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EFT Tapping for Sleep: Your Guide to Overcoming Insomnia

EFT Tapping for Sleep: Your Guide to Overcoming Insomnia

In this article, you will learn how to address the common issue of insomnia using the powerful technique of EFT Tapping. With the gentle yet effective approach of EFT Tapping, you can learn how to quiet the mind, release tension, and cultivate a sense of calm conducive to a more sound and rejuvenating sleep experience.

The clock just struck 4 a.m. Stress is written all over your face. It is one of those nights where you have counted sheep both forward, as well as backward. You are done staring at the walls and the roof of your room.  You yawned, tossing and turning while every ounce of your being is yearning for sleep. Yet, every time you close your eyes, you cannot sleep. Irritated, you ponder, “Why am I always awake at night?”

This process of having difficulty going to sleep is known as lack of sleep or insomnia. Currently, it is the world's most common sleep disorder.

However, this is not normal. A good night’s sleep is crucial as it impacts your body both physically and mentally. This is why being able to get a good night's sleep is on everyone’s bucket list.

The amount of sleep needed differs at various stages of life, the same is as follows:

  • Adults need to have 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day.
  • Children need to have 9 to 12 hours of sleep every day.
  • Toddlers and babies need to have 13 to 17 hours of sleep every day.

No matter how young or old you get, quality sleep is a key constituent of a healthy lifestyle.

WHAT IS INSOMNIA?

Anything or anyone can cause the occasional restless night, be it a snoring partner, physical pain or emotional distress.

Everybody has a night of bad sleep now and then, but in insomnia a long pattern of sleep problems is seen.  

Insomnia is a term used to describe the difficulty faced in falling asleep, as well as in staying asleep. It is not only a night-time issue. Experts say that this sleep disorder also trickles into the daytime in some way or another.

There are two types of insomnia:

How did you not fell asleep? Treat Insomnia with EFT Tapping Techniques

1.

Acute insomnia

Acute insomnia, also known as transient insomnia, occurs due to a recent event or occurrence. It often lasts short-term and has a known triggering factor. It generally lasts for less than a month. Some experts suggest that sometimes it can also last up to 3 months.

2.

Chronic Insomnia

When your insomnia lasts for a long term, it is characterised as chronic insomnia. Persistent insomnia can contribute to serious health problems.

WHO SUFFERS FROM INSOMNIA?

Waking up in the middle of the night and not getting a restful night's sleep is the heart of insomnia.

Anyone can suffer from insomnia, including kids or older adults. Many people have experienced insomnia while studying for a test or before a high-stake job interview.

Treat Insomnia and lack of restful sleep with EFT Tapping Techniques

Insomnia affects both the quantity and quality of sleep, making it hard for individuals to reach restorative levels of sleep. This results in daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Eventually, feelings of irritability, anxiety and depression surface. Ironically, it has also been noticed that these emotional issues (stress, anxiety and depression) majorly contribute to40 per cent of all insomnia cases (1).

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF INSOMNIA?

Not getting enough rest, calm or quiet to sleep peacefully

People with insomnia feel dissatisfied with their sleep and usually experience some common symptoms. 

Some of the common symptoms of insomnia are as follows:

  • Difficulty falling asleep, despite being tired
  • Waking up frequently during the night
  • Trouble getting back to sleep once awake
  • Waking up too early in the morning
  • Unrefreshing sleep despite spending long hours in bed
  • Daytime drowsiness or irritability
  • Difficulty focussing on regular activities
  • Difficulty paying attention during the day
  • Decreased performance at work or school
  • Fatigue and mood disturbances
  • Unhealthy reliance on sleeping pills or alcohol

Generally, it all starts with not getting a good night's sleep. When this happens on a regular basis, it wears you down-making you feel exhausted, anxious, and overwhelmed. What is scary about insomnia is that eventually it can even affect your memory.

What are the causes of Insomnia?

