Chronic insomnia in women: how holistic care can accompany your rest

If you’ve been sleeping badly for weeks — or months — you are not alone, you are not “exaggerating”, and it is not because you lack willpower. Insomnia in women has real causes — hormonal, emotional, social — and it can be accompanied. In over 10 years working with women at my Arabian Ranches studio, I’ve seen how rest comes back, little by little, when the right care, the right habits and, when needed, professional support come together. In this article I tell you what types of insomnia I see in consultation, how Reiki, Bach Flowers and aromatherapy can accompany you, what routine actually sustains sleep, and above all, when it’s important to seek medical help.

The rest corner I suggest preparing for the women I accompany: low warm light, fresh lavender, an infusion, the aromatherapy roll-on. Small signals the body understands.

Why women sleep worse

The studies say it clearly and my consultation confirms it every week: women have more insomnia than men. It is not a myth or a perception — it is a pattern with real roots:

• Hormones. Progesterone, oestrogen and cortisol shift across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum and, especially, perimenopause and menopause. Each of these stages has a measurable effect on sleep.
• Mental load. Most women I see in consultation carry an invisible calendar in their heads that never switches off: the kids’ agenda, doctor’s appointments, birthdays, the shopping list, the unanswered message, the mother who’ll call tomorrow. The brain doesn’t unplug and melatonin doesn’t rise.
• Hypervigilance. Once you’ve cared for babies, listened to a teenager or looked after an elderly parent, the nervous system stays in “night alert” mode — and finds it hard to return to deep trust.
• Repressed emotions. The night is when everything the day pushed aside surfaces. The head fills with thoughts just when the body would ask for rest.
• Lifestyle shifts. Screens till late, coffee from the morning, heavy dinners, lack of natural light during the day — all very common factors today.

If three or four of these stack up, sleep breaks. It isn’t weakness — it is logic.

Acute vs chronic insomnia: not the same thing

One of the most confusing distinctions. Acute insomnia lasts a few days or a couple of weeks — usually triggered by something concrete: travel, a specific worry, a move, an illness. When the trigger passes, sleep returns. Chronic insomnia is something else: sleeping badly more than three nights a week, for more than three months, without a clear trigger or with one that should no longer be active.

This distinction matters because the response is different:

• Acute insomnia: sleep hygiene routine, a Reiki session, a Bach formula, a nighttime infusion. Almost always resolves in a few weeks.
• Chronic insomnia: alongside all of the above, it is wise to seek professional support — a sleep doctor, an endocrinologist if there’s hormonal suspicion, a psychologist if there’s associated anxiety or depression. Holistic care is one piece more, not the whole answer.

If you’ve been sleeping badly for months and have tried “everything” without success, the first step is not to try another infusion. It is to seek a medical evaluation to rule out causes that need a different kind of attention.

The four types of insomnia I see in consultation

Although every woman is unique, in consultation I almost always see one of these four patterns. Knowing which one resonates helps to choose the right tools:

1. Onset insomnia

It’s hard to fall asleep. You get into bed and the head starts: ideas, lists, conversations, worries. One or two hours can pass before sleep arrives. The nervous system is stuck in “on” mode.

2. Maintenance insomnia

You fall asleep well, but you wake up in the middle of the night — typically between 2 and 4 in the morning — and don’t fall back to sleep, or only after a long while. Usually linked to altered cortisol, perimenopause, or accumulated emotions.

3. Early waking

You fall asleep well, you don’t wake during the night, but your eyes open at 4 or 5 in the morning and you can’t go back to sleep. It is one of the patterns most associated with sustained anxiety or depression, and worth discussing with your doctor.

4. Non-restorative sleep

You sleep the hours. You don’t wake. But you get up just as tired as when you went to bed. Sleep doesn’t deepen. Here there is often a physical component — apnea, low iron, thyroid — that deserves medical exploration.

Identifying yours is the first step to accompanying it better.

How Reiki accompanies rest

Reiki doesn’t “make you sleep” — but it regulates the nervous system and that, sustained over time, changes how you enter the night. What many women tell me after several sessions is that they no longer get into bed with a racing heart. That the wake-sleep transition becomes softer. That when they wake at 3 in the morning, they fall back asleep sooner.

This happens because Reiki:

• Lowers the sympathetic system (alert) and activates the parasympathetic (rest).
• Reduces circulating cortisol after the session.
• Releases the muscle tension accumulated in shoulders, jaw and belly.
• Accompanies the emotions that insomnia so often hides.

At my studio, the session follows the same ritual: opening with the Tibetan bowl, energetic reading with the pendulum, intuitive work on the chakras, aura clearing and closing with the bowl. If you want to go deeper into how we work with the nervous system from energy, my article on Reiki for anxiety — very related to this one — gives you the full detail.

Aromatherapy for deep sleep

Clinical aromatherapy is, for me, one of the most powerful tools to accompany insomnia. The oils work directly on the limbic system — the emotional brain — and modify the nervous system response in measurable ways. These are the ones I use most in consultation:

• True lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) — the classic, and for a reason: there are serious studies on its effect on sleep.
• Neroli (Citrus aurantium flower) — for insomnia associated with anxiety.
• Vetiver — dense, deep, ideal for women who feel “outside the body” at night.
• Sweet marjoram — very useful when there’s nighttime muscular tension.
• Frankincense (olibanum) — for women in perimenopause.
• Roman chamomile — for insomnia linked to disturbed digestion.
• Sweet orange — to soften the emotional tension of the day’s end.

The essential oils and salts I use most for rest. The right formula for each woman is different — that’s why we work it in consultation.

