At IMI we use effective, natural alternatives for treating insomnia - from balancing body and energy levels to soothing the mind. Insomnia is a condition that often responds best to taking a truly integrated treatment approach.

Here are some of the more common symptoms. Two or more could suggest you are suffering from insomnia.

• Finding it hard to go to sleep
• Waking up several times during the night
• Lying awake at night worrying
• Waking up too early and not going back to sleep
• Still feeling tired after waking up
• Finding it hard to nap during the day, even though you're tired
• Feeling tired, irritable
• Decreased performance in work or at school
• Finding it difficult to concentrate during the day because of tiredness

A large-scale study conducted in 2010 by Dr Wong Wing-sze (associate professor at the Department of Psychological Studies at The Hong Kong Institute of Education), confirmed that 4 out of 10 adults in Hong Kong suffer from insomnia. And that it took them an average of 21 minutes to drop off, resulting in just 6.46 hours of sleep a night. So, it’s clear that sleep deprivation is quite common in adults and children alike, especially with our 24/7 world that never seems to switch off.

Insomnia is caused by a number of physical, psychological and/or lifestyle issues. If sleepless nights persist for more than one month, the problem is considered chronic.

Physical:
Medical conditions and illnesses such as asthma, pain, sleep apnoea, and hormone imbalances (e.g. hyperthyroidism) that upset the body’s natural day/night circadian rhythm.

Psychological:
Certain life transitions or stressors such as a major life event, significant changes at work or a relationship, being a new parent, loss, shock, anxiety, and depression directly affect our mind and emotions, which in turn, disrupts our sleep pattern. Our early attachment behaviours from when we were a baby, can also affect how we sleep as an adult. Which might explain why some people sleep more when they’re experiencing a problem, while others find dropping off more elusive.

Lifestyle:
All sorts of things, from caffeine and alcohol to food intolerances can harm your ability to sleep and sleep quality. Environment can also disrupt sleep, your bedroom may be too light, too hot, too cold, too noisy or full of other distractions.

Your first port of call could be with one of our naturopathic practitioners. They begin by investigating the main cause or causes for the insomnia, before putting together a suitable treatment plan. Supplements such as the melatonin, for instance, can be very beneficial in the short term if you’re having trouble falling asleep. While stress-related sleep disorders often respond well to mineral and herbal and homeopathic remedies. They may refer you for further treatments such as acupuncture, osteopathy, homeopathy or counselling. If your sleeping difficulties are connected to underlying mental or emotional problems such as a lot of stress and unhappiness at work, in your relationships, or unresolved trauma our counselling and psychotherapy services could be a good place to start.