Conquer Insomnia…
By Michael Landgraf
Payments due, boss on a rant, teenager wanting something new every stinking week… could that be why you have insomnia? It can be an endless list of stress-inducing, sleep-depriving negative stimuli that becomes a cacophony of jumbled thoughts or as some describe as brain chatter, even stinking thinking. Okay, during the day with enough going on that all the disorganized organizational skills you possess to cope with life’s daily stressors oftentimes fend off those anxious intensities inherent to having mandatory responsibilities. But what happens when your mind and body tells you: okay, I’m tired and nothing’s good on the boob tube, the wine bottle is empty and I must find time for those deadlines that I am expected to, being counted on, to meet? Are thoughts like that keeping you from relaxing into deep, continuous sleep (or until the alarm sounds, the cat jumps on the bed and makes a perfect landing on your blatter, police helicopter blasting the nighttime sky looking for the latest crime-causing-idiot)? Have sex.
If that is not possible…You do have choices! You could visit your physician and request/ask/beg for sleeping pills to help you fall asleep. The catch to that, as I am sure you have seen or heard dozens of pharmaceutical ads, radio spots or television commercials is that it takes 30 seconds for them to tell you about all the benefits of popping one of their patented prescribed medications and another 4 minutes and 30 seconds covering their liability behinds by stating what possible side-effects could occur if using their product. Or you could live in the middle of nowhere, where nighttime sounds are crirping chrickets and a gentle breeze. Quite sootheing. But then you think of the cost for a gallon of gas, the travel distance from your home to work commute, and you end up with a whole new bedtime anxiety: how to pay for the gas to cover a longer commute. There are plenty of other causes for insomnia-related sleep issues, and when your mind is active, going to sleep can be difficult. Besides the aforementioned, have you experienced:
-Shift change at work.
-Cannot stop thinking about the day’s events.
-New surroundings/staying in a hotel.
-Over tired.
-Thinking about what will happen tomorrow.
-Jet lag / crossed too many time zones.
-Too much outside noise: barking dogs, sirens, etc.
-Ate too much/cannot get comfortable.
-Have a new family addition (infant, puppy).
-Feeling excited/have nervous energy.
If you suffer from any type of sleep disorder, such as insomnia, bruxism (teeth grinding) or experience nightmares, seek professional medical help. Ask questions. Find out what alternatives to prescribed medication is available. The more informed you are, the greater chance you have for overcoming insomnia.
Why is it the more ‘advanced’ we become technologically the harder it is for us to just plain relax, close our eyes, take a nice deep breathe, and fall peacefully into a gentle slumber? Media reports about sleep research studies constantly remind us that as a society as a whole, many are getting less sleep, with results suggesting not-so-positive outcomes: like less patience, quicker to anger, depression, actions/reactions that make for a not very nice neighbor, much less spouse or parent (Grandparents are exempt; to be one is to understand).
Here is a thought for you to consider: Delta Brainwave Frequency Stimulation. Delta brainwaves are the predominant brainwave being generated in our brain during sleep. Being able to produce a predominance of Delta brainwaves should help in conquering insomnia. There are Delta Sleep Sessions available as MP3s and in the best light and sound machines. As stated in Mind States / An Introduction to Light and Sound Technology: “Dr. Jerry Cunningham has observed that utilizing light and sound in this fashion will assist patients who have a sleep dysfunction as part of their symptom pattern get to sleep easier and remain asleep. A light and sound Delta brainwave session can be the ideal “at home” adjunct to any professional medical treatment you may be receiving.”
So if you cannot sleep and feel at wit’s end, there is hope: Try a Delta / Sleep session at bedtime. With a light and sound Delta / Sleep session the gentle lights and soft audio binaural beat tones should bring effortless sleep within minutes. MP3 binaural beat audio sessions will also promote delta brainwave frequency predominance, leading the mind and body into deeply relaxed sleep. An option for anyone interested in using Delta / Sleep brainwave sessions for insomnia is rather than using headphones or earbuds to receive the audio signal, simply use an inexpensive pair of computer-type speakers and connect to the headphone/audio port of your smartphone, MP3 player or light and sound machine. Adjust the volume to a very low level, like just below the threshold of your hearing. Louder does not make it better, and even though the use of headphones would be a more effective approach, the use of speakers for ‘room entrainment’ has been repeatedly proven successful since 1993 (examples in “Mind States” by Michael Landgraf).
Copyright: Michael Landgraf (2012) CA. All rights reserved.