How to sleep better with meditation

When I was building my first business as a translator many years ago, I suffered from a lot of stress. I started having intense pain in my shoulders, neck, arms, hands and back as a result of very long hours in front of the computer. I sometimes had crazy deadline and would work until 1am! My sleep was also very disturbed. As I had a background as a dance and fitness, I was very aware of that I needed to move my body to alleviate the pain and tension. I created a series of movements that I would do two to three times a day. I also did some deep stretching and breathing. It helped! I started to sleep better, and I had less pain.

Then I got a large project to work on and my movement and breathing program didn’t seem to work as well anymore. There were also other stressful things going on in my life. I was feeling exceptionally overwhelmed and I was reacting stressfully to all these situations and my mind when into overdrive. I was totally wired and couldn’t sleep very well. Desperate for solutions, I gave meditation a try. I started sleeping better and soon the situations got resolved, as they mostly always do, and I had got enough from meditation to suspect I had discovered a powerful method for peace of mind.
 
I’ve never really looked back. Meditation became a habit, and eventually I trained to become a mediation teacher to help other people to experience the same benefits.

In recent years it feels like our sleep?—?or more accurately the lack of it?—?has come into sharper focus. It seems that many of us who are living a fast paced, always on, modern Western lifestyle suspect that we’re generally not getting enough good quality sleep. This can result in a feeling of being chronically under-rested or Tired All The Time (TATT!).

I looked at what the science says about meditative practices and their effects on sleep and rest.

The first study was with a group of moderately suffering insomniacs, published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2015. Half of the group completed a mindfulness awareness program and the other half did a sleep hygiene education program that taught them other ways to improve their sleep. The results were surprising. Compared with the people in the sleep education group, those in the mindfulness group had less insomnia, fatigue, and depression at the end of the six sessions.

In the 1970s Dr Herbert Benson, a pioneer of scientific meditation research coined the term “the relaxation response” The relaxation response is a counterbalance to the fight-or-flight response, in which a deep state of mental and physiological rest can be elicited. The good news is that Dr Benson’s research showed that we can purposely prompt this response.

Some mindfulness meditation and other meditation techniques involving focusing on either the breath, an object or a repeated word or phrase (mantra) were shown to elicit the relaxation response. Further research showed that the relaxation response can help ease many stress-related ailments, including depression, pain, and high blood pressure. For many people, sleep disorders are closely tied to stress, according to Dr. Benson.

A study done at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s Stress Reduction and Relaxation Program, found that meditators produced significantly higher melatonin levels than non-meditators. Melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain that among other benefits regulates our circadian rhythms, makes us feel less alert and induces the onset of sleep. This was a small study of just 16 participants and so results must be taken into context, but the findings do tally with a lot of anecdotal evidence of meditators reporting easier and better sleep, myself included. I started meditating to solve that very problem and haven’t had sleep issues again for years despite working through other situations that have induced similar stress levels since.

So will developing a regular meditation practice help us both to rest more deeply and sleep easier and better. What else can we adapt from meditative practices?

Now and then I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and have a lot of thoughts in my mind (usually about some problem I tried to solve the day before). In the past this would have been a real problem and I would have found it difficult to go back to sleep. That is rarely a problem now as I am using a couple of meditative techniques that usually help me go back to sleep quickly.

The first is simply focusing on my breath, releasing tension on every exhale and sinking further into the mattress. A couple of minutes of that’s usually enough and I fall back into sleep. Other times I use a progressive muscle relaxation where I go through the body, bit by bit.

Outside of meditation, there’s a lot of other things you can do. Here are a few:

• Good “sleep hygiene”?—?the habits that are optimising a regular good nights’ sleep. It is about your sleep environment, and general habits and routines including diet, exercise and other areas.
  I can highly recommend “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker.
• Limiting / eliminating screen time on devices or TVs an hour before bed is very effective. It has helped me very much!
• Plan to avoid being overwhelmed. Especially the priorities & to-dos, get them on paper so they stop swirling around in my head.
• A slow deep stretch or Yoga before going to bed?—?linking your breath to the movements. It releases tension and moves the focus of the mind.

