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The Guardian
a day ago
- Health
- The Guardian
The one change that worked: meditation cured my insomnia – and transformed my relationships
In the run-up to Christmas 2018, wobbly with delirium on a station platform packed with partygoers, I nearly fell under a train. Insomnia – not the 'I woke at 3am for a bit' type, but the brutalising 'I might have dropped off for a fretful 45 minutes at around 6am' kind – will do that to a person. I have rarely slept well. But this particular stretch of insomnia was, almost literally, a killer. I'd tried every snake oil on the market. A Harley Street hypnotist gave up on me after two sessions. Prescription sleeping pills stopped working. As a last resort, I tried the eight-week NHS cognitive behavioural therapy course for insomnia. It involved a tedious sleep diary, increasing 'sleep pressure' by forcing myself to stay up until 2am and strengthening the 'bed-sleep connection' by sacrificing my bedtime read. Far from helping, these strategies ramped up my frustration. Then I found one thing that did work – something I had dismissed as the preserve of man buns and pseudo-spiritualists: meditation. With help from an app, I started turning my maddening night-time thought loops into innocuous clouds that passed through the sky of my mind. I discovered that mentally scanning my body from head to toe while focusing on each part without judgment could ease my ever-present tension. And by noticing how thoughts vanish as quickly as they appear, I came to realise this crippling phase would eventually pass. With my cynicism on hold, I started following the standard advice of meditating during the day, rather than reaching for it as an emergency sleep aid. Nothing hardcore. A simple 10-minute bolt-on after brushing my teeth. Over time, I started dreading bedtime less, found it easier to drop off and stay asleep longer. Sometimes for as long as six hours. Horror for some. Bliss for me. So the sleep diaries got binned, but the meditation did not. By regularly stilling my mind, I was able to step back and appraise problems from a distance. 'Respond, not react', to use the correct meditation parlance. In fact, I was able to look at my entire life from a distance. This clarity helped me see that my marriage was beyond repair. Divorce soon followed, a stressful but ultimately positive process made more manageable by daily meditation. Then came the lion's den of dating. I honestly don't know how I would have survived dating apps without meditation apps. They helped me stay grounded, observing the chaotic thrills and rejections with detached awareness. Best of all, meditation has made me a better parent. With patience not being one of my virtues, I had a habit of snapping at my child. Throw my menopause and their teendom into the mix, and you get something more explosive than fireworks on New Year's Eve. But meditation helps defuse things. If I let the habit slip, the tetchiness – and insomnia – creep back in. Meditation has not only calmed my mind, but also expanded it, making me more open to the things I once dismissed: vulnerability, therapy and perhaps even spiritualism. It's been such a salve that I'm (almost) grateful to my sleepless nights for forcing it on me.
CNET
13-05-2025
- CNET
Get My Favorite Hatch Alarm Clock for $30 Off With This Memorial Day Deal
Getting up in the morning isn't always something we want to do, but it gets easier the more you optimize your sleep. If that's your aim, now is a great time to ditch our old wake-up setup and upgrade to one of the best alarm clocks I've used: the Hatch Restore 3. Morning and night routines are so much easier with the right alarm clock, and I only wish that I hadn't waited so long to pick one up. You can grab the Hatch Restore 3 alarm clock now for just $140, a $30 savings. Why not let this Memorial Day deal help improve your sleep routine and set the tone for each day? Act fast, though, since these kinds of deals don't tend to stay around for long. The Hatch Restore 3 is far from the basic alarm apps on your phone. It's a small oasis of tranquility. It gently wakes you up with a simulated sunrise and soothing sounds. This device is a sound machine, a sunrise alarm clock and a nighttime routine saver all in one. Since I started using the Hatch Restore 3, my room has been phone-free at night, and boy, have I noticed a difference in my energy levels when I wake up. Read more: Best Sunrise Alarm Clocks How I use the Hatch Restore 3 Hatch/CNET Using this sunrise alarm clock is very straightforward. You connect your device to the Hatch Sleep app. From there, choose when to wake up with your preferred sound and light setting. You can choose from 13 different alarm sounds, ranging from meditative flutes to morning birds to ocean shores, and four different light hue settings, from dark pink to bright orange and yellow. You can also create a custom sunrise light. The Hatch Restore 3 now comes at even greater value, with its original price reduced from $170 to $140 when you buy the alarm clock directly from Hatch. Whether you're seeking to enhance your morning wake-up routine or looking for a great gift for a loved one, this alarm clock is a worthwhile investment in quality sleep. Read more: The Ideal Environment for the Best Sleep Ever
