Discussion Meditation and Sleep

[GenesAndEnvironment]

I meditated for an hour straight yesterday and it cut my need for sleep by around two hours. This has been a common experience for me, if you meditate well enough and long enough you'll wake up at 7am instead of 9am despite going to bed at around the same time. I also find that very often during meditation I get very hot, my body temperature increases for some reason. And then there are the obvious benefits like increased energy, stable mood, decreased stress, etc. I had too much shit on my mind today to get a good session in but I'm sure I'll get a good one in this evening or at least tomorrow.

So the meditation I did was based on this: https://www.sirimangalo.org/text/how-to-meditate/chapter-one-what-is-meditation/

Share which benefits you get from meditating and perhaps also go into detail in regards to your own practice, especially if you've also experienced this reduced need for sleep.

 

[neitherherenorthere]

That's pretty damn impressive. I don't think I've ever meditated for that long. The link you posted is interesting; I'll have to try that method. Maybe I'll be able to maintain a more consistent practice, too. Do you always meditate for an hour? How many days a week do you meditate?

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

That's pretty damn impressive. I don't think I've ever meditated for that long. The link you posted is interesting; I'll have to try that method. Maybe I'll be able to maintain a more consistent practice, too. Do you always meditate for an hour? How many days a week do you meditate?

My record is 1 and a half, and that only felt like 15 min since I was really in the "meditation zone". I think it's like riding a bike, you never really forget the basic gist of it. I'm sadly not very consistent, but recently I've been meditating or at least doing some form of mindfulness awareness daily.

 

[Makko]

A monk's daily schedule does contain less sleep than what otherwise would be considered healthy, because meditation is a form of active rest.

I can't meditate due to daydreaming, so I invest myself fully in sleep instead.

 

[262653]

Thanks for the reminder. I really need some phasing out right now.

I'm focusing more on the body these days, and noticing that my jaw and shoulders are occsaionally strained when it's unnecessary.

 

[jesse]

Oh wow. My normal is around 10-15 minutes. After a session it does feel a bit like I've had a good nap. Overall sleep is too chaotic for me to know if it helps in that department. My routine is pretty secular. I do some deep breaths, simultaneously relaxing tension to start. Then I just focus on a home base. All the obvious benefits apply.

 

[Last chance]

Ive been really trying to get into meditation recently but I just cant stop my mind from racing no matter how hard I try. Its like the meditation session is just a time for me to sit down and think 10000000 things constantly for ten minutes.

I really want to see the benefits from it but right now its not working for me.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

Ive been really trying to get into meditation recently but I just cant stop my mind from racing no matter how hard I try. Its like the meditation session is just a time for me to sit down and think 10000000 things constantly for ten minutes.

I really want to see the benefits from it but right now its not working for me.

Which practice do you follow?

 

[Last chance]

Which practice do you follow?

I use the calm app,there are guided meditations under various different categories. My main issue at the moment is my mind just wont shut up. Its going 24/7 making me think about my ex even when I am asleep.

If I could just get a break from my own head for a while I think I would feel a lot better.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

I use the calm app,there are guided meditations under various different categories. My main issue at the moment is my mind just wont shut up. Its going 24/7 making me think about my ex even when I am asleep.

If I could just get a break from my own head for a while I think I would feel a lot better.

Try that link instead. When you start thinking, say in your mind "thinking, thinking, thinking". When it subsides, return to the breath. Thinking left unchecked for even a split second will turn meditation into rumination, we need laser focus to avoid this (attentive posture, vigilance, energy should be spent and it should feel like a workout of the mind).

 

[Last chance]

Try that link instead. When you start thinking, say in your mind "thinking, thinking, thinking". When it subsides, return to the breath. Thinking left unchecked for even a split second will turn meditation into rumination, we need laser focus to avoid this (attentive posture, vigilance, energy should be spent and it should feel like a workout of the mind).

Thank you,Ive just read the first chapter. Its a lot to take in but Im going to give it a go this afternoon.

 

[neitherherenorthere]

@Last chance Even if you don't feel like you're really meditating, you're still setting aside time to look after yourself, which is really important. You're also a step ahead of most people by having brought awareness to your "monkey mind" and acknowledging that your thoughts are all over the place. Meditation is a journey, and like anything else you get better at it the more you practice.

@GenesAndEnvironment 1.5 hours is CRAZY. I think my best is maybe half that. Not that it's a competition or anything, that goes a bit against the whole concept of meditation. :) Great job on keeping up a daily mindfulness practice. Even if I'm not doing a proper meditation sit I need to still get into the habit of checking in with myself regularly. My tendency is to use distraction as a coping technique, but that just contributes to my dissociation. I've been trying to practice yoga more often as well, since I find the emphasis on focusing on your body and breath to be very grounding. Sometimes meditation is too cerebral for me.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

@Last chance Even if you don't feel like you're really meditating, you're still setting aside time to look after yourself, which is really important. You're also a step ahead of most people by having brought awareness to your "monkey mind" and acknowledging that your thoughts are all over the place. Meditation is a journey, and like anything else you get better at it the more you practice.

@GenesAndEnvironment 1.5 hours is CRAZY. I think my best is maybe half that. Not that it's a competition or anything, that goes a bit against the whole concept of meditation. :) Great job on keeping up a daily mindfulness practice. Even if I'm not doing a proper meditation sit I need to still get into the habit of checking in with myself regularly. My tendency is to use distraction as a coping technique, but that just contributes to my dissociation. I've been trying to practice yoga more often as well, since I find the emphasis on focusing on your body and breath to be very grounding. Sometimes meditation is too cerebral for me.