I’m sure there’s many other great sleep tips and tricks?—?share your best ones in the comments below.

The easy guide to the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique

Do you ever have trouble quietening your mind at night to get to sleep?  The 4 7 8 breathing technique is an easy, yet effective method of calming your body and mind.  This is our favourite go-to breathing technique for relaxation and sleep.  If practised regularly, this method can lull you into sleep in just one minute.

 

What is the 4-7-8 breathing technique?

To be human is to know stress. If you deal with stress or anxiety on a regular basis, chances are, you know there’s power in slowing down and taking a deep breath, but something you may not know is that while focusing on your breath is a great way to calm yourself, the cadence in which you breathe might be even more important. That’s where the 4-7-8 breathing technique can be useful.

 

You may have heard of this breathing technique before. 4-7-8 breathing, also called “relaxing breath” is a pattern of breath that has been used for centuries as a way of promoting relaxation, reducing anxiety, and aiding sleep.

If you’re like most people, your normal breathing is shallow and you most likely hold your breath a lot throughout the day without even realizing it. This actually can contribute to stress and tension. Conscious breathing exercises, like the 4-7-8 technique, help you clear your mind and promote an increased feeling of calm.

It does this by calming the nervous system and helping to break out of the fight-or-flight response that is triggered by fear.  By focusing solely on your breath, you will essentially transfer your focus away from the immediate worries and calm your mind.

 

How do you do the 4-7-8 breathing technique?

The 4-7-8 breathing technique is pretty simple once you get the hang of it and can be done anywhere and any time, although it’s best done while seated or standing with a straight back. This allows your lungs to fully expand.

Before you begin: Begin with an audible exhale to open your lungs and release any tension you might be holding in your shoulders. You should make a “whoosh” sound with your mouth when exhaling.

Step one: With your mouth closed and tongue pressed gently on the roof of your mouth, take a deep breath in slowly and deeply through your nose while you mentally count to four.

Step two: Next, hold your breath for a mental count of seven.

Step three: Lastly, exhale through your mouth as slowly as you can for a count of eight.

Repeat for four cycles.

 

Anytime, anywhere.

The best part about the 4-7-8 breathing technique is that it can be used anytime and anywhere. Practice this method before a long flight, before a presentation at work, or on your living room floor after your kids decide your freshly folded laundry is a landing pad for jumping off the couch. (Yes, moms I feel your pain.)

If you’re into the 4-7-8 breathing, try it while watching one of my 60 Seconds of Calm videos. I can feel the stress melting away as we speak…

Happy meditating!

 

How Many Hours Should We Sleep For Good Heart Health?

Lack of sleep can have a negative impact on health, increasing the risk of problems such as fatigue, reduced concentration and memory, and even chronic diseases such as heart disease.

This was confirmed by a recent survey in which one million people in six countries were covered. The study found that sleeping less than seven hours increased the risk of developing high blood pressure by 7 percent, and less than five hours increased that risk by 11 percent.

The findings, presented at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Cardiology in the US, showed that women are at greater risk than men, reports The Mirror.

The study’s lead researcher, Dr Kaveh Hosseini, said: ‘The less sleep you get, the more likely you are to develop high blood pressure in the future. “What we’re seeing is that a lack of good sleep patterns can increase the risk of high blood pressure, which we know can affect heart disease and stroke.”

For the purposes of the study, scientists reviewed data from 1,044,035 people from six countries who did not have high blood pressure at the start of the study.

On average, they were followed for a period of five years. When factors such as heart disease risk, gender, education, smoking and weight were taken into account, the research team found that short sleep duration was associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure.

The National Health Service (NHS) recommends that adults get between seven and eight hours of sleep a night. The researchers said people should talk to their GP or health professionals about their sleep patterns, as conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea are linked to higher rates of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease.

Dr. Hosseini concluded: “Too little sleep appears to be more risky in women. The difference is statistically significant, although we are not sure if it is clinically significant and needs further study.”

