Can't sleep?

If you do struggle with sleep, you’re by no means alone. It’s one of the most popular reasons people seek out Headspace. The number of prescription sleeping pills has increased by 430% in 11 years. At any given time about 30% of people are having difficulty sleeping, and pretty much everyone will experience periods of sleeplessness at some point in their life. Usually these bouts of reduced sleep correspond to levels of stress, whether that’s from an overactive mind, an emotional trigger or a physical condition.

In the same way that mental health problems can lead to poor sleep, poor sleep can lead to mental health problems. This negative loop which can so quickly spin out of control is ultimately responsible for insomnia. And this just underlines the importance of maintaining a healthy relationship with the thoughts and feelings that arise in the mind. Although you can’t control all of them, you can most definitely be responsible for the way you experience them.

When difficult thoughts arise, do you react by getting frustrated, worried or upset? Or do you respond with a sense of ease, awareness and acceptance? Your familiarity with mindfulness and your ability to step back and observe the thoughts and emotions a little more clearly will be critical in turning reaction into a response. And this is exactly what you are training your mind to do when you sit and meditate. So it’s no coincidence that meditation has been found to have such a positive effect on insomnia. In fact, in a Stanford study of insomniacs using meditation, 60% didn’t even qualify as insomniacs by the end of the study. As ever, the proof is in the pudding. Have you tried our Sleep pack? How has it made a difference in catching your zzz's?