MEDITATE
According to Donald E. Miskiman of the University of Alberta,
Transcendental Meditation seems to stabilize the sleep-dream cycle by reducing the effect of any disruption to this cycle and thereby restoring the system more quickly to its normal level of functioning.
In other words,
meditation improves sleep quality.
It reduces interruptions to deep sleep (SWS).
One way meditation does this is be reducing cortisol levels during the day.
The stress hormone cortisol will destroy sleep quality
it has a rather dramatic negative effect that has been studied extensively.
Specifically,
cortisol will reduce SWS amount.
Less SWS means less energy,
more irritability,
and – ironically – more stress.
Our bodies were designed to have cortisol levels very low while we sleep.
Cortisol spikes in the morning to wake us up,
but
otherwise should remain at low levels,
especially in the beginning of the night’s sleep since that’s where most SWS is concentrated.
Our stress response was originally intended to spike occasionally during fight-or-flight situations like during a hunt.
It was not designed to stay consistently high with 70-hour work weeks,
impending deadlines,
and no vacations.
Modern lifestyles cause day-to-day, around-the-clock stress.
Our bodies did not evolve this way.
This is one reason why many people today experience poor sleep – high cortisol levels.
Several studies have shown how meditation can improve sleep quality.
E.g. one study showed that insomniacs who take 60m to fall asleep reduce that time to 15 min after 30 days of meditation.
Some studies even show that meditation somehow makes dreams more creative.
I don’t meditate often,
but when I do go on these meditation streaks my dreams become really weird…
which is good,
that means more lucid dreams
Meditation isn’t for everyone.
Don’t feel guilty if meditation doesn’t appeal to you.
But if you like to meditate,
you now have an extra reason to do so,
better sleep.
You’ve probably guessed by now,
but
I’m a bit addicted to this iPod + in-ear noise isolation headphones + pzizz/relaxation/meditation audio thing…
Not a very Buddhist way to meditate,
but
it works for me.
Have Mastery Remove Mystery
According to Donald E. Miskiman of the University of Alberta,
Transcendental Meditation seems to stabilize the sleep-dream cycle by reducing the effect of any disruption to this cycle and thereby restoring the system more quickly to its normal level of functioning.
In other words,
meditation improves sleep quality.
It reduces interruptions to deep sleep (SWS).
One way meditation does this is be reducing cortisol levels during the day.
The stress hormone cortisol will destroy sleep quality
it has a rather dramatic negative effect that has been studied extensively.
Specifically,
cortisol will reduce SWS amount.
Less SWS means less energy,
more irritability,
and – ironically – more stress.
Our bodies were designed to have cortisol levels very low while we sleep.
Cortisol spikes in the morning to wake us up,
but
otherwise should remain at low levels,
especially in the beginning of the night’s sleep since that’s where most SWS is concentrated.
Our stress response was originally intended to spike occasionally during fight-or-flight situations like during a hunt.
It was not designed to stay consistently high with 70-hour work weeks,
impending deadlines,
and no vacations.
Modern lifestyles cause day-to-day, around-the-clock stress.
Our bodies did not evolve this way.
This is one reason why many people today experience poor sleep – high cortisol levels.
Several studies have shown how meditation can improve sleep quality.
E.g. one study showed that insomniacs who take 60m to fall asleep reduce that time to 15 min after 30 days of meditation.
Some studies even show that meditation somehow makes dreams more creative.
I don’t meditate often,
but when I do go on these meditation streaks my dreams become really weird…
which is good,
that means more lucid dreams
Meditation isn’t for everyone.
Don’t feel guilty if meditation doesn’t appeal to you.
But if you like to meditate,
you now have an extra reason to do so,
better sleep.
You’ve probably guessed by now,
but
I’m a bit addicted to this iPod + in-ear noise isolation headphones + pzizz/relaxation/meditation audio thing…
Not a very Buddhist way to meditate,
but
it works for me.
Have Mastery Remove Mystery
Very nice article. Loved to know about meditation. Keep writing such articles.
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