How to use Sleep Restore

Hi, this is Mark Grant, Clinical psychologist and researcher, introducing you to Sleep Restore, an app which has been uniquely designed to help people who suffer from stress-related insomnia, (eg; PTSD, survivors of abuse or neglect in childhood, chronic pain or any type of chronic adversity). Stress is the most common cause of insomnia, affecting over 80% of PTSD sufferers, and over 50% of survivors of childhood abuse or neglect, chronic pain and so on. Regardless of what kind, stress is so much a cause of insomnia that experts no longer regard insomnia as a sleep disorder but rather a stress disorder. Based on this understanding of insomnia, the app assesses the contribution that stress is making to your insomnia and tells you which of the specially developed sessions are most likely to be helpful to you. Several of the sleep sessions incorporate bilateral stimulation, a treatment element of EMDR which has been found to stimulate delta brain wave activity (associated with deep restful sleep) and reduce insomnia in PTSD sufferers.

The app has three unique features.

1. The Sleep Questionnaire

The app begins by assessing how stress is maintaining your insomnia through your completing the sleep questionnaire. Your responses to this modified version of the famous Sleep Disorders Questionnaire will assess whether tension and worry, the two mains effects of stress, and trouble  falling asleep and night-waking, the two main effects of stress, are maintaining your sleeping problems. The questionnaire also screens for signs of more serious sleeping disorders.

2. Individualized recommendations

Based on your responses to the questionnaire, the app generates recommendations regarding which of the 6 – 18 sleep sessions (premium version) you need to listen to. The app is thus designed to fit your individual needs.

3. Bilateral stimulation

In addition to guided relaxation and soothing sounds targeting the effects of stress, many of the sessions on Sleep Restore incorporate bilateral stimulation (bls). Bls is a treatment element of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) a therapy method which uses a combination of focused attention and bilateral eye movements or audio tones to change negative emotional responses associated with stress, anxiety and trauma. In the treatment of PTSD and a range of other disorders the method seems to stimulate a more rapid and natural decrease in symptoms, including insomnia. Bls has also been found to stimulate a synchronization of all cortical activity in the delta range, which is associated with the deep restful sleep or REM sleep. See the article ‘about this app’ for more details about how this happens.

What to expect

After listening to the sessions on the app, particularly the ones that incorporate bls, you should notice a number of physical and mental changes including decreased physical tension and worry, increased feelings of relaxation and clarity, greater attunement to yourself in the present moment, and drowsiness.

and But the end result is a de-activation of the worry and physical tension that inhibit sleep, allowing your brain activity to enter a normal state and the restoration of a more normal sleep pattern. And it all happens naturally and often quite quickly, just by harnessing this one innate brain capacity. A capacity by the way that does not require conscious thought or attention.

You can. All you have to do is switch off the tension and worry that is keeping you awake.

You see you don’t really have a sleep problem, you have a stress problem.

Stress inhibits sleep in two ways, increased physiological arousal or tension, and worry.

And sleep Restore will help you overcome the effects

After using the app a few times and seeing which session work best for you, you can also create your own playlist, or get the app to repeat sessions you particularly like

If your responses indicate that you might be suffering from a serious sleep disorder (eg; sleep apnea, Restless Leg syndrome) and you need additional professional help, you will be advised of this.

References

Pagani M. Benedikt L., Landin-Romero R., et al (2017)  Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and Slow Wave Sleep: A Putative mechanism of action. Frontiers in Psychology. Vol 8. Art.no 1935, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg,2017.01935

Roboni Fabiana, Alonso D, Tufik Sergio, Suchecki Deborah (2014) Improvement of mood and sleep alterations in post traumatic stress disorder patients by eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience Vol 8 (209) p 1-10

Stickgold, R. (2002). EMDR: A putative neurobiological mechanism of action. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58, 61-75.