Well, to me it wasn't 1.5 hours, which makes it unimpressive for me personally. I'm prouder of sticking with a gruesome 20min when I never get in the zone and the only mantra is "pain, pain, pain".

 

[Last chance]

Try that link instead. When you start thinking, say in your mind "thinking, thinking, thinking". When it subsides, return to the breath. Thinking left unchecked for even a split second will turn meditation into rumination, we need laser focus to avoid this (attentive posture, vigilance, energy should be spent and it should feel like a workout of the mind).

A strange thing happened this morning. I didnt practice the meditation yesterday ( I will do today) but this morning I was half woken by the racing thoughts again and without consciously doing it I started repeating "thinking,thinking,thinking" over and over in my head which seemed to ease the thoughts and make me visualise the word "thinking" its self instead. It felt like it brought down the intensity of the head fuck loop a fair bit.

I think this is definitely something to work on.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

A strange thing happened this morning. I didnt practice the meditation yesterday ( I will do today) but this morning I was half woken by the racing thoughts again and without consciously doing it I started repeating "thinking,thinking,thinking" over and over in my head which seemed to ease the thoughts and make me visualise the word "thinking" its self instead. It felt like it brought down the intensity of the head fuck loop a fair bit.

I think this is definitely something to work on.

Not sure about the visualization, the mantra is supposed to be in the same "place" as the real experience, in this case the racing thoughts (which would be made up of images and sounds). Great that you're seeing value in it, keep us posted if you have more experiences like this.

 

[Last chance]

Not sure about the visualization, the mantra is supposed to be in the same "place" as the real experience, in this case the racing thoughts (which would be made up of images and sounds). Great that you're seeing value in it, keep us posted if you have more experiences like this.

I just tried it for Im not sure how long but Im guessing 10-15 minutes and I think I finally understand what meditation is meant to feel like.

At first my eye was itching but rather than move and scratch it I just labelled it itching,itching,itching and then noticed that after a while it had gone and I had moved onto the next thing. I felt hungry,so I labelled it as such and repeated it until I moved onto the next thing.

Inbetween the thoughts and physical sensations that my mind created/noticed I felt a strange but intense feeling of calm in my head. It was similar to the feeling I had when I had hypnotherapy years ago,I could feel my eyes roll back in my head. Very smooth and almost as if I was flying. Then a new image would come to mind,I would repeat the mantra and it would pass.

I feel very relaxed and spaced out now.

That may all sound like BS and I could have done it all wrong but it felt good and I can already see how practicing this could allow me to recognise that thoughts and feelings come and go.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

I just tried it for Im not sure how long but Im guessing 10-15 minutes and I think I finally understand what meditation is meant to feel like.

At first my eye was itching but rather than move and scratch it I just labelled it itching,itching,itching and then noticed that after a while it had gone and I had moved onto the next thing. I felt hungry,so I labelled it as such and repeated it until I moved onto the next thing.

Inbetween the thoughts and physical sensations that my mind created/noticed I felt a strange but intense feeling of calm in my head. It was similar to the feeling I had when I had hypnotherapy years ago,I could feel my eyes roll back in my head. Very smooth and almost as if I was flying. Then a new image would come to mind,I would repeat the mantra and it would pass.

I feel very relaxed and spaced out now.

That may all sound like BS and I could have done it all wrong but it felt good and I can already see how practicing this could allow me to recognise that thoughts and feelings come and go.

Sounds like you did it correctly to me, but I'm no expert. Btw, watch out for wanting or expecting meditation sessions to be like this. Medicine, not a drug.

 

[Last chance]

Sounds like you did it correctly to me, but I'm no expert. Btw, watch out for wanting or expecting meditation sessions to be like this. Medicine, not a drug.

Thank you for the recommendation and the link. Im going to do it again before I go to sleep.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

Thank you for the recommendation and the link. Im going to do it again before I go to sleep.

No, thank YOU. I need constant reminders to meditate even though it's literally the only positive thing in my life aside from gym + nutrition + ss.

 

[Last chance]

Just did another ten minutes. It was harder to let go and get into it this time but my mind was a lot quieter in general.

I've felt a lot calmer and actually more sleepy all day. Possibly because my anxiety has reduced and I'm not running on adrenaline. I'm off to sleep now,it'll be interesting to see if there's any difference in the quality of my sleep tonight.
Obviously there's a high chance this is just novelty/placebo but if it helps it helps.

 

[Last chance]

Slept terribly,took me hours to get to sleep and was woken up at about 5am by intrusive thoughts and then couldnt get back to sleep again.

I feel fucked today.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

Slept terribly,took me hours to get to sleep and was woken up at about 5am by intrusive thoughts and then couldnt get back to sleep again.

I feel fucked today.

"Fucked, fucked, fucked"

 

[Last chance]

Update - I have been trying to do this every day. Some days I want to do anything but meditate and I just cant settle into it (managed 5 minutes today) other days it brings me peace and the most I have managed is 25 minutes.

I used it before my job thing last week while I was waiting to go in (I had my eyes open so I didn't look like a freeak) and it helped to reduce my anxiety. Im going to stick with it.

 

[GenesAndEnvironment]

Update - I have been trying to do this every day. Some days I want to do anything but meditate and I just cant settle into it (managed 5 minutes today) other days it brings me peace and the most I have managed is 25 minutes.

I used it before my job thing last week while I was waiting to go in (I had my eyes open so I didn't look like a freeak) and it helped to reduce my anxiety. Im going to stick with it.

That's great, thanks for sharing!