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Listen. It's obvious that insomnia is pretty common. Most people have had trouble sleeping at one point, and a lot of people have this issue chronically. And for sure, certain factors aggravate it. If you look at the following insomnia statistics:
- These days we sleep 20% less on average compared to a century ago
- Insomnia sufferers number in the tens of millions in the US alone
- 51% of Americans report being affected by stress and / or anxiety to the point of insomnia
- Women are almost twice as likely as men to have insomnia
- 90% of people with clinical depression also have their sleep harmedally affected
- The pharmaceutical industry benefits from the around 10 million people in the US who use prescription sleep aids to help them sleep
- People who are chronically sleep deprived are more likely to become overweight
- Multiple surveys show 60% of Americans having driven their car while feeling sleepy (and 37% admitting to actually having fallen asleep at the wheel) in the past year
You'll agree that this is a far cry from the way things could be. I believe this is a large product of the society we live in. The lifestyle we're all accredited to seems to be one of "go, go, go!" We are encouraged to work really hard, try to get ahead, and fuel our high octane weeks with coffee and coke zero. As soon as the workday is over, we are expected to get out there with our friends and party. Or for those of us with families, we are to provide our kids with our undivided time and attention, * and * have energy left over for passion and romance with our spouse.
Whew. The insomnia statistics probably did not surprise you, and your heart is telling you that this has to stop! No wonder we can not sleep. We do not give ourselves the time (no wonder we need caffeine) and the sleep we * are * getting is not the quality it should be. Some of us may use sleep aids, and while they can knock you unconscious for several hours, what they can not provide is quality, restorative sleep that leaves you feeling all topped up, refreshed, enlivened.
We need to address what's causing the insomnia, and for a lot of us that's the stress and anxiety in our lives. To do that, we need to take a long hard look at what's really important. We need to tell ourselves, "This is a day that I will never ever get back. This is not our practice life !!! This is it. This is all we've got. Only in this state of mind can we really begin to see what truly matters to us. What are we really running in our hamster wheels for?
When we get crystal clear about what * really * matters in life, only then can we do what needs to be done. Have a conversation with someone we've been meaning to have, or a conversation that we've been avoiding. To forcefully say what we've been holding onto this whole time. Or talk to our boss and redefine what we really want out of our jobs. If that does not create less stress and more satisfaction, even finding a new job. Or maybe, jump with both feet into a whole new career path, one that was actually what we wanted when we were youngger, only we let our doubts and society's expectations get in the way.
When we really look, we begin to see how all of these little stresses sit at the back of our mind, loose ends we've left untied, things we've left unsaid, affecting our quality of life every single day. Facing these stresses is the only way to banish them from our minds. And with every loose end we tie, we have a little bit more peace of mind, and we sleep a little bit better.
The insomnia statistics tell us we're not alone. But when we bring to the front of our minds what's really creating stress in our lives, we have the power to actually do something about it. Go, go, go. Tie up those loose ends in your life. This is something worth doing. This is not your practice life. This is it. The time is now! Make it happen.
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Source by James R Wai