What might be keeping you awake at night could be something that happened during the day in your professional or your personal life that is now weighing on your mind.

Insomnia can be caused by one or more of the following physical and psychological factors:

EFT helps with stress response and life's stressors and depression

1.

Overthinking

When an event of the day plays over and over again in the head with the thought, “Oh I wish, I had not said that!” it is known as overthinking. More than physical illness, these life events are the major causes of insomnia.

2.

Anxiety or worry

Anxiety and worry make it hard for the body to fall asleep. You can be worried or anxious about anything–an upcoming major life event, financial or relationship issues, going through a period of depression or even general anxiety. These trick your body into wanting to stay active rather than going to sleep.

Trouble sleeping due to Anxiety and Worry

3.

Medical condition

Another cause of insomnia could be an underlying medical condition such as chronic fatigue syndrome, congestive heart failure and acid-reflux disease. Physical pain keeps you awake at night and makes it harder to get a good night’s sleep.  

4.

Streetlights

Exposure to blue light or bright lights from the outside such as streetlights keep you awake at night. It happens because these lights, akin to sunlight, send wake-up signals to your body. 

5.

Noise

Having a snoring partner disrupts your sleeping patterns, especially for light sleepers. Other obstacles to a good night's sleep are noises from the outside. It could be a sound from your neighbour's TV, from parties happening in your neighbourhood or the whirring motor of your own fan.

6.

Poor sleep hygiene

Your daily habits directly affect your sleeping patterns. Oversleeping, consumption of alcohol and/or caffeine in the evening and eating a large meal close to your bedtime negatively impact the quality of your sleep. 

7.

Menopause and hormonal changes

Menopause and hormonal changes can cause irritating episodes of night sweats and heart palpitations, both of which results in difficulty sleeping.

8.

Acidity, bloating or gas

As represented by acidity, bloating or gas, the discomfort caused in the upper abdomen as a result of a heavy or spicy meal also results in sleeplessness and worsen the symptoms of insomnia.

It is important to note that the cause of your insomnia can be easily the combination of the different causes mentioned above. When insomnia makes it hard for you to function during the day, it is ideal to see a doctor or consult a clinical psychologist at the earliest. They will identify the cause(s) of your problem and will suggest personalised ways to deal with it. 

However, some doctors prescribe those medicines to aid sleep which are not reliable enough to promote restful sleep in all cases. To top it all off, over-the-counter sleeping pills can be highly addictive.

don't feel sleepy, treat sleepless and get rest

Fortunately, there are other ways to break the cycle of sleeplessness.

Let us first talk about an alternative technique that aims to fix the root problem of insomnia and can help you fall asleep through the night. Interestingly, humans have known the healing properties of this technique called the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) for over 5000 years. It is a very powerful technique, yet easy to learn.

WHAT IS EFT TAPPING TECHNIQUE (EFT)?

EFT Tapping, also known Emotional Freedom Techniqueis a practical tool based on the principles of acupuncture in Chinese medicine. However, you do not need needles to use this technique.

The way this technique works in terms of science is that it seems to affect the amygdala, the stress center of the brain, the hippocampus and the memory center.

EFT Tapping involves speaking out statements aloud while tapping on specific pressure points using fingertips. It is based on the combination of ancient Chinese medicine with modern psychology, and clears all your negative emotions and other pent-up feelings.    

The process of tapping begins with a setup statement where you name the problem or issue you are going to work on and link it with an affirmation.

EFT Tapping technique feels good and makes you feel relaxed

For example, for someone going through a migraine headache, the setup statement could be, “Even though I feel anxious when my migraine headache reappears and the medications that used to help me do not have an effect, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

Another important aspect of this technique is to tap through a sequence of acupressure points on the head and on the body while saying a reminder phrase at each point.

