meditation and insomnia

Cosmic_Castaway

Greetings! I am still very new to meditation and am so far not very good at it. One of the reason I first started to get into it is I have huge troubles with insomnia. I will lie awake for hours, my mind wondering from one bit of uselessness to the next typically getting only 3-4 hours of sleep a night. So I thought perhaps meditation would help me calm the storm a bit. Does anybody have any advice on how I might better do this? So far I have been rather unsuccessful.

zidangus

I wrote this in a similar post not so long ago, same applies though, hope it helps

"I had insomnia quite a while ago, I tried warm milk, exercise, melatonine, etc etc and none of it worked. The only thing that worked was just accepting that I could not sleep, Once I did this, after a week or so my insomnia was gone. This was a kinda verification of the four noble truths for me, as it was my desire to get rid of my insomnia that fueled it and made it worse, once I accepted it and abandoned this desire, the insomnia went. . So my advice is simple,
Stop worrying about not getting any sleep
Just accept it. Say to yourself if I get sleep thats great but if I dont get any sleep that is fine also. This way no matter what it won't faze you or trouble you, which in turn will make it easier for you to actually get a good night sleep."

GuyC

Hi Cosmic,

One of the most important things to remember with any meditation technique is that it requires patience. Your mind will calm down, gradually, over the long term, you just need to be patient.

Also, it is important to reflect at the end of your meditation session to notice how your mind has changed from the beginning of the meditation to the end of the meditation. When you notice the change in the short-term, you inspire yourself to keep up the practice and to enjoy the long-term benefits.

If you want an actual meditation technique and you aren't sure which one is the best for you, to that I would advise: Try out more than just one technique, see what works for your mind. Everyone's mind is different, so we all have different ways of calming the mind down.

One technique which I have found useful is Ajahn Brahm's basic method of meditation:

http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/The_Basic_Method_of_Meditation_by_Ajahn_Brahmavamso

If, after giving it a good go for several months, you find that it hasn't helped you at all, then give something else a try.

In brief:

1) Patience
2) Reflection
3) Experimentation

Happy meditating!

Kind regards,

Guy

buddhajunkie

Hi Cosmic.

What is your current practice? Meaning, what do you do when you meditate? What author did you learn from?

Thao

i take magnesium at bedtime and some melatonin, and it has taken awhile but I am finally getting sleep. Never had meditation help me sleep. another thing i do is pick up a spiritual book and read a few pages before going to sleep.

Cosmic_Castaway

Thanks for your input everyone! GuyC, I will definitely look into the method you suggested, as right now I don't really have a specific kind of author or anything I fallow, rather I just try and practice what I remember from various books and websites on the subject. I have thought about melatonin before, but I have read it can take a fairly high dose to get it to work for you, and in general I tend to have a high tolerance towards things. However I have also read that melatonin as a supplement is something that may help with lucid dreaming, which is something I have always wanted to try so I think I may give it a shot. Also, never knew about magnesium before. What does that do for you?

GuyC

Hi Cosmic,

Thanks for your input everyone! GuyC, I will definitely look into the method you suggested, as right now I don't really have a specific kind of author or anything I fallow, rather I just try and practice what I remember from various books and websites on the subject.

In my experience, sometimes too many techniques, especially when you are a beginner to meditation, can just confuse the mind. It is best to stick to just one technique per meditation session. At the start of each meditation session, make a clear determination in your mind "now is the time to practice (for example) Ajahn Brahm's basic meditation method".

You can certainly experiment with different techniques at other times, but, try to stick to only one meditation technique at any given meditation session.

Kind regards,

Guy

Dakini

The key to calming the mind in meditation is proper breathing technique. The extra-slow, deep breathing is designed to switch the body from the sympathetic nervous system (the stress cycle) to the parasympathetic (the "relaxation response". Are you doing the breathing properly?

Cosmic_Castaway

I have read through the article and right now trying to concentrate on part one: Sustained attention on the present moment. Wile I haven't really managed to sustain my attention on the present very well yet, the technique has already helped me to calm my mind a bit. Especially where he talks about letting go of the future. One of the big things that I do to keep myself awake it seems is I am constantly worried about how much time I have left to sleep; how much longer until the alarm goes off. I am slowly learning to stop dwelling on that and concentrate more on the present, which in turn seems to be helping to calm my mind a bit and let me get back to sleep. Ajahn Brahm's method has already been helpful! I will definitely continue trying to work with it. Thanks again!

GuyC

Hi Cosmic,

You're most welcome.

I believe that many people who suffer from insomnia do so for psychological reasons (e.g. worrying that they can't get to sleep so much that the worry causes them to lose sleep, like you say) rather than biological reasons.

I have suffered from insomnia also, it was psychological rather than biological with me. Fortunately, if it is due to psychological reasons, you can save a lot of money on supplements and visits to the doctor, all you need to do is not worry so much and/or address the underlying psychological issue.

If the root of the problem is worry itself, then that is relatively easy to remedy through techniques such as meditation. I am glad that it has been working for you so far.

Metta,

Guy