Learned Psychophysiological Insomnia treatment in Mexico City

When rest becomes a source of tension night after night, it may be learned psychophysiological insomnia: a difficulty sleeping that is maintained because the person associates the bed and bedtime with worry and the effort to fall asleep.

Usual features: tossing and turning a lot when lying down, sleeping better outside the usual environment, and anticipatory anxiety about the night that feeds the problem.

Why does it persist? The very fear of not sleeping generates arousal and reinforces the cycle, so that the insomnia is learned and perpetuated.

Who can help? Mental health professionals, such as a clinical psychologist or a psychoanalyst, work with the habits and associations linked to sleep. If rest has been disturbed for some time, talking it over with a specialist may open up alternatives.