A personalised formula — a roll-on for wrists, plexus and the nape of the neck, or a foot massage oil — is applied one hour before sleep. My article on aromatherapy for deep sleep details the formulas I use most by life stage.

Bach Flowers for the different types of insomnia

Bach Flowers are one of the kindest tools because they have no contraindications, they are compatible with any medication, and they work on the emotion that sustains the pattern. These are the ones I use most, by type of insomnia:

• White Chestnut — the insomnia flower par excellence, for the mind that goes around and won’t stop.
• Aspen — for that diffuse night-time anxiety that arrives without clear cause.
• Rock Rose — for night terrors, nightmares, waking with a jolt of fear.
• Mimulus — for concrete fears that surface at bedtime.
• Olive — for deep exhaustion, when you’ve been without good rest for months.
• Walnut — for big changes (relocation, new job, perimenopause) that break sleep.
• Star of Bethlehem — when insomnia appears after a loss or trauma.
• Honeysuckle — when the night fills with thoughts of the past.

A personalised formula usually combines 4-7 flowers and is taken four times a day for three weeks. Effects are not immediate — they are sustained and deep.

A sleep hygiene routine that actually works

Beyond holistic tools, real change comes from the sustained routine. These are the gestures I ask the women I accompany to commit to:

1. Wake up at the same time every day, weekends included. This is the most important thing.
2. Natural light in your eyes in the first 30 minutes of the day. In Dubai, an open window at dawn counts.
3. Coffee and tea only until 12:00. After that, herbal infusion or warm water.
4. Main meal at midday, light dinner at least 2 hours before bed.
5. Movement outdoors every day, even if just 15 minutes at sunset.
6. Screens off an hour before sleep. Non-negotiable.
7. Cool, dark, quiet bedroom. An investment that changes life.
8. Day-closing ritual: warm shower, infusion, essential oil, paper book, low warm light.
9. Go to bed at the same time, ideally between 10 and 11 pm.
10. If you don’t fall asleep in 20 minutes, get up, read with warm light, and come back when sleep returns.

None of this is revolutionary — but keeping it for two months in a row is. What doesn’t work is trying each thing for a week and giving up.

When insomnia needs more than holistic care

This part matters. Holistic care accompanies, it doesn’t diagnose or cure. If you recognise yourself in any of these situations, alongside holistic care, I recommend asking for medical consultation:

• Insomnia over 3 months without sustained improvement.
• Extreme daytime tiredness that affects your work, driving or care for others.
• Suspected sleep apnea (loud snoring, waking with a sense of suffocation, morning headaches).
• Very early waking sustained alongside deep sadness — can be a sign of depression.
• Clear hormonal symptoms (hot flushes, night sweats, irregular cycles) — an endocrine or gynaecological assessment is worthwhile.
• Insomnia with severe anxiety or intrusive thoughts — a psychologist, ideally with a CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia) approach, can help greatly.

The combination I most see working in chronic cases is: medical assessment + psychology if there’s anxiety/depression + sustained holistic care + good habits. All four together, not one alone.

About my treatments at Arabian Ranches

If you’d like to go deeper into any of the topics covered in this article, at my Arabian Ranches studio I offer several treatments: Reiki with chakra balancing, therapeutic and aromatherapy massages, manual lymphatic drainage, Bach Flower therapy and personalised essential oil formulas, among others.

📋 See the full list and up-to-date pricing at Treatments.

✨ First visit: includes a free 15-minute initial consultation to understand your case and tailor the treatment. New clients also receive a 10% discount on their first treatment.

Book your session here or contact me if you have any prior questions.

Frequently asked questions

How long until I notice better sleep?

It depends on the type of insomnia and how long you’ve been carrying it. For acute insomnia, one or two weeks can bring clear improvement. For chronic insomnia, sustained changes arrive in 4-8 weeks of constant routine, sessions every fortnight and the right Bach or aromatherapy formula. Patience is part of the treatment.

Can I receive Reiki if I take sleeping pills or anti-anxiety medication?

Yes, with no problem at all. Reiki does not interact with any medication. Many women receive Reiki alongside their treatment and notice that sleep begins to structure itself better. If your doctor has prescribed medication, keep taking it as prescribed.

Does melatonin work for all women?

Melatonin helps mainly in circadian rhythm disorders (jetlag, shift work) and in women over 55, whose natural production drops. It is not a universal sleeping pill and doesn’t work the same for all cases. If you use it, it’s wise to do so under medical advice.

What if my insomnia is because I have young children?

This is one of the most common types I see. The priority here is to protect the rest you do have: strategic naps, shifts with your partner, outside help when possible, and routines that help the children fall asleep earlier. Reiki, aromatherapy and Bach Flowers help the rest you do have be deeper and more restorative, even if it isn’t longer.

Is it safe during pregnancy?

Bach Flowers are completely safe during pregnancy. Aromatherapy is adapted — some oils are avoided, others reduced. Reiki is worked with soft sessions and adapted positions. All can be accompanied respecting this stage.

What about perimenopause and night sweats?

It is one of the most frequent causes of maintenance insomnia I see. My article on Reiki for perimenopause and menopause details how we accompany this specific stage from holistic care. And consultation with a gynaecologist specialised in menopause is always a good idea.

Are aromatherapy and Bach Flowers safe for children?

Yes, both with adaptation. Bach Flowers are safe from newborns. Aromatherapy for children is used in very low dilution, with soft oils (lavender, mandarin, Roman chamomile), always in a vegetable carrier oil. If you need to accompany your children’s sleep, we can prepare an adapted formula for them.