Do you have chronic
sleep problems? You may be able to significantly improve your ability to
get a restful night of sleep by practicing a popular form of
meditation, a rigorous new study shows.
The findings may be
particularly relevant to Americans older than 55, about half of whom
have some form of sleep trouble. The research, a clinical trial published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, recruited about 50 older adults with moderate sleep problems and assigned them to follow one of two programs.
In one group, the
adults learned behaviors that could help them develop good sleep
hygiene, like establishing a regular bedtime routine and avoiding
caffeine and alcohol before bed. The other group underwent a six-week
program on mindfulness meditation — the nonjudgmental awareness of the
thoughts and feelings drifting through one’s mind — led by a certified
teacher.
At the end of the
yearlong study, the people who learned the mindfulness approach had
greater improvements in sleep quality and fewer symptoms of insomnia,
depression and fatigue than those who received standard care.
The lead author of the
study, David S. Black, said mindfulness meditation probably helped
settle the brain’s arousal systems. And unlike widely used sleep drugs,
it does not have potentially severe side effects, said Dr. Black, an
assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern
California.
“Given the many health
concerns pertaining to sleep aid medication use in older adults,” he
added, “mindfulness meditation appears to be a safe and sensible health
promoting practice to improve sleep quality.”
In recent years, dozens of apps have sprung up promising to train users in mindfulness techniques
and other forms of meditation. But Dr. Black noted that his study
looked at a structured mindfulness course led by a skilled instructor.
“As compared to
attempting mindfulness practice for the first time on your own,” he
said, “you are likely to gain the most benefit from a standardized
course with an experienced teacher.”
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