Lesson 6 Choose Meditation over Medication Drug treatment is no longer considered appropriate for chronic insomnia.
We need to treat the underlying causes for a return to normal sleep cycle.
Our minds are the main reason we cannot peacefully drift off to sleep at the end of the day.
We have around 80,
000 thoughts per day.
When our heads hit the pillow,
Sometimes it becomes a signal for the movie of our day to start playing on the ceiling.
A nightly replay of the past like this is only going to keep us awake and is a frustrating,
Futile exercise at bedtime,
Or any time really,
Because we cannot control the past.
It is over and does not belong in your bed with you.
The thoughts we have around our insomnia are causing it to continue and to worsen.
Do you ever think,
Oh no,
If I don't get a good night's sleep,
Tomorrow will be ruined.
Blaming your insomnia and setting up negative expectations creates negative thinking around the subject that increases the stress hormones that interrupt your sleep cycle.
No one can sleep if they are worried about the next day.
Not only are your thoughts negative,
But often inaccurate.
Your beliefs around your insomnia create negative emotions such as fear,
Frustration,
And anger that stress you out,
Causing you to produce cortisol and adrenaline.
Who could sleep with all that going on?
After having your sleep cut short or practically non-existent due to a short term situation such as jet lag or a stressful deadline at work for a few nights,
Can turn into a few months and maybe a few years due to our own fearful thoughts that build pressure for each approaching night.
Our thoughts about sleep are leading us down a rabbit hole of nightly misery.
It is our thoughts about the insomnia that are making it worse and creating this chronic situation.
Changing the negative thought pattern is called cognitive restructuring and it is easier than it sounds.
You are in a negative cycle of insomnia and to return to balance and the natural rhythm of healthy sleep,
You must change those thoughts that are perpetuating this unbalanced cycle.
Befriend your monkey mind by putting a positive spin on the situation.
Use your mind as an effective agent of change.
Have you ever heard the wise saying,
Rule your mind or it will rule you?
To follow a peaceful path to better sleep,
An attitudinal shift is the answer.
Stop the preoccupation with the past.
And the other thing you can't have complete control over too,
Which is the future.
Worry is a constant internal distraction that can be shifted into gratitude.
Counting your blessings at the end of the day is a perfect way to transition into a peaceful mental place for sleep.
Gratitude dissolves the fear and anxiety associated with insomnia.
Rather than focusing on the lack of sleep,
Gratitude will keep you aware of the abundance of all the good things in your life,
Including rest and relaxation that is always available to you.
Mindfulness and meditation are the perfect remedy for staying in the present moment just long enough to allow sleep to happen for you.
Stop fighting sleep.
It is time to surrender and let go of the rope to end the nightly tug of war.
Positive affirmations are a powerful way to restructure your mental activity.
With repetition,
They will soon replace the negative thinking and offer an escape from that cycle of insomnia.
You can write them down on post-it notes,
Place them around the house,
So they activate on a subconscious level too.
Here are 10 positive affirmations for insomnia to use for cognitive restructuring.
1.
I easily fall asleep and stay asleep.
2.
I love my sleep.
3.
I am ready for a good night's sleep.
4.
I surrender to sleep.
5.
I am peaceful and calm.
6.
It is safe for me to fall asleep.
7.
I am free to sleep soundly.
8.
I fall into a deep slumber.
9.
I am dreaming and sleeping with ease.
10.
I look forward to waking up in the morning rested and revitalized.
You can learn to surrender to sleep with gratitude and mindfulness.
Begin by noticing your room,
The bed covers,
The pillow,
The evening sky out the window.
Notice with appreciation,
Leave out the judgment or opinions.
Notice everything without wanting to change a thing.
Take this time of stillness and rest to count your many blessings.
A small smile on your face will send a signal to the brain to release happy hormones.
And appreciate the relaxation of your body as you gently use your awareness to relax and let go of the day.
Remember to take a few deep belly breaths to shut off that stress mode.
Then follow your natural breath with your awareness to get grounded in the present moment.
When your mind wanders off,
Just bring it back gently and kindly to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Focus on your chest or belly rising and falling with the exhale and the inhale saying relax to yourself to stay calm.
Another way to signal to your brain that it is time to shut down is to fake a yawn.
A yawn is a shift in consciousness.
Just open your mouth really wide and breathe in through the open mouth.
Take a breath in and you will start to feel a yawn coming on.
Thinking about someone yawning will help too because yawning is so contagious that just thinking,
Reading or even hearing about it will instigate a response.
Fake it until you make it.
I recommend my guided recording of a breath meditation,
Body scan and sleep meditation especially because they all have binaural beat music in the background too.
This is an effective way to lower your brain wave frequency to an alpha theta level where those elusive z's can be found.
