Mental Health insomnia meditaiton vs sleep

[mrflowers00]

how many people find meditation to be as helpful or if not more so than sleep if you deal with insomnia often

 

[herbavore]

I find breathing/meditation to be very helpful for me when I wake up and can't go back to sleep. I have less luck with it when I am trying to fall asleep initially at the beginning of the night, but when I wake up in the middle of the night it actually feels so relaxing to be able to not think, just breathe.

 

[Vaya]

I perform circular breathing techniques. For instance, I will sit upright, comfortable and cross-legged, with my hands resting lightly on my knees. For four seconds, I breathe deeply through my nose, innervating my upper chest with fresh and restorative oxygen. I hold that fresh air in my upper chest, allowing my chest to expand and promoting the oxygen diffusing in the capillaries of my lungs, for six seconds. Then, as though I were blowing out a candle, I slowly exhale all of the air out of my mouth until my lungs are essentially empty - usually for 10-12 seconds. The key is to exhale slowly.

So if you think about it, it is circular. In the nose, hold in the chest, out the mouth. In the nose, hold in the chest, out the mouth. I can induce trance-like states with this simple technique.

Another technique I have recently found very helpful is an app on my iPad called Hypnomaniac. The session for sleep-induction is wonderful.
Binaural beats may be yet another option for you, too

~ Vaya

 

[hthr007]

I find meditation to be very helpful to me as well as controlled breathing.

When I practice controlled breathing I lay on my back and inhale/exhale very exaggerated & I picture the rise/fall of my chest like the ocean waves rolling in and rolling back out. Sometimes I count each time I exhale and other times I do not. The imagery seems to help me and I try to focus just on that. If a negative thought pops into my head I picture myself throwing it deep into the dark ocean to dispose if it.

By concentrating on my breathing being like ocean waves & by throwing negative thoughts away into the dark ocean, this helps me to sleep within about 30-45min. That's a huge step up for me seeing as sometimes my insomnia can keep me up for hours.

 

[mrflowers00]

i meant if you can't sleep at night does meditation help just as well if if not better than actual sleep

 

[hthr007]

i meant if you can't sleep at night does meditation help just as well if if not better than actual sleep

I don't find it to be a substitute for sleep so to speak because ill still be very tired come morning when my alarm clock goes off, but just being able to not think/unwind from the day is very relaxing.

And who knows, maybe you'll even drift to sleep in the process

 

[toolegit_toquit]

I have just recently been prescribed ambien. I have racing thoughts at night and cant seem to control them. Its basically makes you fall asleep without you even noticing. I find I lay down and sleep through the night and wake up rested. Although every drug is different for everyone. I would recommend trying natural breathing techniques and find a place in your mind where you are comfortable and at ease. I like to breath in and slowly release any negative energy as I exhale. I picture it all slowly leaving my body, never to return. Sleep is a very difficult thing for a lot of people. I hope these posts can help you to find a way to comfortably get to sleep at night. Let us know how you're doing!

 

[mrflowers00]

ambien only worked for like a month then my tolerance was too high the only drug that consistently helps me fall asleep is zyprexa but it's not worth the health problems that come with it so i'm gonna stop taking it at least for the most part

 

[Sepher]

I find meditation difficult and so it's not all that effective as a sleep aid. The thing that stops me sleeping in the first place is racing thoughts, running over the days events, or events in the past, usually negative ones that fire up anger or frustration. I can't switch it off. The same thing that stops me sleeping then also intrudes upon any meditation techniques. Breath control and relaxation exercises starting with the feet and working my way up through the body can help slow it down, but soon as I stop the thoughts fire up again and I'm back to square one. I can never hold it long enough to actually fall asleep while meditating cos the meditation is a form of concentration and that in itself I found counter-productive for sleep. It sucks really.