How practising mindfulness helped me deal with insomnia
Due to high stress levels, I couldn’t sleep properly at night for years. Everything changed when I started regularly practising mindfulness.
As someone who identifies herself as high-functioning, it's hard for my mind (and body) to slow down, even at bedtime. A flurry of thoughts takes control—from the happenings of the day, what didn't go right, or how uncertain my future looks. Of course, with so much churn in my brain, it's not easy to get adequate (or any) shuteye.
I struggled with this issue for many years—almost accepting that sleep will continue to elude me for the rest of my life. From taking melatonin tablets to keeping away my phone at least an hour before bedtime, I tried every possible hack but nothing helped until a friend brought up the idea of a mindfulness practice.
At one point during the pandemic, my stress levels had hit the roof. I would spend sleepless nights drowning myself in the uncertainty that lay ahead, particularly when it came to work. I needed to be rescued—and that's where mindfulness helped.
Mindfulness is the practice of being aware and awake to each moment. It involves being fully present and engaging all your senses in whatever you are doing. It is also about being more accepting of one's surroundings.
Let me be honest: the idea sounded quite mundane to me; after all, being aware and present of your body's sensations in each moment wasn't the easiest thing to do. Besides, my previous attempts at meditation were futile so I hardly had any drive to take it up again.
Somehow, I went ahead with the plan—and I am glad it worked. Over the last three years, it’s not only my quality of sleep that has improved but my stress levels have reduced over time.
Horrors of sleep deprivation
A study conducted by Michigan State University in 2020 researched how sleep deprivation affects functionality. The study involved 77 people who had to stay up all night while 63 went home and slept normally. The researchers then gave them tests to assess their attention span and found that those with sleep deprivation performed worse and had more lapses in attention.
“Sleep-deprived individuals need to exercise caution in absolutely everything that they do, and simply can’t trust that they won’t make costly errors. Often—like when behind the wheel of a car—these errors can have tragic consequences,” stated study author Kimberly Fenn in a statement.
Other than wavering attention span, there's also evidence of sleep deprivation impacting mood, memory, and an individual’s weight. The risk of insomnia is greater in women and older adults.
With sleep deprivation causing major dysfunction, it was important for me to take charge and that's where mindfulness helped.
Chocolate meditation, the mindfulness exercise that helps reduce stress and anxiety
Being in the moment
When I first experimented with mindfulness meditation on an app in 2021, I was aghast at the reality that I was getting bored. While there was an interest in understanding this practice, it took me some time to slow down and get into the groove.
Mindfulness practices can be a little mundane and challenging, and that's fine. Of course, if someone is restless and gets washed over by their thoughts, sitting in a quiet space and focusing on breathing can bring up feelings of anxiety but it gets better with practice.
Starting small is key—while most studies may suggest 20 minutes as minimum; start with five minutes and eventually increase the duration over time.
As I began being more regular, I noticed that the quality of sleep improved drastically. A few minutes of conscious breathing and focusing on the moment helped my mind and body slow down, ensuring I didn't stay up all night worrying about everything under the sun.
Mindfulness awareness programmes can help counter insomnia, fatigue and depression, as per a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The research studied middle-aged and older adults who had trouble sleeping. Half of them completed a mindfulness awareness programme that included meditation and reported positive results.
How to practise mindfulness for sleep
Once you are ready to hit the sack, either find a quiet spot to sit or lie down on your bed. Dim the lights so that your body prepares to relax. Now, while sitting or lying down, tense each muscle of the body and release it, starting from the toes to your head. Make sure you do this while taking deep breaths.
You can then play a guided meditation track on apps like Insight Timer or Calm and follow the steps, especially as a beginner. Most of these are focused on visualisation techniques that transport you to a peaceful environment, either by a water body or mountains.
Let go and relax as much as you can. Don't focus on how good you are at the practice or not. If you find your mind getting distracted, take a deep breath and try bringing back your attention to the meditation. If it doesn't happen, don't beat yourself for it and go back to it the next day.
Remember, every drop makes an ocean. Practising this meditation regularly and being more aware of what's in the present will help you with better sleep habits in the future.
Edited by Kanishk Singh