How to Quickly Fall Asleep Using Only Your Breath (Plus a Few Other Tricks)

Everyone has been there. You're so tired that all you want to do is crawl into your cozy, plush bed. But sleep eludes you as soon as you close your eyes, turn out the lights, and cuddle under your covers.

Drug companies profit handsomely from both prescription and over-the-counter medications due to the widespread occurrence of this phenomenon. If you have a serious sleep issue, there's no shame in using medication; however, with practice, many people can get some Zzzs by adjusting their routine before bed.

One thing you can easily tweak with no money and in no time is your breath.

Why “just breathing” works

Because it’s all about the breath.

“I’m a big advocate for deeper, slower breathing at night, as it is a fast way to reduce anxiety and tension,” says Ashley Neese, breathwork specialist. “This type of breathing sets you up for a better night’s rest.”

The following night-time breathwork tips are from people who have been there, and who know what works.

Tavi Hawn, LCSW-C at Hawn Therapy and Consulting, suggests the three following breath and visualization exercises for a quicker, calmer bedtime:

1. Lie quietly and start to slow your breath. Imagine your mind as a blank, white movie screen. When a thought moves onto the screen, erase it and the screen is blank again. After some minutes of this practice, you can easily drift off.

2. Start at the top of your head and imagine all tension draining out of that area. Focus on releasing the muscles in that area. Next, move to your forehead, jaw, and neck. Continue down, inch by inch, until you’ve released all tension from head to toe, breathing deeply throughout.

3. Choose two words to help escort you into dreamland. When you inhale, think of one of those words. When you exhale, think of the other. You also can visualize a color that represents each word.

Another simple, tried-and-true breathing exercise is based on an inhale-exhale technique. Dr. Elizabeth Trattner explains that she learned the followingbreathworkk exercise from Dr. Andrew Weil.

“Inhale through the nose for a count of 4, hold for 7, and make a whooshing noise out for the count of 8,” says Trattner. “This breathing technique resets the body, and lowers both stress and anxiety.”

 

Other sleep inducing ideas

Many of the experts we consulted about breathwork also suggest other things that could help quicken a person’s sleep sesh, too.

Starting a relaxing, pre-bedtime ritual, such as yoga or a warm shower is effective, says Dr. Neil Kline, D.O., DABSM, of the American Sleep Association. Kline also suggests that a person create a bedroom that’s conducive to sleep and free from distractions. “[Also,] follow good sleep hygiene: keep the same bedtime/wake-time, avoid alcohol and caffeine in the hours prior to bedtime, and don’t watch television in bed,” adds Kline.

Trattner also suggests getting into bed by 10 p.m. (the sleep between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. is some of the most restorative), and going to bed at the same time every day. She adds that ritualized self-care can help, too.

“Keep a pot of sweet-smelling, thickly-textured moisturizing cream by your bed, and before you turn off the light, give your feet a good three-minute massage,” adds Trattner. “This stimulates the production of oxytocin, a hormone that helps us relax and lowers cortisol, the fight or flight hormone.”

And if sleep just isn’t happening, don’t be afraid to get out of bed and try again later.

“If your mind is racing and you feel awake after 20 minutes or more, get out of bed do some relaxing breathing methods or stretching before trying to fall back asleep,” says Keith Cushner, general manager of Tuck.

How Sleeping On Your Left Side Four Your Health

Individuals rest in various positions. For the most part, individuals pick the position they feel the most agreeable to rest.

Anyway, you probably won't know this, yet in the event that you rest on the left side, you can appreciate numerous advantages.

You may have discovered the ideal position, however, you can attempt this one. In the wake of perusing every one of the advantages, without a doubt you will in any event attempt rest in this position.

7 Benefits of This Sleeping Position 

1. Typical Heart Function 

The left half of the heart siphons blood towards your body. This bodes well why you have to rest on the left side in light of the fact that in that way you can make it less demanding for your heart to work legitimately notwithstanding when you rest. 

Moreover, resting in this position can assist the circulatory framework with using gravity as an advantage, to be progressively explicit with the aorta and the second rate vena cava for example IVC which is a major vein that helps convey the deoxygenated blood to your heart and is on the correct side of the spine. 

