Using EMDR Therapy for Insomnia and Restful Sleep
EMDR therapy, best known for treating trauma, is also emerging as a powerful tool to improve sleep by calming the mind and reducing stress-driven insomnia.
“The worst thing in the world,” according to author F. Scott Fitzgerald, is “to try to sleep and not to.” If you’re nodding your head in agreement and frustrated by months or even years of chronic sleep issues, you’re in the right place.
While most adults need 7–9 hours of sleep per night to fully function, a recent Gallup poll suggests only about 52% of Americans meet that mark (with around 20% averaging a seriously deficient 5 hours or less per night).
Running on too little sleep? You may be struggling to concentrate, fumbling big and small tasks, and getting irritated at every turn.
Sleep deficiency has also been linked to a litany of health problems, including:
- High blood pressure
- Obesity
- Depression
- Increased risk of injury
We’re guessing that you know all of this already—which is why you’re here and hoping that EMDR can help.
As a therapist who specializes in EMDR, I’ve used this evidence-based treatment to help clients address persistent sleep disturbances such as insomnia and nightmares. Let’s dive into how and why it can be so effective.
Can EMDR Improve the Quality of Sleep?
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) is a research-backed and effective form of psychotherapy that’s proven to help people recover from trauma and other symptoms.
In several studies, EMDR therapy has also been linked to increasing the density of REM sleep which contributes to deeper and more restorative sleep.
To understand how EMDR improves sleep, it’s important to first understand what can make sleep worse. There’s a long list of culprits that range from physical discomfort and effects of medication, to chronic stress and anxiety, to what’s happening in your world and the world at large.
The Many Possible Causes of Sleep Problems
Sleep disturbances refer to any kind of ongoing difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, including nightmares, chronic insomnia, restless sleep, and other concerns. Since many things contribute to sleep disturbances, it’s important to identify individual causes.
Physical causes:
- Hormonal issues
- How or when you exercise
- Genetic factors
- Chronotype (whether you’re an early bird or a night owl)
- Medical conditions (such as sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome)
- Medications
- Obesity
- Physical pain, tension, injuries, or discomfort
- Substance use (such as caffeine, alcohol, or stimulants)
Environmental causes
- Co-sleeping (other people or pets)
- Diet choices (and the timing of meals)
- Jetlag
- Light
- Noise
- Poor sleep hygiene (irregular sleep schedule, napping)
- Relationships
- Safety
- Scary content (books, online, news, shows, or movies)
- Screens
- Stress
- Temperature
Psychological causes
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Depression
- Dysfunctional beliefs about sleep
- Grief
- OCD
- Phobias
- Stress
- PTSD
Sleep disorders
- Insomnia
- Restless leg syndrome
- Sleep apnea
The Link Between Insomnia & Nightmares
Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling or staying asleep. Specific causes of insomnia include stress, anxiety, depression, noise, temperature, comfort, substances, jet lag, and work shifts. Chronic insomnia, lasting a month or more, may also stem from underlying medical conditions, mental health disorders, lifestyle habits, substances, or medications.
Insomnia is a common cause of nightmares. Other causes of nightmares include accidents, anxiety, injury, illness, medications, phobias, substance use, sleep disorders, scary media, traumas, and other factors.
Nightmares happen at any age and stage. “Night terrors,” on the other hand, are more common in children ages 3–12 (about 2% of kids have night terrors), and may be linked to an immature nervous system.
Just like insomnia can contribute to nightmares, it can go both ways. Nightmares may be linked to dysregulation of the parasympathetic nervous system—meaning an elevated heart rate, breathing, and higher cortisol levels—that makes it hard to sleep well or fall back asleep after waking up.
How Does EMDR Help with Insomnia, Nightmares, and More?
Poor sleep, nightmares, and insomnia often share a cycle of anxiety and arousal:
- You wake up (whether from a brief bathroom trip, noise, nightmare, etc.)
- An automatic thought arises that’s anxiety-producing (e.g. Oh no, now I won’t be able to fall back asleep.)
- These anxious thoughts and feelings trigger adrenaline and cortisol, which make it hard to return to sleep.
- The combination of adrenaline, cortisol, and anxiety can further condition the body to associate being in bed with stress and wakefulness.
EMDR can reduce and soften the impact of symptoms that disrupt sleep (such as physical tension or hyper-vigilance). This can allow you to “off-ramp” from the cycle of anxiety and arousal and learn to fully relax and fall asleep.
