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Interesting – it sounds like use of entrainment technology, which has been used to mimic a meditation response. I tried something like this years ago, which was listenting to a CD that was prepared for me, and it actually made my insomnia much worse.
But this is more intriguing becasue it seems that they actively adjust the sounds according to what is happening in terms of your brain activity – so it might just work, provided they know what they are doing and what they are adjusting for, so I would not dismiss this – it might be of help for insomnia.
Yikes – that is quite a trial by sleeplessness. There are lots of resources that may offer some help – conventional medical approaches and non-conventional approaches – all are worth considering. Its a little overwhelming, but if you have not started yet, try what makes the most sense for you. Its a trial and error, process of elimination type of approach.
I'm just barely hanging on at work myself – not sure how much longer I'll be hanging on workwise.
Once you have tried all the usual strategies, it gets more frustrating – I don't know anything about you, but things to consider:
Women in particular can have insomnia from hormonal changes – can start around the age of 40.
I've heard of dietary causes of insomnia – if you have a gluten sensitivity, it may impact your sleep patterns, so you might want to find a Dr to check on that.
Also, I've heard of insomnia being caused by VItamin D deficiency (really common if you don't spend lots of time outside in the sun) – you might want to have that checked out as well.
Thanks. I'd be happy to share any info that I have with others on the board.
I can't be sure what triggered the insomnia – but it happened during a period when I was doing a great deal of meditation practice, so as odd as it sounds, I suspect that the meditation triggered something that no one seems able to understand that kept me from sleeping normally.
I think in general, meditation helps with insomnia – my case is weird and unusual, so I would not in any way want to discourage anyone here from trying it as a way of helping with insomnia – at the time, I had been doing it for 5 years, and for three of those I did 2 hrs/day – with intensive retreats here and there. I was doing alot, and it kept me off of SSRI's, so I was getting a great deal of benefit from it, until my sleep patterns deteriorated.
If you are deficient in B6, it will interfere with serotonin production – serotonin is part of the melatonin production pathway, so a B6 deficiency can also lead to low melatonin production, which is bad news for sleep.
The author (Gayle Greene) wrote the best book on Insomnia that I have read – “Insomniac“. I highly recommend it. It talks about the benefits and the drawbacks of all approaches – CBT, medication, alike.
Geeze – sounds alot like me. I think that CBT only works when you are truly conditioned to not sleep in your bed. It does not work at all when there are physiological/biochemical impediments to sleep. I'm leery of medication as well – have restoril, but only try to take it occasionally.
SSRI's actually helped me sleep for a few years (zoloft), but the effect wore off, so I no longer take it – besides, some suspect that SSRIs permenantly damage your serotonin receptors – these drugs are last resort in my opinion.
While exercise/meditation may not help your sleep, it may help you function better when you are sleep deprived – at least that is my expereince with both, so you might want to keep them up despite the frustration. They make it more likely that I will fall asleep, but for me are not panaceas.
Good luck!
