Insomnia and Addiction Therapy Through the Use of Mindfulness
Insomnia Therapy Through the Use of Mindfulness
Are you enduring twitchy, sleepless nights? Well, read on because mindfulness might be one of the most potent sleep aid you needed.
Insomnia can cause you to toss and turn throughout the night. It can lead you to wake up even if you do manage to fall asleep. Struggling with this annoying problem can drain your energy and make you feel profound fatigue.
When you experience insomnia, it can affect your ability to concentrate on even simple tasks. It can raise your risk of having a severe accident, doing poorly at work, having problems in your relationships and also make you physically sick.
So what might be the possible cause of insomnia?
If you didn’t drink any caffeine before you sleep, the possible reason could be stress. This stress takes the form of a racing mind that keeps a person in a state of hyper-arousal.
Because of this, you will not only feel the effects of insomnia physically, but it can affect you mentally, too. Insomnia is known to cause depression. Thankfully, mindfulness can put an end to insomnia and help you to get the sleep that you need.
The way that mindfulness helps is that it eliminates the myriad of thoughts that run through your mind. Unfortunately, unlike toys that can make irritating noise, but thankfully have an off button, your brain doesn’t have that.
This is known as being unable to turn your mind off. It’s why you can’t sleep. When your mind can’t rest, neither can your body. What mindfulness teaches for insomnia is that a person experiencing it should practice concentrating on breathing techniques.
Not only can mindfulness help you get rid of insomnia, but it will enable you to feel well-rested because mindfulness calms the entire body. It does this by lowering the stress level and raising the sleep-inducing hormone, melatonin.
Because mindfulness is not addicting like over the counter sleep medications are, many doctors are now suggesting that people who struggle with insomnia turn to treatments like mindfulness.
The steps that you’ll need to take to get a good night’s sleep using mindfulness are simple.
First, you need to make sure that you’re comfortable.
You also need to make sure that you have quiet around you. Turn off the television or music playing in the background. Make sure you’re away from any bright lights because bright lights stimulate the brain. Once you’re in place, sit quietly.
Take your time to make yourself as comfortable as possible in an upright seated position.
You can use any cushions or pillows to ensure total comfort. It’s essential to keep the spine erect. If you’re in a chair or couch, aim not to slouch but to keep the spine straight, but not too straight. When you’re comfortable, close your eyes.
Focus your attention on how your body is feeling.
If your feeling disconcerted, anxious, or stressed – take a moment to tune into your body and notice any parts that may be. Take five deep breaths and with each exhalation have a sense of letting the tension melt out of those body parts, mentally let the stress go.
Next, focus on the sensations that you’re experiencing through your senses.
Take the whole focus of your attention to the tip of the nostrils. Note the sensations of breath entering and leaving the body. You may note a slightly cooling sensation as you inhale and a warmer feeling upon exhalation.
Follow the flow of your breath as you inhale and exhale.
Allow the mind to follow the passage of the breath as it enters and leaves your body. Allow the sensation to absorb your attention completely. Stay with this for 5 minutes or more.
As thoughts run through your head, let them.
Don’t judge them because this is what can cause you to tense up. Refocus your attention on the sensations. Remain in this exercise until you feel completely relaxed and ready for sleep.
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