The common acupuncture points to be tapped are as follows:

  • Karate chop point on the hand
  • Eyebrow
  • Temple
  • Under the nose
  • Chin
  • Collarbone
  • Under the arm

It is necessary to say reminder phrases out loud when tapping on the aforementioned acupuncture points. Reminder phrases are nothing but a shortened version of your setup statement.

For those who are new to the concept of EFT, and would like to experience the power of EFT Tapping first-hand the link to download the EFT Tapping Booklet is as follows:

EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE- TAPPING STEPS TO FALL ASLEEP AND MANAGE INSOMNIA

If you are an insomnia patient yourself or healing a client, the sample procedure to overcome a sleep disorder is as follows:

Step 1:

Use EFT tapping on what it feels like to have insomnia

You will begin by first exploring the physical sensations in the body associated with sleeplessness. The idea is to notice what happens with your thoughts and emotions when you tap, so that you can go deeper and explore the root cause of the issue.  

1.

Identify the surface symptoms

Bring into your awareness a time when you were not able to sleep. Explore the physical sensations in the body and feel the symptoms of your insomnia.

In order to explore surface symptoms, you can also ask yourself the following questions:

  • What triggered insomnia the most?
  • Where in the body did you experience the trouble triggering due to insomnia?
  • What is the colour, texture, size, and shape of the trouble triggered by insomnia?
  • What are the sensations like? For example, rough or smooth.

2.

Measure using a scale:

Measure the level of sleeplessness distress on a scale of 1-10 by asking, "What number is your insomnia at?

The ‘0’ implies that your sleep routine does not bother you while ‘10’ implies that insomnia is affecting every part of your life.

Go ahead with the number that comes up spontaneously, without thinking much about it.

3.

Tap on the side of your hand (Karate Chop):

Tap on the Karate Chop using the setup statement, for example:

  • “Even though I never have a good night’s sleep, I deeply love and accept myself.”
  • “Even though I feel angry about my sleep pattern and upset that I cannot ever feel rested, I deeply love and accept myself.”
  • “Even though I feel anxious about the idea of going to bed and just laying there, I deeply love and accept who I am.”

Decide your setup statement and repeat it three times.

4.

Tap on the upper body, facial and finger EFT Tapping points:

You can use the same phrase to tap on the facial, upper body, and finger EFT Tapping points:

  • Eyebrow: This ..... (incident/event/memory name)
  • Side of the Eye: Number ..... (SUDs)
  • Under the Eye: So ..... (feeling or sensation)
  • Under the Nose: Makes me feel so ..... (feeling or sensation)
  • Chin: This ..... (incident/event/memory name)
  • Collarbone: It makes me feel so ..... (feeling or sensation)
  • Thumb: I just feel so ..... (feeling or sensation)
  • Index Finger: In the ..... (location)
  • Middle Finger: This ..... (incident/event/memory name)
  • Little Finger: So ..... (feeling or sensation)

5.

Close the sequence:

Close the sequence by tapping on the Karate Chop tapping points again and repeating the setup statement,

“Even though I never have a good night’s sleep, I deeply love and accept myself.”

6.

Relax:

Gently take a breath in and out. Now take a sip of water.

7.

Test:

At the end of the EFT tapping sequence, ask yourself the following questions to notice how you feel now:

  • What happens when you think of insomnia now?
  • What number is your sleeplessness at?

You can stop if the number has reduced to a level that you feel happy with. If not, go back to Step 1 and repeat this process.

Step 2:

Argumentative Tapping 

Once you have worked on some of the major surface symptoms, you can now start to explore incidents or events that are going on in your life. These incidents or events might be troubling you and weighing on your mind.

Use argumentative tapping to work on them one by one.

For example,

From "Is my sleep cycle ever going to get better?" to "I deserve to have a good night’s sleep.”

Step 3:

Close each session with positive tapping

Follow the tapping sequence after this.

For example,

“Even though I feel angry about my sleep pattern and upset that I cannot ever feel rested, I deeply love and accept myself.”

