How Sleep Meditation Helped My Insomnia

I have found that one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding narcolepsy is that people with this condition sleep more than the average person.

This is simply untrue.

For a long time, one of the toughest aspects of my narcolepsy has been dealing with insomnia.

Having narcolepsy with insomnia was my normal

For almost two years, spending 3 nights straight every week without sleep was my "normal" existence.

For me, insomnia is an extremely strange sensation, and I find it incredibly hard to describe to those who have never experienced it. It’s a strange combination of feeling drained yet distinctly electric at the same time. It’s as though my senses only ever truly come alive at night. Sometimes, although my brain races with thoughts, it simultaneously despairs with exhaustion.

I was tired of being so desperately tired

After a while, the lack of sleep truly began affecting my daily life. I became highly unfocused, my daytime sleepiness was uncontrollable, and I was beginning to forget the most simple things.

At work, my productivity was at an all-time low and, unfortunately, the bags under my eyes did not help me hide my sleepless nights. I was tired of being so desperately tired, so, as usual, I turned to Google to provide me with the answers to my issues.

That’s when I found something called sleep meditation.

Discovering sleep meditation

I found so many options available on apps like Spotify, Google Podcasts, and YouTube, so I thought I would try it. It wouldn’t hurt.

What I discovered is that, while it’s not a cure by any means, sleep meditation does help to settle my mind somewhat, which then helps my body more easily relax. Also, I find many times that my inability to sleep is because I have a million things going through my head, and by doing sleep meditation, I simply focus on the voice or/and sound. This makes it much easier to calm my mind down and slip into sleep.

Although people have always suggested meditation to me, I was never aware that there was such a thing as sleep meditation. I had tried normal meditation before, but I hadn’t believed it worked because I could never get through it without falling asleep. Maybe if I had made the connection between meditation and falling asleep at that time, I would have saved myself a lot of sleepless nights.

Have you tried sleep meditation for insomnia?

Like I said, sleep meditation is not a cure. I still suffer greatly from insomnia, and there are nights where not even sleep meditation helps. I don’t know anyone else who uses this method, so it’s hard to say whether this works for everyone with narcolepsy or if it’s just me.

I would love to know if anyone else has tried sleep meditation, and if so: What has your experience been? If you haven’t, is this something you have ever thought about trying?

Thank you so much!

Do you use any apps, trackers, or other gadgets to manage your narcolepsy symptoms, including insomnia? Share with us in the comments below or in this community forum!