 

2. Useful for Pregnant Women 

There is not much on the off chance that you choose to rest on the correct side amid the pregnancy. Be that as it may, in the event that you rest on the left side, you can appreciate a few advantages. That is explicitly for the last trimester. 

The advantages are that it can help support better dissemination of blood, spare the liver from the undesirable load by enabling it to do its different capacities. 

 

3. Improves Drainage of the Lymphatic System 

The Lymphatic framework expels pollutions and poisons from the body. As per specialists, the lymphatic framework channels into the thoracic conduit set on the left side. 

That is the reason you will profit on the off chance that you rest on the left side. Since in that way you will quicken and encourage the expulsion of poisons from the body. 

Furthermore, the lymphatic framework assembles protein that got away from the cells. In the event that you rest on the left side, you can help to bring them to where they should be. 

 

4. Help the Liver Not to Congest 

The liver is on the correct side of your body, and it can wind up blocked in the event that you invest hours dozing on the correct side. 

Rest on your left side so as to keep substances and poisons and for them to be killed by the liver before being moved out of your body or gathered in the liver. 

 

5. Improved Function of the Spleen 

The spleen is the organ that is a piece of the lymphatic framework. It is situated on the left half of your body, and on the off chance that you rest on that side, you will assist the spleen with functioning better. 

What happens is that the gravity helps the blood stream to the spleen and in the meantime enabling it to channel the polluting influences. 

 

6. Counteract Heartburn at Night 

On the off chance that you have GERD for example gastroesophageal reflux ailment or indigestion, you ought to think about resting on your left side. 

When you are in this position, your stomach is put beneath the cardiovascular sphincter. The cardiovascular sphincter interfaces the throat to the stomach. 

On the off chance that you rest on the left side, the substance found in the stomach won't stream once more into the throat, and that will keep the evening GERD or heartburn. 

 

7. Lift the Gut to Help Get Rid of Waste Products 

The ileocecal valve for example IV is a spot on your left side where the intersection of the digestive organ and small digestive system is found. 

You have to rest on your left side so as to help the best possible end of the waste items. While dozing on your left side, you help them exchange from the little to the internal organ. 

Along these lines enabling gravity to do its work and lift customary defecation. 

Presently you know about the advantages; today around evening time attempt this dozing position. You may think that its difficult to modify at first, however with time you will become accustomed to it, yet you will likewise appreciate the advantages.

How Much Sleep You Need to Be Based on Your Age

 

Everybody realizes that drowsing has a gigantic influence on our normal wellness. It is basic for the casing and considerations just as each indispensable strategy in the casing. Having legitimate unwinding medium-term way that we can complete our duties mindfully and sense dynamic amid the following day. Be that as it may, do you perceive how long need to you rest in accordance with your age? Dozing time contrasts from individual to character, yet the infographic you can see underneath contains the perfect snoozing time for exceptional quite a while supported by utilizing the National Institute of Sleep. 

 

The infographic recommends the full time of rest sooner or later of 24 hours, so taking a snappy rest considers legitimately. Take an investigation it and you'll comprehend in case you're snoozing in general parcel as you should. The absence of rest is a huge inconvenience and can cause several sicknesses and circumstances. This is the reason it's basic to get right unwinding in a solitary day – in the event that you're never again getting it, you need to substitute your sleeping conduct or attempt a couple of characteristic medicines that might almost certainly help. 

 

Here are 6 reasons why you should observe your 

#sleeping behavior:

1. Spinal pain 

Back torment is a requesting and excruciating situation that may make you helpless to move or even stand. Dozing for a lot of could make you more prominent at risk to returned hurt, so guarantee you're getting appropriate unwinding in a solitary day. You can likewise endeavor to complete little low-profundity physical recreation on your back rather than deception around to your sleeping pad throughout the day protracted. 

2. Corpulence 

Remaining in the sleeping pad for too extensive as often as possible can harm your digestion and make it keep quality as opposed to spending it. As indicated by a most recent watch, people who rest 10 or more noteworthy hours medium-term are bound to develop to be overweight inside the ensuing 6 years. 

