Sleep is something that I thoroughly enjoy. It is a time of rest and restoration like no other, which I happily look forward to, so I am prepared and re-energised for the adventures the following day will bring.

According to the “Your Life in Numbers” article of Dreams Limited, the average human being spends approximately 26 years of their life sleeping — that is usually more than a quarter of the average life expectancy.

Science and research will tell you that sleep is incredibly important. We need sleep. It’s not just something we can have once in a while. We rely on sleep to function, and not enough sleep can affect us: mentally, emotionally, physically, and even spiritually.

What Affects Our Sleep?

You body has 8 primary sensory processors that all affect the way you sleep:

• auditory - what you hear

• visual - what you see

• tactile - what you physically feel

• olfactory - what you smell

• gustatory - what you taste

• vestibular - the movement of your head through space (has to do with balance)

• proprioceptive - how much pressure your muscles and joints feel

• Interoception - how you are feeling internally (like being hungry or full)

Each of us are affected by these senses at different extents. Senses that are most affected for me, may not be the same for you. All the same, it helps to know how our bodies and minds are responding to what is around us. When something is off for one of those senses, we normally cannot have a good night’s sleep, and that is a problem for more people than we may realise.

Poor Sleep vs. Sleep Disorders

A study in the year 2017 will show that over half a million adults in Ireland felt like they were not getting the quality of sleep they needed, and were seeking assistance from doctors for solutions. A more recent study, done only this year, was shared on Irish Examiner stating that just over 40% of Irish people notch up a bare six hours’ sleep or less on an average weeknight.

Not all sleep is blissful, and if you are reading this blog, you may have had horrible sleep one time or another. However, this does not automatically mean that you have a sleep disorder. To help identify if you have a sleep disorder, here is a simple checklist from SpunOut.ie:

Sleep disorders are defined as significant changes in sleeping patterns or habits, causing you to;

• feel excessively sleepy during the daytime or groggy in the morning

• have irregular breathing or increased movement during sleep

• have difficulty sleeping and have night sweats

• have unusual sleep behaviours

If you are experiencing all of these, you may want to contact your local physician for a check-up and proper diagnosis.

Solutions for Sleep Disorders

The same study shared on Irish Examiner includes statistics showing around 27% of people use alcohol to help them sleep, while 18% use sleeping tablets. At Aruna Yoga, we are thoroughly supportive of medication that is provided by doctors, if you are truly having difficulty sleeping.

Conversely, if you are self-medicating and using alcohol to put yourself to sleep, I would like to encourage you that there are alternatives that can and will appeal to your sensory processing and bring ease and support to your sleep if you gave them a try.

iRest Meditation to Support Sleep

A therapeutic, healing form of mindfulness meditation — what has now become known as iRest Meditation — is a concept and practise that has been developed from Yoga Nidra by Richard Miller, PhD.

It is now being practised by thousands of individuals globally, and was designed to help people resolve deep seated pain and suffering, and to exchange those feelings for healing and peace.

iRest Meditation is known to have healed people holistically in ways that medicine cannot (however, medicine is also important), for these only affect the chemicals in our body, and have not yet been able to touch both the mind and soul of a person.

To learn more about this practise and what to expect, I have a special demo podcast that you may use personally, to experience an iRest Meditation session that will help support your sleep. Sign-up for our newsletter (even if you already have) to receive access to this exclusive podcast.

This May 9th, Thursday, we are beginning another block of our iRest Meditation, and I would very much like to share this experience with each one of you. Classes will begin on the 9th, and will run for 5 weeks from 7:00-8:00PM, each Thursday evening. Join me on the mat to learn more about this beautiful practise and how it can benefit you in several positive ways — quality sleep being only one of them.