If you suffer from insomnia, you know how hard it is to fall asleep or stay asleep and to concentrate during the day. Some short-term insomnia episodes are normal from time to time, especially if you are going through stressful situations occasionally, and these episodes should not worry you. However, if you suffer from insomnia that persists for more than a couple of weeks, you might have chronic insomnia and you should find ways to improve your sleep patterns.
Medication can help people who suffer from chronic insomnia but the best way to improve your sleep pattern is to determine what caused insomnia in the first place. There are many habits that can cause insomnia, such as a change in your diet, too much evening stimulation through PC or TV, drinking too much tea or coffee. However, the most common cause of chronic insomnia is emotional and mental stress.
If your chronic insomnia was caused by stress, meditation can help you tremendously to improve your sleep patterns and to get a good night sleep. During meditation, the body and the mind learn to relax and to stop the stress factors. People also learn to identify the stress factors that caused insomnia and, even though, they cannot eliminate them from their lives, they learn how to control their reaction to them.
There are several types of meditation that can help you with your chronic insomnia, but before talking about them, here are a few general tips that will help you:
- Practice meditation every day before you go to bed;
- Learn to breathe correctly;
- Determine which practice feels right for you and have the best effects;
- Go see a doctor if you do not see any improvements.
Guided Meditation
Guided meditations are a great resource for those who suffer from chronic insomnia and, thankfully, there are countless you can find online. Before deciding on a guided meditation to listen to everyday, you can listen to different male and female voices and decide on the guided meditation that has the best effects, some people find female voices more soothing while others prefer a calm male voice. Find which option is best for you and listen to the guided meditation every day.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra or Yogic Sleep is another highly recommended practice for those who suffer from insomnia. Yogic Sleep is a type of meditation you do while laying down and it is based on making you aware of different parts of the body and learning to relax. Before trying this technique, make sure you seek expert advice from a meditation teacher who can give you some personalized tips on how to use this technique to obtain the best results.
Sahaj Samadhi Meditation
Another type of meditation that can help people who suffer from insomnia and has amazing benefits for your mind is Sahaj Samadhi Meditation which basically means listening to a mantra or specific sound for approximately 20 minutes. If practiced twice daily, morning and early evening, Sahaj Samadhi balances the nervous system and calms the body and the mind. This technique also leads to deep states of relaxations that are the perfect antidote for negative emotions and stress.