3. Gloom 

15% of all gloom patients rest constantly and don't have to leave their beds. Misery communicates by methods for sleeping in or a sleeping disorder, that could badly affect your psychological wellness. 

4. Migraines 

Sleeping in likewise can reason excruciating inconveniences. This will hurt your synapses which incorporates serotonin and could almost truly cause migraines for the span of the day. 

5. Diabetes 

Going through your days dozing can weaken your edge's ability to way glucose, with the aim to prompt kind 2 diabetes as the years progressed. One view affirmed that individuals who rest considerably less than the upheld time are bound to expand glucose bigotry and diabetes than people that rest by and large. 

6. Heart disorder 

Resting an unreasonable measure of and too as often as possible can hurt your heart. An examination did through the Nurses' Health Study analyzed the sound snoozing conduct of in excess of seventy-two 000 women who dozed additional than eleven hours medium-term, and the results demonstrated that they're more prominent subject to creating coronary corridor issue than women who dozed 8 hours medium-term. 

 

Tips on crushing sleeping late 

1. Dozing plan 

Making a strict rest plan will help you visit sleeping pad and stir on time. Make positive to unplug every single computerized gadget an hour prior to hitting the sack and take yoga preparing so you can unwind and rest better. 

2. Exercise 

Customary exercise after getting off the bed will clear your brain and increment your vitality degrees. 

3. Shower 

Scrubbing down on each event you feel sluggish will immediately wake you up. 

4. Water 

Drink a tumbler of tepid water after getting up inside the morning to hold your casing hydrated. 

5. Keep up your inspiration 

Discover an intrigue you need and keep on with it to live incited and wreck the daily schedule in your regular presence.

Heat up A Banana, Drink The Water Before Bed And See What Happens To Your Sleep!

We as a whole have been in a circumstance to have issues with resting, and it's nothing unprecedented because of the reality we are living in a global this is finished of pressure, electromagnetic impacts from the present day age devices, and various other horrible components.

Every one of them is keeping us from getting the needed rest, they affect the napping hormones and the apprehensive contraption as pleasantly, and accordingly diminish the fine of rest.

There are numerous different elements, outside and inward, which could influence an individual's dreadful device, hormones, and the cerebrum, and they could even reason lack of sleep.

#Dozing PILL 

The first and the absolute best perspective that strikes you is to catch a snoozing pill, anyway is that the correct arrangement? The tablet might need to work for just a brief timeframe period, yet inside the long haul, you're preventing the body's wellness and the natural abilities to mend itself. 

Dozing drugs have a few pleasantly known aspect outcomes alongside dazedness, complaint, centering, obstruction, memory issues and that they likewise are negative the noteworthy anxious gadget. 

In any case, rest is of outrageous significance for the general wellness of individuals and for his or her typical working, thus its hardship might need to cause a ton wellness issues, which incorporates horrendous safe machine, decreased engine capacities, debilitated subjective abilities, control drops, and a raised danger of ailments and wellbeing conditions which incorporates weight issues, most diseases, and diabetes. 

In this manner, the 8-hour rest is essential and you have to endeavor all approach with the goal to make certain it consistently on the off chance that you have to enrich the great of your wellbeing. On the contrary hand, the napping pills are not the extraordinary arrangement considering they are causing several serious side-results. 

 

#BANANA AND CINNAMON TEA 

You may likewise adequately fix your rest one hundred% positively, with the help of the accompanying super banana and cinnamon tea. 

Bananas are extremely solid natural products, and they're wealthy in supplements, together with potassium and magnesium. The strips of the banana are much progressively plenteous in those minerals. 

Magnesium can offer rest and it moreover calms muscle issues that reason hurts and throb. Magnesium is the principal mineral that is drained from the body which is because of stress. By and by, magnesium and potassium, each, are gainful for the sensory system. 

Cinnamon can modify the glucose levels, which soundness is helping the component of the hormones and also guarantees a higher wonderful of the rest. The hormonal dissemblance may likewise reason weakness sooner or later of the day and it might make you feel vivacious all as the night progressed, so as to spare you from nodding off. 

