Sleep psychology in Wokingham, Berkshire

Name: Wokingham Therapy Clinic
Brand: Wokingham Therapy Clinic
SKU: hd-local-wokingham-01

Poor sleep is one of the most common health complaints and one of the most damaging to wellbeing, mental health and physical health. Sleep psychology uses evidence-based psychological techniques – primarily cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) – to address the root causes of poor sleep and help people achieve lasting improvements without relying on sleeping medication.

At Wokingham Therapy Clinic, our sleep consultant Dr Lindsay Browning is a neuroscientist and sleep expert with a doctorate from the University of Oxford in the relationship between worry and insomnia. She has helped people of all ages, from infants to retirees, overcome their sleeping problems.

About insomnia and sleep problems

Insomnia – difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking too early – affects around one in three people at some point in their lives. For many, it becomes a chronic problem that significantly affects daytime functioning, mood, concentration and physical health. Insomnia is closely linked to anxiety and depression; it can both cause and exacerbate mental health difficulties, creating a reinforcing cycle that becomes increasingly difficult to break without help.

Poor sleep is not simply an inconvenience. Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and impaired immune function. It affects memory, decision-making and emotional regulation. Yet many people with chronic insomnia continue to suffer in silence, either not knowing that effective non-drug treatments exist or struggling to access them.

The sleep psychology approach

Sleep psychology takes a scientifically rigorous, individualised approach to understanding and treating sleep problems. Rather than treating sleep difficulties with medication (which can help short-term but often does not address the underlying causes and can create dependency), sleep psychology identifies the specific factors maintaining the insomnia and targets them directly.

These maintaining factors typically include unhelpful beliefs and thoughts about sleep, behaviours that inadvertently reinforce poor sleep (such as spending too long in bed, napping, or clock-watching), physiological arousal and anxiety associated with bedtime, and irregular sleep patterns that disrupt the circadian rhythm.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I)

CBT-I is the gold-standard treatment for chronic insomnia, recommended by NICE and major sleep medicine organisations worldwide. It has been shown in multiple clinical trials to be more effective than sleeping medication and to produce lasting improvements that persist long after treatment ends – unlike medication, which typically only works while it is being taken.

CBT-I combines several evidence-based techniques:

Sleep restriction therapy – temporarily consolidating sleep to rebuild sleep pressure and improve sleep efficiency
Stimulus control – re-establishing the bed and bedroom as strongly associated with sleep rather than wakefulness and anxiety
Cognitive restructuring – identifying and challenging unhelpful beliefs about sleep that fuel anxiety and perpetuate insomnia
Sleep hygiene – addressing lifestyle and environmental factors that affect sleep quality
Relaxation techniques – reducing physiological arousal at bedtime

Sleep problems treated

The sleep psychology service can help with:

Difficulty falling asleep (sleep onset insomnia)
Difficulty staying asleep or frequent waking during the night
Waking too early and being unable to return to sleep
Waking feeling unrefreshed despite a full night in bed
Infant, toddler and child sleep difficulties
Sleep problems associated with anxiety or depression
Shift work sleep disorder and jet lag
Sleep problems during menopause

What to expect

Treatment begins with an introductory telephone call to discuss your sleep concerns and determine whether the service is appropriate for you. You will then be asked to complete a detailed sleep questionnaire and to keep a daily sleep diary for one to two weeks. This information gives Dr Browning an accurate, objective picture of your sleep patterns and the factors that are maintaining your difficulties.

The main consultation is a 50-minute one-to-one session in which Dr Browning will walk you through a personalised set of recommendations based on your specific sleep profile. These will include a combination of behavioural and cognitive changes tailored to the nature of your insomnia. You will receive a written copy of your personalised sleep plan and post-consultation email support. Further sessions can be arranged if additional support is needed.

Self-help advice

Alongside professional sleep psychology, the following evidence-based measures can support better sleep:

Keep a consistent wake time, seven days a week – this is one of the most powerful regulators of the sleep-wake cycle
Only go to bed when you feel genuinely sleepy, not just tired
If you cannot sleep after around 20 minutes, get up and do something calm in dim light until you feel sleepy again
Avoid caffeine from early afternoon onwards – caffeine has a half-life of five to six hours
Limit alcohol, which fragments sleep in the second half of the night even if it initially promotes drowsiness
Keep the bedroom dark, cool and quiet – the optimal temperature for sleep is around 16–18°C
Avoid screens for at least 30 minutes before bed and dim your lighting in the evening
Manage worry and stress during the day rather than letting it accumulate until bedtime

Frequently asked questions

Is CBT-I better than sleeping pills?

Yes, according to the research evidence. CBT-I has been shown to be more effective than sleeping medication in the long term and its benefits last after treatment ends. Medication can be helpful for short-term or crisis management of insomnia, but does not address the underlying causes. NICE recommends CBT-I as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults.

How quickly will I see results?

Many people notice improvements within the first one to two weeks of implementing the recommendations. CBT-I can initially involve some short-term sleep disruption (particularly with sleep restriction) before significant improvement is seen. Dr Browning will prepare you for what to expect and support you through the process.

Is sleep psychology suitable for children?

Yes. Dr Browning has extensive experience working with infant, toddler and child sleep problems, as well as sleep difficulties in adolescents. The approach is adapted to the age and developmental stage of the child.

Do I need a GP referral?

No referral is needed. You can contact Dr Browning directly to arrange an initial telephone consultation. If your sleep problems are related to an underlying medical condition (such as sleep apnoea), she may recommend further investigation by your GP.

Our sleep consultant

Dr Lindsay Browning

Dr Lindsay Browning is a neuroscientist and sleep consultant with a doctorate (DPhil) from the University of Oxford, where she investigated the relationship between worry and insomnia. She also holds an MSc in Neuroscience and a First Class BSc in Psychology.

Dr Browning is a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, a member of the British Sleep Society and a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. She has been helping people overcome sleeping problems since 2006 through her practice Trouble Sleeping, and has worked with clients ranging from infants to retirees across the UK.

Please contact Dr Browning on 01189 010544 or via email at info@troublesleeping.co.uk.