Meditation is THE cure for insomnia! (article)

Hi there

I just wanted to share a valuable piece of advice with you.

I suffered from chronic insomnia for around eight years. It took me about two hours to fall asleep, and I would usually wake up before being fully rested. Insomnia was destroying my life.

About nine months ago, I stumbled upon an article that mentioned meditation as an effective cure against insomnia, and I decided to give it a try. The effects were incredible.. I remember my first meditation quite vividly: I had only done a single minute of meditation that very first time, and yet at night I fell asleep after only thirty minutes and had a great eight hour's sleep.

That was nine months ago, and I haven't suffered from insomnia since.

It is THE most effective thing I've ever tried, and I can hardly recommend it to others.

Meditation seems to be effective for the following reasons:
- It stops an overactive brain - it slows down your constant irritating thought processes which makes it much easier to fall asleep
- The stress hormones in your body are significantly reduced, which makes it easier to rest/fall asleep. This should stop the "(too) early morning wakefulness" too
- As meditation is a relaxation excercise, it greatly stimulates your body and minds natural relaxation response, which makes all kinds of rest(/sleep) come that much easier.

So how much meditation is needed? Well in my own case, only one minute of meditation per day was effective . I would suggest you start out with perhaps 1-2 minutes of meditation per day and then gradually build up as you get used to the practice. Try to go for five minutes after a few days, and then ten minutes after a couple of weeks etc. Most people agree that 15-20 minutes of meditation every day should be enough to give you all the benefits.

Here is an article that discusses the effectiveness of meditation against insomnia:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/fa ... nia-to-bed

And here is an introduction on how to do mindfulness meditation (the kind of meditation I do). Instead of reciting a mantra, try to just focus on your breath - that's the most powerful way of meditating for insomnia:

http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate

A word of warning should be given though: Don't do meditation right before bedtime! Meditation can in some ways work as a power-nap, and therefore it might be harder to fall asleep directly afterwards. Do your meditation in the morning, or in the afternoon after work.. Remember: Just five minutes every day can be the cure for that damn insomnia .

Enjoy!

I whole heartedly agree! I have used meditation for years as part of my insomnia treatment. For me, it is part of my treatment rather than the complete solution, but it is an essential part.

Thanks so much for sharing your good news and sharing the good advice.
GaryM