Sleep Issues & Insomnia
Reliable support for sleep issues and insomnia available in person in Saint John and Woodstock and virtually across New Brunswick.
Sleep Issues Don't Look The Same For Everyone
Thoughts
✓ A mind that won’t slow down at bedtime
✓ Worrying about whether you’ll sleep
✓ Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
✓ Feeling mentally foggy or easily overwhelmed
Feelings
✓ Irritability or a shorter temper
✓ Feeling anxious as bedtime approaches
✓ Low mood or lack of motivation
✓ Feeling discouraged about another difficult night
Body
✓ Trouble falling or staying asleep
✓ Waking too early or never feeling rested
✓ Nightmares or restless sleep
✓ Fatigue, tension, headaches, or low energy
Everyday Life
✓ Relying on caffeine to get through the day
✓ Avoiding plans because you’re exhausted
✓ Struggling with work, school, or daily responsibilities
✓ Changes in routines, relationships, or coping habits
You may recognize some of these signs in yourself or notice that sleep difficulties show up differently for you.
What Sleep Issues Can Look Like
Sleep issues can reach into nearly every part of life, affecting your mood, relationships, concentration, energy, and ability to manage the day.
- Difficulty falling asleep, even when you feel tired
- Waking frequently throughout the night
- Waking earlier than you want and being unable to fall back asleep
- Feeling as though your mind or body cannot fully settle
- Nightmares, vivid dreams, or waking in distress
- Sleeping lightly and being easily disturbed
- Getting enough hours of sleep but still waking exhausted
- Developing anxiety or frustration around bedtime
- Sleeping more than usual but rarely feeling rested
- Changes in sleep connected to stress, trauma, hormones, parenting, health concerns, or major life transition
You may recognize one or several of these experiences. They can change over time or become more noticeable during stressful periods.
When Sleep Issues Start Getting in the Way
An occasional sleepless night is normal. But when trouble sleeping becomes more frequent or ongoing and begins affecting your mood, energy, relationships, or ability to manage daily life – it may be time to reach out for support.
You may notice:
- You regularly struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep
- You wake feeling tired, even after spending enough time in bed
- You feel anxious or frustrated as bedtime approaches
- Fatigue is affecting your concentration, memory, or productivity
- You have less patience or feel more emotionally reactive
- You are withdrawing from plans or activities because you feel exhausted
- Sleep difficulties are creating tension in your relationships
- You increasingly rely on caffeine, naps, alcohol, or other substances to manage your sleep and energy
- Nightmares or distressing dreams make it difficult to feel safe enough to sleep
- You have tried changing your sleep habits, but the problem continues
How Therapy Can Help With Sleep Issues & Insomnia
Therapy can help you understand what may be contributing to disrupted sleep rather than focusing only on getting through another difficult night. Together, you and your therapist can explore the thoughts, emotions, experiences, habits, and physical changes that may be keeping your mind or body from settling.
Depending on your needs, therapy may help you:
- Recognize patterns that may be affecting your sleep
- Develop strategies to calm a busy or worried mind
- Reduce anxiety and frustration around bedtime
- Process trauma, nightmares, or experiences that leave your nervous system feeling on alert
- Build routines that support more consistent, restful sleep
- Cope with sleep changes related to stress, grief, parenting, menopause, illness, or other life transitions
- Improve how you manage fatigue, mood changes, and daily demands
- Develop a healthier and less pressured relationship with sleep
Therapy cannot guarantee a perfect night’s sleep, but it can help address the factors that may be contributing to ongoing difficulties and support changes that make rest feel more possible.
What Therapy For Sleep Issues Might Look Like
1.Understanding Your Sleep
Your therapist will learn about your sleep patterns, routines, stressors, health, and what happens in your mind and body around bedtime. This can help identify factors that may be keeping sleep difficulties going.
2. Developing Practical Strategies.
Together, you may work on calming an active mind, reducing pressure around sleep, creating supportive routines, and finding healthier ways to respond when sleep does not come easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Therapy can help identify and address thoughts, habits, emotions, stress, or past experiences that may be interfering with sleep. Some of our therapists use CBT-based approaches to help clients develop more supportive sleep patterns and reduce anxiety about sleeping.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia, or CBT-I, is an evidence-based approach that explores the thoughts, behaviours, and patterns that can contribute to ongoing sleep difficulties. Depending on their training and your needs, your therapist may incorporate CBT-I strategies into your work together.
Therapy can help you cope with the emotional and behavioural aspects of disrupted sleep, but it does not replace medical care. Your therapist may encourage you to speak with a physician or other healthcare provider to explore possible physical, hormonal, or medication-related factors.
Consider speaking with a healthcare provider if your sleep changed suddenly, you regularly struggle to stay awake during the day, you snore heavily or wake gasping, you experience unusual movements or behaviours during sleep, or you think a medication or medical condition may be involved. Therapy and medical care can work alongside one another.
Yes. Virtual therapy is available to clients located in New Brunswick and may be especially convenient when fatigue or a busy schedule makes attending in person more difficult.
Meet Some of Our Therapists Who Support Clients With Sleep Issues
Caitlin Ilses, LTC-C
Counselling Therapist
Caitlin supports clients experiencing sleep difficulties connected to stress, changing routines, physical and emotional wellness, chronic illness, and life transitions. Drawing from CBT-informed, mindfulness, mind-body, and nutrition-informed approaches, she helps clients better understand the patterns affecting their sleep and strategies that support overall well-being.
Olivia Baxter (Stymiest), LCT-C
Counselling Therapist
Olivia supports clients experiencing sleep difficulties using practical, evidence-informed strategies, including tools drawn from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). She can also help clients explore how stress, anxiety, trauma, and emotional well-being may be affecting their ability to rest.
Nancy Savoie, MSW
Registered Social Worker
Nancy supports clients experiencing sleep difficulties during pregnancy, postpartum, early parenthood, and other significant life transitions. She understands that disrupted sleep can be connected to much more than a baby’s schedule, including anxiety, emotional overwhelm, changes in identity, and the demands of adjusting to a new stage of life.
You Don't Have to Manage Sleep Issues Alone
Sleep issues can make every part of life feel harder, but the right support can help. We can connect you with a therapist who understands your needs and can help you work toward more restful sleep and more manageable days.