Insomnia
Submitted by alton on Mon, 2007-08-20 21:25.
At our Sunday sitting a question was asked about dealing with insomnia.
Michele answered that question and I have it on my computer if anyone wants it.
email me at lostnfoundation@yahoo.com
Here is my entry on the subject.
Firstly get rid of that label:
Part of the problem with those who believe that have difficulty going to sleep is that they pigeon hole what they appear to be experiencing, in not getting a decent night sleep. They call it insomnia and try to make it into a permanent condition, which perpetuates that supposed condition.
The psychologists, psychiatrists and the drug companies, in my view want to perpetuate those labels, because those interests make a living convincing people that they have that problem. And of course the drug companies make huge profits selling what they call sleep disorder medicines.
Part of not being able to fall asleep in a timely fashion is dietary. According to Macrobiotic theory we need to have salty higher sodium foods in the early hours of the day. A meal before bedtime should be a lower sodium higher potassium dinner. Meat has very high concentrations of sodium and should be avoided later in the day. Eggs also are in that category because of the high sodium to potassium ratio. Fruits and vegetables have a higher potassium to sodium ratio and are more relaxing to have at a dinner meal. If you eat a meal with too much salt that may prevent you from falling asleep
If you are using drugs like Lunestra get off them as soon as you can. Those drugs, in my view, cause the conditions they purport to cure and higher and higher doses are needed as time goes by. Also there have been reports of people driving while asleep while on those drugs and also dangerous sleep walking.
The following is what I do to be able to attempt to fall asleep at will, but first a ditty I wrote about it.
To fall asleep at will
Just get settled and be still
Cease all your twisting and a turning
Give up worries and the yearning
Once you get all settled in
Next step you will start to win
Tell yourself it does not matter
If no sleep you wont be sadder
I generally fall asleep using this strategy at night or with naps during the day.
1. After I get into comfortable position I vow not to move at all. I relax the body especially the head as much a possible. I use a down pillow because it is soft on my head. I sleep on my stomach so I can make a pocket in the pillow, so that my eyes have no pressure on them.. Before using this pillow I used to wake up during the night with dry eyes and now that never happens.
2. I focus all my concentration on the third eye gazing into the darkness of light, using one word or the inner sound. Sometimes I use the constant word "I", which is the primary object that enables all other objects to appear. If one can hold the "I" thought the mind cannot think any other thoughts. See Ramana's Self Inquiry for more information about that. I have also used a constant 'OM" . Now I am using the inner sound current or what Nisargadatta calls the sound of our beingness. As one advances in the meditation one may be awake while sleeping. See Jeff Brooks' (Jhanananda) post on the blog.
http://www.vipassanahawaii.org/?q=node/133
He says he is awake while sleeping.
I sometimes experience that also. Many who think they are not sleeping are sleeping when tested in a sleep lab.
3... Then I say to myself it is ok not for sleep, because I will get rested just by being in bed relaxing.
In you think you have difficulty sleeping try my suggestions and let me know if it works.
Metta,
Alton
Michele answered that question and I have it on my computer if anyone wants it.
email me at lostnfoundation@yahoo.com
Here is my entry on the subject.
Firstly get rid of that label:
Part of the problem with those who believe that have difficulty going to sleep is that they pigeon hole what they appear to be experiencing, in not getting a decent night sleep. They call it insomnia and try to make it into a permanent condition, which perpetuates that supposed condition.
The psychologists, psychiatrists and the drug companies, in my view want to perpetuate those labels, because those interests make a living convincing people that they have that problem. And of course the drug companies make huge profits selling what they call sleep disorder medicines.
Part of not being able to fall asleep in a timely fashion is dietary. According to Macrobiotic theory we need to have salty higher sodium foods in the early hours of the day. A meal before bedtime should be a lower sodium higher potassium dinner. Meat has very high concentrations of sodium and should be avoided later in the day. Eggs also are in that category because of the high sodium to potassium ratio. Fruits and vegetables have a higher potassium to sodium ratio and are more relaxing to have at a dinner meal. If you eat a meal with too much salt that may prevent you from falling asleep
If you are using drugs like Lunestra get off them as soon as you can. Those drugs, in my view, cause the conditions they purport to cure and higher and higher doses are needed as time goes by. Also there have been reports of people driving while asleep while on those drugs and also dangerous sleep walking.
The following is what I do to be able to attempt to fall asleep at will, but first a ditty I wrote about it.
To fall asleep at will
Just get settled and be still
Cease all your twisting and a turning
Give up worries and the yearning
Once you get all settled in
Next step you will start to win
Tell yourself it does not matter
If no sleep you wont be sadder
I generally fall asleep using this strategy at night or with naps during the day.
1. After I get into comfortable position I vow not to move at all. I relax the body especially the head as much a possible. I use a down pillow because it is soft on my head. I sleep on my stomach so I can make a pocket in the pillow, so that my eyes have no pressure on them.. Before using this pillow I used to wake up during the night with dry eyes and now that never happens.
2. I focus all my concentration on the third eye gazing into the darkness of light, using one word or the inner sound. Sometimes I use the constant word "I", which is the primary object that enables all other objects to appear. If one can hold the "I" thought the mind cannot think any other thoughts. See Ramana's Self Inquiry for more information about that. I have also used a constant 'OM" . Now I am using the inner sound current or what Nisargadatta calls the sound of our beingness. As one advances in the meditation one may be awake while sleeping. See Jeff Brooks' (Jhanananda) post on the blog.
http://www.vipassanahawaii.org/?q=node/133
He says he is awake while sleeping.
I sometimes experience that also. Many who think they are not sleeping are sleeping when tested in a sleep lab.
3... Then I say to myself it is ok not for sleep, because I will get rested just by being in bed relaxing.
In you think you have difficulty sleeping try my suggestions and let me know if it works.
Metta,
Alton
Another silent friend commented on Insomnia
Very good observations! Yes, indeed, my professor who wrote a doctoral dissertation on sleep said that #1 cause of insomnia is sleeping medicines! And it is true that during the first 10 minutes of sleeping, we are partially awake and if somebody wakes us up, we will tell them we were not sleeping but in fact we were.
Insomnia and meditative absorption
Sometimes if I am quite wakefull during the night, I will sit up in meditation, but otherwise I do what you do, which is to meditate lying down, and I will most often bring my attention to the inner sound and other charisms of meditative absorption. By they way, if you are experiencing the inner sound, then by definition you are most probably experiencing meditative absorption, and maybe you just do not recognize that you are.
Kindest regards, Jhananda