Catch Ourselves Struggling

How many of us catch ourselves struggling through the day and not getting the proper amount of sleep that we require? Some of us do not get time to sleep or to even relax, especially students, who can barely get 6 hours of sleep. Sleep is an essential requirement of the body. According to a survey done by the National Sleep Foundation, college students should fall under the eight to nine hours range, although most of the students do not. Sleep deficiency could cause brain to operate improperly. How could students than finish their school work, study for exams, complete all the assignments, stay alert during lectures, eat healthy, exercise, while having a part-time job? Even though the adults have the same amount of stress as the students do, and that is a completely logical topic, and they too, need their sleep.

Staying on the topic of sleep, we can come into terms that affect our rest, such as: the use of electronic devices before going to sleep, studying, stress, tensions arising, sickness, etc. also, medical conditions and various physical and physiological factors affect the amount of sleep a person acquires. Busy schedules of students forbid them from having proper exercise, which is a reason of sleeplessness. Hence, there are a variety of reasons why we are losing sleep.

Sleep deprivation could cause many health issues. The lack of proper sleep is the reason for becoming cranky. Person becomes stressed. Extreme cases may cause obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases. Sleep deprivation is undoubtedly linked to less life expectancy. Considering such issues, proper sleep is necessary for proper life.
Every problem has a solution, so does sleep deprivation, that is meditation. Meditation is a modern practice with a long history. Meditation is a powerful tool in coping stress, psychological balance and helps in proper well-being of the body. It has been the best help people can provide and receive. Many researchers have shown the psychological benefits of meditation with a new name of "mindfulness meditation".

Meditation is not a fancy routine matter. It requires very simple elements to be practiced in daily life. The person needs to be calm inside -out, have comfortable posture and a mind clear of thoughts. Preaching a word, sitting silently helps maintain a positive aura around us.
"Sit down alone and in silence. Lower your head, shut your eyes, breathe out gently, and imagine yourself looking into your own heart... As you breathe out, say 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' . Try to put all other thoughts aside. Be calm, be patient, and repeat the process very frequently." This was said by Gregory of Sinai, a very famous monastic from the 14th century, who passed away in 1346.

Practicing mindfulness meditation helps improve health by many folds. It helps people cope up with stress and anxiety. It is a useful tool to combat sleep disorders like insomnia and sleep apnea. Meditation can even help overcome addictive behaviors like the cigarette usage, eating constantly and alcohol or drug abuse, which have severe effects over the health. Meditation is not a medical treatment but is a beneficial aspect to combat many health issues.

Meditation has a science behind it. It increases gyrification of brain which helps in better processing of the information. It helps control emotions and brings the mind and body to stabilize. Mindfulness meditation is helps prevent ageing effects on the brain, and hence, increases life expectancy. It is considered important to tackle pain. It activates certain regions of the brain to overcome pain and sufferings in life.

Daily mindfulness meditation for even 15 minutes is enough to improve any sort of stress arising. So, what is going on our mind as we practice mindfulness? Mindfulness has been studied by many people. Mindfulness strengthens our connections within different parts of the brain. The different regions are the ones that are affected, like how we can't focus our attention, process what we hear and see, and being aware, in general (Ives-Deliperi, 2011).
Meditation being a broader category has many sub divisions. One such division is called- yoga. It is an age old practice rooted in the Indian philosophy. Yoga is a good physical activity for physically active people. It helps prevent problems like back pain, cancer and diabetes. It should be practiced carefully and under supervision. It improves general well-being and helps prevent sleep disorders.

Observing the affects of meditation, there are lots of reasons why one should try this fantastic technique and stay healthy, relaxed, fresh and not feel they are congested in between problems of daily life. It is recommended by doctors, scientists and every psychologist that has ever studied meditation. Practicing meditation and specially yoga unfolds many aspects of the healthy life. Problems like sleep deprivation found a remedy in lap of such useful techniques. So it is recommended to life long and a happy life.

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