Insomnia Remedies: Sleep And Relaxation Through Meditation

Insomnia Remedies: Sleep And Relaxation Through Meditation

By:


Many of us experience the occasional night of sleeplessness, but when it occurs for nights on end we can be facing a real problem. Repeated sleep loss affects all areas of life—the physical, emotional and mental. Sleep deprivation can affect the way you work and the way you relate to people and can really be a hindrance to normal activity. Left unchecked, it can become an endless cycle of anxiety and worry about whether you will ever sleep normally again.

Certainly if you have repeated sleep problems, you should see a doctor to make sure there are no underlying health problems. But before resorting to medications, you may wish to try some alternatives such as meditation which can be used to promote relaxation. The more relaxed you are at bedtime, the better your chances are for a deep, restful sleep.

There are many different types of meditation but to get you started, here is a simple technique:

Find a focus for meditation which could be a candle or something as simple as your own breathing or a phrase which you repeat over and over. No matter what you are using for a focus point, you want to continuously bring your mind back to what you are focusing on. All other thoughts and distractions need to be pushed out of your mind. This will require discipline but will become easier as you practice it. Try to meditate each evening for 10 to 15 minutes before bed to help you fall asleep naturally.

Here's another meditation technique:

Find a quiet place

Sit in a comfortable position with your hands resting lightly in your lap

Close your eyes and relax

Take deep breaths in and out of our nose

Focus on your breathing, and count each breath as you exhale

Clear your mind of any distractions and only concentrate on counting each breath. Do this for at least ten times.

Acknowledge other thoughts but gently release them and return to your breathing

At the end of your breathing feel your body and gently stretch before getting up



A final form of meditation is guided imagery or visualization. To begin, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Feel your body to determine whether there is muscle tension or areas that need to relax. Then begin to visualize a scene, object or place that is soothing to you. Imagine every aspect of the scene and involve all your senses. So for example, if you focus on a ocean/beach scene, imagine what it looks like: the ocean waves coming onto shore, the sand, the sky above and the sun's reflection on the water, and so forth. Next listen for the sounds you would hear if you were there: the rhythmic sound of the ocean waves, perhaps the sound of distant voices, birds and so forth. How does the sand feel on your feet. Skip through the waves and splash around. As you become more involved in your visual image, your body will begin to relax and you will be able to let go of your worries and concerns. Do this before bedtime to promote a better sleep.

As you can see there are a number of meditation techniques you can try to promote relaxation and better sleep. If possible, give these a try before resorting to medications.

About the Author:
Visit Beating Insomnia Now for more great tips on insomnia.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


Tags: , , , ,

|

Loading...
Related....
Videos...

Recent Health Articles

Comments

Still can't find what you are looking for? Search for it!

Loading

Site Navigation:

Copyright 2005-2011 ArticleSnatch, LLC - All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.