In this article and video Devin Burke discusses how mindfulness can help you sleep better and the benefits of this practice for insomnia relief.
First, let me say that I am a huge believer in mindfulness practices because of the work. They don’t just work exceptionally well for insomnia but for all different types of odd ailments or outcomes resulting from not being mindful.
What Is Mindfulness?
People have numerous definitions of mindfulness, but I prefer to define mindfulness as “present moment awareness.” That is, being conscious of what is present at that moment.
Typically, people are either in the past, considering what they should have done or wish they had, or in the future, worrying about what may or may not become a reality. Most of us are rarely in the moment unless we are mindfulness practitioners and embody those principles that create present-moment awareness.
We should look at mindfulness not so much as a practice but as a way of being, of operating in the world. I
How Can Mindfulness Help My Insomnia?
In one internal medicine study of 49 older middle-aged adults having difficulty sleeping, half completed a mindfulness program learning meditation and other exercises to help them focus on in-the-moment experiences, thoughts, and emotions.
The other half of the study received similar training in a sleep education class on improving their sleep habits, essentially a sleep hygiene class.
The study’s participants met for two hours on six different days over six weeks. Comparing those in the sleep education group to those in the mindfulness group shows less insomnia, fatigue, and depression following the six sessions for the mindfulness group.
Practicing mindfulness can genuinely benefit those with sleep issues because it allows you to create a little bit of separation between your thoughts, beliefs, and yourself.
Most of us are not our thoughts, but we have ideas that can often identify us. But practicing mindfulness allows us to step back and see our thoughts. We can witness thoughts or see our beliefs and inquire about the impact of those thoughts and beliefs and the results of believing them.
All these benefits of practicing mindfulness and being in the moment can help shift our perspectives to allow sleep to happen for a natural insomnia remedy.
Relief for Insomnia: How Do You Do It?
There are many ways of practicing mindfulness. It may be a formal practice of sitting and doing mindfulness meditation, a yoga or meditation teacher that guides you, or a mindfulness app to keep you on track.
You can be mindful at any moment; almost anything can be a mindfulness meditation. Our experience at Sleep Science Academy shows that setting aside 20 minutes each day to practice mindfulness as you might with basketball or any new endeavor is essential.
Practicing something helps you get better at it. And mindfulness is one of those things that the more you practice, the better you get. In reality, this is the most natural thing in the world. Unfortunately, we have learned how to be unmindful, creating stress, anxiety, fear, doubt, and worry, leading to chaos in our lives, including sleep issues.
If you are watching this video and don’t practice mindfulness, are intimidated by mindfulness, or think you don’t have time to practice it, I want to challenge you to commit this week to just five minutes of mindful breathing.
One day can be beneficial; research shows that 10 or 20, even practicing for five minutes consistently, will yield massive benefits over the long term. I encourage you to start a mindfulness practice and notice how it creates a sense of relaxation, peace, and heightened awareness around your thoughts and beliefs.
This step allows you to unpack those thoughts and beliefs to work with them.
Insomnia Relief: Final Thoughts
Mindfulness is more than a practice; it’s a way of being. Making it a lifestyle choice will empower you to live more consistently in the moment with awareness and can deliver insights into how you live your life and react to the world around you that are not available any other way.
An empowering concept, mindfulness is an excellent choice for overcoming the stress, anxiety, and fear that so often clouds our perceptions holding us hostage to sleep issues and the scourge of inadequate restorative rest.
Sleep Science Academy’s incredibly successful Dynamic Sleep Recalibration (DSR) program offers the most effective, comprehensive, and individualized natural insomnia remedy available.
Numerous modalities and techniques, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) and mindfulness, allow our certified sleep coaches to provide client-specific treatment plans to match each individual’s unique situation.
Contact us today to schedule your complimentary sleep consultation with one of our professional sleep coach team members and learn more about the Sleep Science Academy difference.