Stress and Sleep

Hi, and welcome to this guided meditation on stress and in particular, how stress impacts our sleep. Like all the meditations in this series this has been designed to be done during the day. For so many of us, when that time comes to switch out the light and our head hits the pillow, our mind can go into overdrive. And in some cases it can also feel like a very physical experience. A feeling of restlessness in the body and sleep can feel very far away. So it can be really helpful to address those feelings in the day before you go to bed. Now, stress can be a result of many different factors and it will vary greatly for each of us, Work stress, relationships our finances, global pandemics. There is a lot about modern life that is very challenging. And when we experience stress, our body's fight or flight system is triggered and the body releases a number of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, essentially preparing the body to counter threats by increasing heart rate and circulation, which keeps the mind in a high state of vigilance making getting to sleep very difficult. Now, not all stress is bad. In some instances, it can help us to stay alert and focused. But the problem arises when we are constantly responding to situations as if we were under threat. Which is what tends to happen for a lot of people. The good news is that meditation and mindfulness is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Speaking from my own experience, stress was the number one reason I would not be able to sleep through the night. And for quite a few years it had a huge impact on my health. I tried everything, but meditation was the one activity that truly helped to settle my mind and body. And I can now say I not only fall asleep quickly but I tend to stay asleep. Stressful things still happen but it's my relationship to them that has shifted. And my hope is that by offering this exercise that might start to happen for you as well. So we're going to do a body scan which is a really great way to step out of the busy-ness of the mind and into the body. It's a personal favorite of mine. So I invite you to get into a comfortable position. You can sit in a chair or you can lie down for this. But just rest your gaze about two to three feet in front of you. And then when you're ready, starting with some big, deep breath Breathing in through the nose, and out through the mouth. And with the next, out-breath, just closing the eyes if that is comfortable for you to do so. And allowing the breath to return to its natural rhythm and rate, and taking a moment to feel the body pressing down into the seat or the surface beneath you....