Photo by Nickolai Kashirin
March 12, 2015—This week, we’re focusing on meditation and recent studies that suggest it may be good for your health in all sorts of ways.
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Waking up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning and unable to get back to sleep, is one of life’s more frustrating experiences. Insomniacs know the drill. You lay there, tired, and stressed, sometimes for hours, knowing that you’re doomed for exhaustion and crankiness the next day. It’s especially common among older adults.
Sleep hygiene classes offer tips for the weary on how to promote good sleep. DO go to sleep every night at the same time. DO stop looking at electronic screens two hours before bedtime. DON’T read in bed. But how much can sleep hygiene really help?
A new study in JAMA by a collaboration of researchers at USC and UCLA, suggests sleep hygiene does offer some benefits, but meditation may offer more. In comparing a group of subjects that received six weeks of mindfulness training to another group that received six weeks of sleep hygiene training, the researchers found that the mindfulness group reported lower levels of sleep disturbance, depression, stress, and fatigue. Participants were all 55 years and older, with a mean age of 66.
Sleep problems are caused by arousal and consequent distress, write the authors. Meanwhile, meditation is known to increase the relaxation response. Relaxation helps reduce the worry so prevalent for those who wake in the middle of the night. A calmer mind, the authors speculate, helps people sleep.
— Judy Silber
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The Spiritual Edge is a project of KALW and the Templeton Religion Trust. We’d love to hear your suggestions on what we should be covering. Leave us a comment or email us at [email protected].
