Many of us find that when we lay down to sleep, either we are not comfortable, our minds are racing, we are replaying the events of the day, or there is a song we heard on the radio that we can’t get out of our mind. As hard as we try, sleep alludes us and we become more frustrated at our inability to sleep. This is referred to as Hyper-arousal, “a state of increased psychological and physiological tension marked by such effects as reduced pain tolerance, anxiety, insomnia.”
There are many recent studies discussing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training which results in improvement in many areas of the body including sleep. “Findings indicate that mindfulness meditation can be combined with CBT-I and this integrated intervention is associated with reductions in both sleep and sleep-related arousal.” click here to read more! And other studies suggests that “mindfulness meditation may be introduced to older adults as a short-term solution to remediate their moderate sleep disturbances” Click here to read more!
According to Dr. Richard Davidson, who is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds “We can take more responsibility for our own brains and shape our brains wittingly in a more intentional way by cultivating healthy habits of mind.” He is actively researching how long-term effects of meditation can influence the brain. And in his research he has found that the brain is malleable and that there is a strong connection between psychological well-being and physical health., National Geographics Live,
Through Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Training such as meditation, we can actively change our brains and affect our health, including improving our sleep.