There are tons of treatments for insomnia sufferers out there. However, many of the solutions are expensive medications with dangerous side effects. Sometimes a combination of lifestyle and dietary changes can be enough to reduce the problem enough to get regular sleep again. In other cases, major stress relief actions are taken to eliminate the root cause of insomnia in the patient. When all else fails, people tend to turn to medication for a quick fix, and in some patients this is justified.
Meditation vs. Medication
The Buddhist religion places a large emphasis on meditation. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to you that Buddhists believe in meditation as a means to cure insomnia.
Buddhist monks encourage people suffering from insomnia, nightmares or anxiety attacks to meditate upon love, happiness and things to be grateful for. Meditation is an excellent way to cut insomnia at the roots: stress. Scientists (and Buddhist monks) agree that stress and anxiety is the leading cause of sleeping disorders including insomnia. Meditation is the ultimate stress-reliever when done properly, because it allows you to break everything down to its simplest form, and gives you time to relax and consider all sides and outcomes.
By convincing your mind that your life is hectic and panicking, you are stressing yourself out and giving yourself a reason to toss and turn all night. Simply sitting down to think about the day that passed and the day to come, and everything they entail, can make a world of difference for your sleep! By truly focusing your mind and body on nothing but peaceful thoughts and solutions, rather than stressful thought and problems, you will feel at ease and you’ll have no reason to stay up all night.
When you cannot release your fears, worries, stress, anxiety or panic, your mind will not let you sleep. This is why Buddhist monks have been “prescribing” meditation to worriers for thousands of years.
Now, if you’re thinking this is all a bunch of hocus-pocus stuff at this point, know this: the use of meditation to cure insomnia is well-documented by multiple unbiased scientific studies. These studies have shown that meditation stabilizes the dream cycle, allowing the sufferer to slip into R.E.M. (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, and flow smoothly through the cycle of deep sleep, dreams and light sleep. After 30 days, patients who normally took 70 minutes or more to fall asleep, were falling asleep within 20 minutes on average!
By releasing the worries from your mind, your body relaxes and you can sleep much easier. You will fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer and the quality of your sleep will increase. Try giving yourself 30-60 minutes before bedtime of no stressful activity. Just do some light reading, watch TV, or take a slow walk around the block. Two to three times throughout the day, think about your life and what you’re grateful for, think about what you have to do and what you’ve accomplished, and break things down to their simplest form. By using meditation to cure insomnia, you’ll get your energy back, be happier, and not have to worry about monthly prescription bills and side effects!
