everyone due to time or cost.
If you’re looking for something flexible, affordable, and easy to do at home, that’s where self-hypnosis and guided meditation come in.
Using Self-Hypnosis for Insomnia
Self-hypnosis works by helping you deeply relax, quiet racing thoughts, and gently train your mind to associate bedtime with calm and safety rather than stress and frustration.
When you use a self-hypnosis recording, you’re already lying in your own bed—the perfect environment for relaxation. You can listen night after night, building familiarity and consistency that helps restore a healthy sleep rhythm.
Many people find that self-hypnosis:
Helps them fall asleep more quickly
Reduces night-time anxiety
Encourages deeper, more restorative rest
This gentle audio programme by Sharon Shinwell combines three hypnosis recordings with a detailed eBook that explores the causes of insomnia and shares bedtime rituals, journaling prompts, and relaxation scripts. Together, they guide you into deep rest and help you retrain your body’s natural sleep patterns.
Guided Meditation: A Calmer Mind for Easier Sleep
If you prefer a non-hypnotic option, guided meditation can be equally effective. It teaches your mind to slow down, release tension, and shift into a peaceful state that naturally leads to sleep.
Meditation can:
Lower stress hormones
Calm racing thoughts
Improve focus during the day
Help your body learn when it’s time to switch off
Sharon Shinwell’s Overcome Insomnia meditation combines a full-length 60-minute audio session with a practical eBook that explains simple techniques to support better sleep. The session includes soft ocean sounds, gentle music, and positive bedtime affirmations that help you unwind and drift off easily.
Electronics and Sleep: Why Screens Keep You Awake
Using phones, tablets, or laptops right before bed can make it much harder to fall asleep. The blue light from screens suppresses melatonin—the hormone that tells your body it’s time to rest. Even the content itself—emails, social media, or news—keeps your mind active when it should be slowing down.
Try setting a digital sunset an hour before bed: dim the lights, silence notifications, and swap your screen for something soothing like reading, meditation, or your hypnosis recording.
Alcohol and Sleep Don’t Mix Well
A glass of wine might make you sleepy, but alcohol actually disrupts deep sleep and can cause you to wake throughout the night. It also interferes with your natural sleep cycle, leaving you feeling tired even after a full night in bed. If you’re struggling with insomnia, avoid drinking close to bedtime and see if your sleep improves.
Sleep Apnoea: When Breathing Interrupts Rest
If you snore loudly, wake up gasping, or feel extremely tired during the day, sleep apnea might be the cause. This condition happens when breathing stops and starts during sleep—sometimes dozens of times per hour. It can lead to high blood pressure, heart problems, and daytime fatigue.
A simple sleep study can diagnose sleep apnea, and treatment (like a CPAP machine or lifestyle changes) can dramatically improve both sleep and health.
When to See Your Doctor
While self-help methods can work wonders, it’s important to seek medical advice if:
Your insomnia has lasted more than a few months
You suspect sleep apnoea or another medical condition
You regularly feel exhausted, depressed, or anxious
Your GP can help identify any underlying causes and guide you toward the most appropriate treatment.
Try These Natural Sleep Tools at Home
If you’d like to explore gentle, at-home solutions, both of Sharon Shinwell’s downloadable bundles are designed to help you relax and rebuild healthy sleep habits:
Each offers a different route to better rest—one through the focused calm of hypnosis, the other through peaceful guided meditation—so you can choose whichever feels right for you.
In Conclusion
Insomnia can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to live with it. By making small lifestyle changes, improving your sleep environment, and using natural approaches like self-hypnosis or guided meditation, you can help your mind and body rediscover the ability to rest.
Take things one night at a time, stay consistent, and be kind to yourself — better sleep often returns gradually. And when it does, you’ll notice the difference in your mood, focus, and energy throughout the day.
I am Sharon Shinwell, a UK-qualified clinical hypnotherapist. I have now retired from my face-to-face hypnotherapy practice. However, I am able to continue to help individuals through my range of downloadable self-hypnosis sessions that address a variety of issues. With my extensive knowledge and experience in the field of hypnotherapy, I am able to provide effective solutions for those seeking to improve their mental and emotional well-being.
Here To Listen Ltd is the parent company of Self Hypnosis UK.
To access any of our downloadable self-hypnosis sessions. CLICK HERE
