Meditation and Sleep
Sleep is defined by Wikipedia as: “A state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and certain sensory activity is inhibited.”
During sleep the body alternates between two distinct modes – REM and non-REM sleep. REM stands for ‘Rapid Eye Movement’ but this state of sleep has many other attributes including virtual paralysis of the body. Sleep still involves active brain patterns.
Whilst sleeping, most of the body’s systems are in an anabolic state, restoring immune, nervous, skeletal and muscular systems, vital processes that maintain mood, memory and cognitive function as well as endocrine and immune systems. The brain uses a lot less energy during sleep and adenosine triphosphate (a nucleotide that provides energy for muscle contraction, nerve impulses and chemical synthesis) is restored. Caffeine temporarily blocks the effect of adenosine reducing sleep time and quality.
The internal circadian clock promotes night-time sleep which makes it easier for us to sleep at night and during darkness. Artificial light, particularly blue light from digital screens, disrupts the release of the hormone melatonin needed to regulate the sleep cycle.
Dreams, involving images, ideas, emotions and sensations, occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.
People suffer from many different sleep disorders insomnia caused by a variety of physical and mental disorders. Physical disorders like sleep apnoea (where breathing stops and starts during sleep) interrupt sleep, and mental disorders like insomnia (where people have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep) reduce the quality of sleep. Even if you have no specific sleep disorders, sleep can sometimes by very elusive!
Recently, I was talking to a couple who have very different sleep patterns. He was in the army and had spent some time in war zones so suffered from flashbacks which prevented him from falling asleep and also caused interrupted sleep. He was envious of his wife who he said: “Falls asleep the moment her head hits the pillow and sleeps through until morning.”
Scientific studies are ongoing into the causes of sleeplessness but, increasingly, research is discovering that sounds can be really helpful as treatment. Music played at different hertz and sounds like rainfall can calm the brain and act like a lullaby, soothing the mind into sleep.
A bedtime routine at the same time each night helps restore our circadian sleep rhythms – a soothing hot drink like camomile tea, meditation and calming music all help our body and mind to relax ready for sleep.
This track was created due to popular demand for those who wish to listen to this audio for sleep (thus the black screen) and in a 10 hour version:
“Yep this REALLY works !!! And fast too. Not only am I up this morning early but I woke up feeling so positive and ready and grateful so much gratitude. I HIGHLY recommend this one as you go to sleep after a really long and productive day. You know, one of those days where you’re just really sleepy. This will wipe out any subconscious negativity while you sleep. Thank me later. You’re welcome. Omg I really can’t believe you made this beautiful frequency. This needs to go in the Guinness book and also noted in some form of a history text. I will be listening to this one every night before bed. Wow just wow !!!”
#sleep #insomnia #musictherapy