Sleep Disorders

Sleep plays a vital role in emotional regulation, concentration, physical health, and overall wellbeing. When sleep becomes disrupted, it can significantly affect mood and daily functioning.

What Are Sleep Disorders?

Sleep disorders involve ongoing difficulties with:

  • Falling asleep

  • Staying asleep

  • Waking too early

  • Experiencing non-restorative sleep

  • Feeling excessively sleepy during the day

The Sleep–Anxiety Cycle

Sleep problems are often maintained by a self-reinforcing cycle:

  • Difficulty sleeping leads to frustration or worry.

  • Worry increases physiological arousal.

  • Heightened arousal makes sleep harder to achieve.

  • Increased effort to “force” sleep further activates the nervous system.

  • Over time, bedtime can become associated with stress rather than rest.

How Therapy Can Help

Treatment is collaborative and tailored to your individual sleep pattern, lifestyle, and contributing factors. Therapy may also address co-occurring concerns exacerbating sleep difficulties. Sleep disorders can be treated using therapy such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

CBT-I focuses on:

  • Sleep education – Understanding how sleep works

  • Stimulus control – Re-associating the bed with sleep rather than wakefulness

  • Sleep scheduling – Strengthening sleep drive

  • Cognitive strategies – Reducing unhelpful beliefs about sleep

  • Reducing sleep-related anxiety

  • Relaxation and nervous system regulation techniques

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