INSOMNIA | Try My Sleep Easy Meditation Tonight
The average person sleeps for 25 years of their life. Sleep plays a massive role in our quality of life and even the quantity of time we are alive. A lack of sleep has been linked with weight gain, heart disease and strokes, depression, reduced concentration, productivity and other mental, emotional and physical issues that any clear-minded person would rather avoid - if given the choice.
Insomnia is experienced by millions of people worldwide. Not only can be frustrating to not be able to get to sleep. But due to the lack of good quality rest, insomnia can lead to a whole host of physical conditions as the body is given little opportunity to do its maintenance and repair projects.
SCIENTIFIC SLEEP STUDIES
In one study carried out by the University of Southern California, it was found that across two groups involved, the people that meditated showed improvements in sleep quality compared to the control group that didn’t meditate. While in another randomized controlled trial of meditation and chronic insomnia, 45 adults were asked to meditate over an 8-week period. The results again showed that the ones who meditated reported significantly greater reductions in ‘Time Awake Time’ and ‘Insomnia Severity’ when compared to the control group who didn’t meditate.
These studies and others reflect what I have observed teaching meditation. Time after time people who’ve found it difficult to sleep have reported enjoying the best sleep they’ve had in years. In my experience, it also appears that meditation helps you enter sleep at a deeper level and get more rest from the sleep you get. Normally it takes around 5 hours to eventually enter the deepest levels of sleep. However, with meditation, the body is resting before entering sleep and once you do drifted off, the deeper realms of rest are more quickly experienced.
SLEEP WITHOUT COUNTING SHEEP
As an added bonus, one of the reasons people find it hard to sleep is because they can’t switch off. The longer they lay awake not sleeping; the more concerned they can become around how tired you might be the next day. However, if you meditate yourself to sleep using Mind Calm or Body Calm, you won’t engage in thinking as much and find it easier to drift off when your body and mind is ready. Not only that, but with the knowing that your body gets ample rest of meditation, you can change your relationship with sleep and may even find you are actually happy to have the chance to get a few hours of meditation in before the next day.
Good sleep has been found to improve the immune system, reduce inflammation, make us inclined to eat better, encourage a positive mindset and allow us to perform at our best during work and play. It's therefore vitally important if you are experiencing insomnia or waking up tired - irrespective of how many hours of sleep you get - that you are proactive in having the best rest and sleep patterns possible.
STRUGGLING TO SLEEP
In the past if I wasn’t tired or couldn’t get to sleep, I would worrying about how tired I would be the next day. Can you relate to this concern? Laying in the darkness of the bedroom I would be left alone with my thoughts and emotions, which always seemed louder, scarier and more intense at night. I would often need to distract myself from my meandering mind by having the television or radio on. Do you do this?
All of this never made for a peaceful entry into the realm of sleep. On the contrary: the stressful thinking, emotional struggle and visual/auditory stimulation was counterproductive to my desired goal of getting a good night's sleep.
GETTING TO SLEEP
How do I get to sleep these days? Knowing that my body and mind gain rest from meditation, I get into bed, turn the light off and start meditating. Sometimes I fall fast asleep, sometimes if my mind happens to be busier then I meditate to be at peace with any thoughts/emotions happening, and some nights I have an amazingly clear and calm meditation.
Irrespective of what happens, knowing meditation gives my mind and body amazing rest has liberated me from worrying about how fast I’m getting to sleep or if I'm having enough hours. In short, instead of counting sheep, worrying or needing to rely on external distractions, I invite you to meditate your way into the best night's rest.
SLEEP EASY MEDITATION
With this sleep meditation you can ease yourself into a restful sleep and find that you don’t need as many hours as you used to in order to feel full of energy the next day. It can provide your mind and body with the quality rest it needs to function and be well, and has the added benefit of improving your relationship with sleep. If you quickly get to sleep - then great! If you are awake for a while and get some restful meditation done during the night - then great!