In this manner, by utilizing consolidating every banana and cinnamon, you can accurately manage sleep deprivation. 

 

Here are the means by which you may set up this breathtaking homegrown rest treatment at your property: 

 

Fixings NEEDED: 

• A little pot of water 
• One unpeeled banana 
• A sprinkle of cinnamon 

THE METHOD OF PREPARATION: 

To start with, you should off the finishes of the banana and situated it inside the pot with the bubbling water. You have to heat up the banana for cycle 10 minutes and after that transfer the cinnamon. 

You could improve the tea with stevia, which can possibly adjust the glucose levels. 

Likewise, You should drink this normal treatment sooner than going to bedding and experience your exact evening time's rest! 

The following day you're free to devour the bubbled banana with cinnamon, however, we embrace you to not expend any sustenance legitimate before resting.

The amount Sleep You Need According To Your Age?

Everybody realizes that dozing has a major influence of our general wellbeing. It is essential for the body and psyche just as each indispensable procedure in the body.

Having appropriate rest medium-term implies that we can complete our undertakings capably and feel vigorous amid the following day.

Be that as it may, do you realize how long would it be advisable for you to rest as per your age? Dozing time varies from individual to individual, yet the infographic you can see underneath contains the ideal dozing time for various ages suggested by the National Institute of Sleep.

The infographic demonstrates the all-out time of rest amid 24 hours, so taking a snappy snooze considers well. Investigate it and you will know whether you're resting as much as you should. The absence of rest is a major issue and may cause various sicknesses and conditions. This is the reason it's imperative to get legitimate rest medium-term – in case you're not getting it, you should change your dozing propensities or attempt some characteristic cures that might probably help.

Here are 6 reasons why you should focus on your dozing propensities: 

#Back agony 

Back agony is an irritating and difficult condition which can make you unfit to move or even stand. Dozing for an excess of can make you progressively inclined to back agony, so ensure you're getting appropriate rest medium-term. You can likewise endeavor to do some low-power practices for your back as opposed to lying around in your bed throughout the day.

 

#Weight 

Remaining in bed for a really long time regularly can harm your digestion and make it store vitality as opposed to spending it. As indicated by an ongoing report, individuals who rest at least 10 hours medium-term are bound to wind up stout in the following 6 years.

 

#Sadness 

15% of all sadness patients rest constantly and don't have any desire to leave their beds. Discouragement conveys what needs be by sleeping late or a sleeping disorder, which can negatively affect your psychological wellness.

 

#Cerebral pains 

Sleeping late can likewise cause difficult cerebral pains. This will harm your synapses, for example, serotonin and will without a doubt cause migraines amid the day.

 

#Diabetes 

Going through your days resting can debilitate your body's capacity to process glucose, which will prompt sort 2 diabetes after some time. One investigation demonstrated that individuals who rest not exactly the prescribed time are bound to create glucose narrow mindedness and diabetes than the individuals who rest typically.

 

#Coronary illness 

Dozing excessively and time and again can harm your heart. An examination directed by the Nurses' Health Study analyzed the dozing propensities for in excess of 72 000 ladies who rested over 11 hours medium-term, and the outcomes demonstrated that they are more in danger of creating coronary vein infection than ladies who dozed 8 hours medium-term.

 

Tips on vanquishing sleeping in 

#Resting plan 

Making an exacting rest calendar will enable you to head to sleep and wake up on schedule. Make a point to unplug every single electronic gadget an hour prior to hitting the sack and take yoga classes so you can unwind and rest better.

 

#Exercise 

Customary exercise subsequent to getting up will clear your psyche and lift your vitality levels.

 

#Shower

Scrubbing down each time you feel tired will promptly wake you up.

 

#Water 

Drink a glass of tepid water in the wake of getting up in the first part of the day to keep your body hydrated.

 

#Keep up your inspiration 

Discover a movement you like and stick to it to remain spurred and break the daily practice in your regular daily existence.

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