There are two main ways that EMDR can help with sleep:
By processing underlying trauma that’s keeping you awake
For many people, insomnia and nightmares originate from a very stressful event(s). This can mean standalone “big T” Trauma (a one-time incident, disaster, or sudden loss) or an ongoing series of complex events or “little t” trauma (an unsafe environment or caregiver, microaggressions, neglect, phobias etc.).
Long after the traumatic events are over, effects may linger, causing dysregulation. This can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Whether a sleep disturbance began with a “big T” or “little t” trauma, an EMDR therapist will work with a client to “target” the original incident or cause (past), process current triggers and symptoms (present) and gain confidence and ease in handling upcoming situations (future). In time, these previous memories or triggers may no longer carry the same intensity nor impact they once did.
By examining underlying associations that keep you awake
People sometimes have a “positive association” with wakefulness. For example, a young person may have learned to stay up late to read a book, play a game, scroll, text, or nibble when the home is finally quiet. With repeated behavior, this wakefulness can become a compulsion and contribute to other addictions (such as alcohol, caffeine, and other substances or behaviors).
It perhaps goes without saying that, in addition to other “compulsions,” the prominence of screens plays a big role in positive associations with wakefulness. Stimulating content, blue lights and dopamine before bed can make it difficult to wind down.
Through EMDR therapy, a person may begin to reexamine their relationship with sleep, compulsions and addictions, so they can enjoy even more “positive” feelings while also enjoying a good night’s rest and functioning. A client may reprocess any fixed sensations or beliefs (such as “only when it is dark, I can be at peace” or “only when I drink, I can relax”). After a time, new, more flexible beliefs and feelings can be reinforced (such as “I have many choices to relax and be at peace”).
EMDR therapy works to address the past, present, and future, helping people gain more peace and confidence to fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling rested. This work along with lifestyle choices, beliefs, and support) can offer significant relief.
In many cases, EMDR can help fully resolve sleep disturbances.
10 Tips for Better Sleep from an EMDR Therapist
In addition to the reprocessing work specific to EMDR, clients may benefit from finding realistic ways to practice better sleep hygiene.
Exploring things like movement, nutrition, pain management, relationships, relaxation strategies, substance use, and sleep routines can all build confidence toward a long-term, positive relationship with sleep.
Basic strategies for better sleep hygiene that I often recommend:
- Keep your bedtime the same.
- Keep your wake-up time the same (avoid sleeping in, even if you got poor sleep).
- Don’t nap (especially if you had trouble falling asleep the night before).
- Get exercise and get outdoors in the first 30 mins (avoid night workouts).
- Get electrolytes (before caffeine), protein, and fiber in the first 30 mins.
- At night, maintain a quiet, cool, and comfy bedroom.
- Avoid: big meals before sleep, caffeine, stimulants, nicotine, and scary content.
- Practice winding down two hours before bedtime, limiting screen time.
- If you’re not sleeping, get up after 20 mins, change rooms, and do something restful (read, draw, even lay on the floor). Try again after you get sleepy. Repeat as often as needed.
- If you have repeat nightmares or ruminating thoughts, write an “alternative ending.” Then read it several times before going to sleep. For example, the thought “I’ll never sleep” or “I’m not okay” could be reframed as “Whether or not I sleep, I am taking good care of myself by resting.” A nightmare’s “alternative ending” could be something like, “...and then we chase the dragon away with drums, my friends surround me, we dance around a campfire.” If you wake up during the night, repeat “What would I like to happen next?” Then practice visualizing it. Log what changes over two weeks!
(Note: These tips are not a substitute for personalized advice from a qualified provider who knows your health history, symptoms, challenges, and goals.)
Take action:
Find an EMDR therapist who can help with insomnia & nightmares
Any sleep disturbance that impacts your overall health, mood, or performance may be worth exploring with a qualified therapist.
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FAQs
Yes, and perhaps more effectively than many people realize. EMDR is best known as a treatment for trauma, but research suggests it also has a meaningful impact on sleep, including increases in REM sleep density — the deep, restorative stage of sleep most of us don't get nearly enough of.
The reason goes beyond simple relaxation. Poor sleep and chronic insomnia often share an underlying cycle of anxiety and physical arousal: you wake up, an anxious thought rushes in, stress hormones flood your system, and suddenly you're wide awake at 3 a.m. Over time, your body begins to associate your bed with that stress, which only makes things worse.
