Sleepless in St. Louis

I have been blessed over the years to have good #sleep hygiene and to sleep deeply. For the last 2 weeks, due to postoperative discomfort and being able to sleep only on my back, it has been challenging during my #hysterectomyrecovery.

Restful sleep has immense #healing powers, with the capacity to promote tissue development and ward against wound #infections. Researchers have found that it’s not just the amount of sleep but also the quality of rest that plays such a large role in the body’s ability to adapt and recover. Studies show that restorative sleep aids #wound healing and sleep deprivation can delay wound healing.

To help me sleep, I have been listening to #YogaNidra, also known as “yogic sleep”. It is a form of #guided #meditation that aims to create a state of #consciousness somewhere between waking and sleeping. Unlike other forms of yoga, it does not involve physical movement or poses, but rather, relies on deep breathing to calm the mind and relax the body. Yoga nidra works by gently guiding you through four main stages of #brainwave activity – beta, alpha, theta, and delta. It’s that magical time just before you fall asleep when the body #rests while the mind is still reasonably lucid. This study tracks the effectiveness of Yoga Nidra on mindfulness, sleep, and pain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29642130/

Here are a few that I’ve been listening to that help me drift away.

https://youtu.be/crhFadUmN2k
https://youtu.be/n5jSTBgPoi8
https://youtu.be/HXAl7SPIEMI

And a resource for other guided meditations.
https://www.healthjourneys.com/yoga-nidra-guided-meditation…

My brother visiting from New York took this photo to prove to me that I actually did take a nap.  Today was the first day in two weeks that I was able to turn and sleep on my side and I was in heaven.

“Sleep is the best meditation”
The Dalai Lama

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/…/sleep-helps-wounds…
https://advancedtissue.com/…/sleep-deprivation-negatively-…/