Step 4:

Imagine Future

It is always better to reach out to a certified Practitioner to tackle your insomnia. A certified Practitioner will get you to step into the future and notice how things look like when your sleeplessness is under control. The difference in your present and the future situation will push you to eliminate the fears, clean up conflicts with past traumas and live a life full of satisfactory sleep.

HOW TO TREAT INSOMNIA?

Treat sleeplessness with EFT Practitioner and through mental health aid

In addition to EFT Tapping, the treatment plan for insomnia also includes these sleep hygiene tips:

1.

To help orient your body’s biological clock, create a daily schedule with a regular bedtime routine. Avoid sleeping in late on weekends as the body responds well to regular bed and rise times.  

2.

Always be mindful of what you drink and eat. Try and avoid big meals, alcohol, caffeinated drinks and smoking, especially in the evening.

3.

Have at least a two-hour gap between your last meal and going to sleep.

4.

Do not watch or play on your gadgets (TV, computer and phone) whilst in bed or before going to bed. Create a relaxing bedroom environment as a ‘no gadget zone.’

5.

Make sure your bedroom is comfortably cool and dark at night to help tell your body that it is time for sleep.

6.

Use thick curtains to ensure that no blue light or other bright lights from the outside affect your sleep pattern as these lights can interrupt the melatonin function in your body. (Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone that tells your brain and body that night has approached, and it is time for sleep. Therefore, your body needs to activate melatonin for better sleep efficiency.)

7.

Get enough physical activity during the day, as that tires your body out, increasing the need for sleep.

8.

Avoid naps throughout the day as this will help make your body more tired, which will ensure that you sleep longer at night.

9.

Only use your bed for sleeping. If you are restless, leave the room and tire yourself out with relaxing activities such as reading, meditation or journaling.

10.

Support your mental health. Stress and overthinking are the common causes of insomnia. Managing them with an alternative technique is the most effective way to have a good night’s sleep. This is where EFT Tapping comes in, as it tackles the root cause of the sleep issue versus skirting around the surface. I have already covered above the EFT tapping steps for you.

11.

Some prescribed medicines can also interfere with your sleep. So, if you have been prescribed something new and the symptoms of insomnia have suddenly come about, it is ideal to consult your pharmacist.

12.

The quality of your thoughts also determines the quality of your sleep. Watch your thoughts to ensure good quality sleep. Keep a close notice of the thoughts arising during the day, before sleep, during sleep and on waking up.

CONCLUSION

Experts say that insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, is defined by the quality of your sleep and how you feel after sleeping–not by the number of hours you sleep.

Thus, even if you are spending eight hours of your day in bed, you may still feel drowsy and fatigued all day when experiencing insomnia.

Now what is ideal is to adopt good sleep practices and apply practical techniques like EFT Tapping to help rebuild your relationship with sleep.

One way is to learn the EFT Tapping technique professionally for yourself (and others) so that you can approach sleep issues and insomnia in a customised way because there is no generic 'one size fits all' cure.

Each person is different in terms of life challenges, situations, beliefs, and even thoughts. These are the major driving factors of an individual’s physical and mental health issues. Hence, getting to your specific sleeplessness issue is really important which can only happen with a technique like the Emotional Freedom Technique.

Else, you can also choose to work professionally with someone who guides you through the process of EFT Tapping and help you sleep better.

Continue to learn and explore!

Love,

Dr Rangana Rupavi Choudhuri (PhD)

P.S. Want to discover if EFT is right for you? Book a complimentary Discovery call.

How to self-heal and become a practitioner

In summary, insomnia is the most common sleep disorder that causes difficulties in either falling asleep or staying asleep. Though there is no definite underlying cause of insomnia, it can worsen other health-related problems. EFT Tapping for insomnia with healthy practices (like a regular bedtime routine, an optimised bedroom environment and being conscious of your diet) really impacts the quality of your sleep and will help you wake up feeling rested. Are you ready to tune your body's energy in a more positive outflow with EFT?

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