EMDR works by targeting that cycle at its source. A therapist might help you process an unresolved traumatic memory keeping your nervous system on high alert, or examine a deeply conditioned belief about sleep, such as only being able to unwind with alcohol or late-night scrolling. By reprocessing those experiences and the emotions attached to them, EMDR can break the cycle and, in many cases, resolve sleep disturbances entirely.
Trauma and sleep have a complicated relationship. Long after a traumatic experience is over, its effects can linger in the nervous system, keeping the body in a state of dysregulation that makes it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep. This is true for both single catastrophic events ("big T" Trauma) and more chronic, cumulative experiences like an unsafe home environment or repeated microaggressions ("little t" trauma).
What this looks like varies from person to person. For some, it's lying awake with racing thoughts. For others, it's recurring nightmares that jolt them awake with cortisol elevated and heart pounding, making it nearly impossible to settle back into sleep. In both cases, the nervous system is stuck on alert, scanning for danger even when none is present.
Nightmares connected to trauma are particularly disruptive because they create a feedback loop: poor sleep intensifies emotional dysregulation, and emotional dysregulation makes sleep worse. EMDR addresses this directly, helping the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they lose their emotional charge, giving the nervous system room to finally settle.
Yes, and combining approaches is often where people see the most meaningful, lasting progress. EMDR addresses the psychological and neurological roots of sleep disruption, particularly those tied to trauma, anxiety, and conditioned stress responses. But sleep is rarely affected by just one thing.
EMDR-trained therapists commonly recommend pairing the reprocessing work with concrete sleep hygiene practices, including keeping a consistent bedtime and wake time even after a rough night, avoiding naps, limiting caffeine and screens in the evening, and keeping the bedroom cool and quiet. These behavioral changes reinforce what EMDR is doing at a deeper level.
Lifestyle factors like regular movement, nutrition, and relaxation strategies can also strengthen the foundation that EMDR builds. Think of it as working from both directions at once: EMDR addresses the internal patterns keeping you awake, while practical sleep habits create the external conditions that support rest. For many people dealing with chronic sleep issues, neither approach alone is as effective as the two working together.
EMDR can be helpful for a range of sleep disturbances with a psychological or emotional component, including insomnia, recurring nightmares, and restless sleep — any ongoing difficulty falling or staying asleep that leaves you feeling depleted rather than restored.
When insomnia stems from anxiety, PTSD, depression, grief, or stress, EMDR can help by targeting the unresolved experiences or thought patterns fueling it. The same applies to recurring nightmares, which often reflect trauma the brain hasn't fully processed. By working through those underlying experiences, EMDR can reduce both their frequency and intensity over time.
EMDR also helps with the conditioned wakefulness that develops when someone has learned, often unconsciously, to associate nighttime with stimulation, escape, or comfort — the person who can only unwind with late-night scrolling or a glass of wine, or who stays up long past the rest of the household because the quiet finally feels like their own.
Note that EMDR is not designed to treat physiological sleep disorders like sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome, which require separate medical evaluation and treatment.
There's no single answer, and any therapist who gives you a firm number before knowing your history should be approached with some healthy skepticism. How many sessions you'll need depends entirely on what's driving the sleep problem.
In general, a single disturbing event or memory typically takes between three and six sessions. More complex or longer-term traumas may require eight to twelve sessions or more, with sessions usually running between an hour and 90 minutes.
EMDR also follows a structured eight-phase protocol, and the early phases — gathering history, building coping skills, preparing for deeper reprocessing — take time that can't or shouldn't be rushed.
Many people notice improvements in sleep before the full course of treatment is complete. The middle-of-the-night anxiety spiral may start to lose its grip, or falling asleep may simply feel less like a battle. The best way to get a realistic sense of your own timeline is an open conversation with an EMDR-trained therapist about your specific history, symptoms, and goals.
EMDR is a well-established, research-backed therapy with a strong safety record, endorsed by the World Health Organization and listed as a "best practice" by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense for treating PTSD.
It's important to know that EMDR can involve some discomfort. The therapy involves revisiting difficult memories and emotions, and it's common to experience some negative thoughts or feelings between sessions. A good EMDR therapist will spend meaningful time in the early phases building the coping tools you need before the deeper reprocessing work begins, so you never feel pushed past what you can handle.
The Cleveland Clinic notes that EMDR is specifically designed for conditions rooted in traumatic experiences, and may be less applicable for mental health conditions caused by physical factors like brain injury or inherited neurological conditions — one more reason why working with a licensed, EMDR-trained clinician matters. For most people dealing with trauma-related or anxiety-driven sleep problems, EMDR is a genuinely promising path forward.
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Jul 31, 2025
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