Due to being a Multiple Sclerosis sufferer I struggle to sleep most nights: my brain won't switch off, pain keeps me awake and random muscles decide to spasm just when I am on the brink of dropping off, dragging me kicking and screaming from the precipice of sweet sweet sleep.
As you can imagine I am already on a cocktail of drugs to help manage my condition so I am reluctant to add to their ever increasing number. I had to find a solution: MS already makes you more than tired - a deep fatigue hangs on your shoulders, grips your ankles like a dead weight dragging down your spirit through every waking hour. Lack of sleep exacerbates this. I had already given up the cigarettes, dropped my caffeine intake way down and tried to limit my exposure to laptop and tablet screens in the hours leading up to sleep. So I hunted around and have stumbled on a solution that really helps me.
I am by nature very skeptical. Meditation to me conjured up images of Far Eastern monks and hippies but I had nothing to lose and so I did some reading. In it's basic form I realised that meditation is just telling your brain to calm the hell down, take a chill pill and just go with the flow. Each night when I am ready for sleep I make sure I am as comfortable as I can be and, as I am also a very light sleeper, pop my ear plugs in. I then relax, control my breathing and try to clear my mind. The only thing I consicously think of is to relax every single muscle in my body. If a muscle starts to spasm I mentally whisper 'hush now'. Slowly, very slowly a slight tingle starts in the tips of my toes and my fingertips. This swells and flows inwards like an infinitely slow wave until I lose all sensation in my body, it is almost as though I am just a thought floating in a sea of black. The first time I went this far it scared me so much I sat bolt upright in bed. Now it's a sensation I cherish as I know it won't be long until sleep's warm embrace takes me. I don't get much deep sleep but at least now I have some sleep.
Now I am a believer, meditation is not just hocus pocus. If it works for this cynical old chap it could work for you too!
Maybe if you are struggling to sleep you ought to give it a try. Don't expect miracles on your first try, like everything else practice is the key.
Do you have any tips on getting a good night's sleep? Let me know in the comments below.
Sweet Dreams
Sources Insomnia Medicine Meditation