Sleep allows the body and mind to rejuvenate. Daytime performance degrades when nighttime sleep becomes fragmented and disrupted. Prescription medications can rectify this situation, but these drugs cause side effects. Behavioral treatments such as meditation may provide a better alternative, according to a January 2002 report in the "American Journal of Psychiatry." Such therapies appear effective in a broad range of patient populations. Speak with an expert before starting to meditate.
Healthy Children
Kids spend more of their day asleep than adults. This difference likely reflects the importance of sleep for a developing nervous system. Getting adequate sleep remains critical for learning throughout childhood, according to a June 2011 article in the "Pediatric Clinics of North America." Meditation might enhance sleep and thereby facilitate learning. An experiment presented in the July 2005 edition of the "Journal of Pediatric Health Care" tested this hypothesis in preteen students. Daily meditation for five weeks improved sleep quality and overall health. It also made the students aware of their "interconnection" with nature.
Healthy Adults
Sleep remains important throughout adulthood. Most people don't get sufficient sleep. Such deprivation places you at risk for learning difficulties and attention deficit, according to an April 2011 article in "Sleep Medicine." Meditation might help you get more out of your time in bed. A study published in the July 2010 issue of "Behavioral and Brain Functions" looked at the impact of meditation on sleep "need." The researchers followed people who regularly meditated. Adults who meditated slept less than those who did not. Yet, the meditators performed equally well on vigilance tasks.
Insomniac Adults
Many adults have difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep. Sleep deprivation might increase the risk of being in a car accident, according to a September 2010 report in "Annali Di Igiene." Insomnia also reduces quality of life and burdens the health care system. A study published in the March 2011 edition of "Explore" assessed the effectiveness of meditation on insomnia. Patients received either weekly meditation training or nightly sleeping pills for eight weeks. The meditation training produced results comparable to the hypnotic drug. Meditation made it easier for the patients to fall asleep. They fell asleep about nine minutes faster after receiving the training.
Hypersomniac Adults
Hypersomniacs have the opposite problem -- they sleep too much. People with depression often exhibit this symptom even during remission, according to a February 2011 article in "Depression and Anxiety." Depressives actually become too sedated during sleep. A clinical trial published in July 2010 edition of "Psychosomatic Medicine" evaluated meditation as a possible treatment for hypersomnia. Depressed patients received either eight weeks of meditation training or no training. By the end of the trial, participants given training had higher levels of nighttime arousal relative to those not given training. The trained patients also reported feeling less depressed following the intervention.
References
- "American Journal of Psychiatry"; Comparative Meta-Analysis of Pharmacotherapy and Behavior Therapy for Persistent Insomnia; Michael T. Smith, et al.; January 2002
- "Pediatric Clinics of North America"; Evaluating Sleep and Sleep Disorders in the Pediatric Primary Care Setting; Debra A. Babcock; June 2011
- "Journal of Pediatric Health Care"; Tai Chi and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in a Boston Public Middle School; Robert B. Wall; July 2005
- "Sleep Medicine"; Survey of Sleep Deprivation Patterns and their Effects on Cognitive Functions of Residents and Interns in Korea; Hee Jin Kim, et al.; April 2011
- "Behavioral and Brain Functions"; Meditation Acutely Improves Psychomotor Vigilance and May Decrease Sleep Need; Prashant Kaul, et al.; July 2010
- "Annali Di Igiene"; Road Traffic Crashes, Alcohol, Meals ...; Stefano Dibartolomeo, et al.; September 2010
