Adelaide Insomnia Clinic

Adelaide Insomnia Clinic offers assessment, education, and cognitive behavioural treatment for insomnia and other sleep disorders. Dr Kemp aims to improve night-time sleep and daytime functioning (and hence, psychological well-being) for people who have a sleeping problem, so they are again able to function during the day to the best of their ability.

Dr Kemp helps people with many types of sleeping problems besides insomnia. Such help includes:

• Withdrawal from sleeping medication;
  
• Managing sleep as a shift worker;
  
• Shifting the sleep phase for people with circadian rhythm disorders;
  
• Reducing anxiety and depression associated with poor sleep;
  
• Helping manage narcolepsy, night terrors, plus many other types of sleep disorders.

What is insomnia?

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Insomnia can manifest itself in many ways.

• difficulty falling asleep;
  
• waking too often in the night;
  
• waking too early in the morning.

If you have insomnia, you will probably wake feeling unrefreshed and your daytime functioning will be impaired. For example, you may have:

• trouble concentrating and attending;
  
• memory problems;
  
• low tolerance levels;
  
• high irritability;
  
• body aches and pains.

30% of people will suffer from insomnia at some time during their life.


What can I do about insomnia?

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There is good news…

Cognitive-behaviour therapy has been scientifically shown to provide the best long-term solution to insomnia. Sleeping medication may have a short-term impact, but in the long-term, tolerance and dependency effects often develop. Cognitive-behavioural treatments involve changing your behaviour and the way you think about your sleep, so that you feel better during the day. Although the changes in behaviour may seem difficult in the short-term, they have the best long-term effectiveness.

Learning how to improve your sleep behaviourally is a skill you will have with you for the rest of your life. So… if you have insomnia, the best thing you can do for yourself right now is get some professional help. The sooner you make an appointment, the sooner you will be sleeping better.


What therapies are used for sleep?

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All of the therapies used by Dr Kemp are cognitive behavioural and have been scientifically shown to be the best long term solution for insomnia and other mental health issues. The cognitive behavioural therapies used at Adelaide Insomnia Clinic include:

• Bedtime restriction;
  
• Stimulus control therapy;
  
• Bright light therapy;
  
• Relaxation training.

All clients are advised on sleep hygiene.


About Dr Kemp

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Dr Kemp completed all of her undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Flinders University. She completed the Bachelor of Arts (Major in Psychology and Biology), Honours (Class 1), Master of Psychology (Clinical) and PhD. Her honours thesis was conducted under the supervision of Professor Leon Lack (world-renowned expert in sleep) and investigated bright light therapy for people with early morning awakening insomnia. Dr Kemp's masters training was in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

During her studies at Flinders University, Dr Kemp was awarded:

• The University Medal;
  
• Chancellor's Letter of Commendation;
  
• and the Australian Psychological Society Prize in Psychology.