from Hacker News

The Evidence Points to a Better Way to Fight Insomnia

by credo on 6/10/15, 9:15 AM with 52 comments

  • by rs534 on 6/10/15, 2:19 PM

    This breathing exercise done just before sleep time has helped me sleep better: 5 minutes of even breathing, each breath consisting of a 3-second inhalation and 6-second exhalation. You want to exhale about the same volume of air you inhale, so you should exhale more slowly than you inhale. If 3-6 seconds is too long for you, begin with 2-4 seconds (2 seconds inhale, 4 seconds exhale). It helps to have a metronome app to time your breathing.

    This method is discussed in "Anatomy of Hatha Yoga" by David Coulter, Chapter 2. Why does this work? I quote from this book (page 91): "This connection between heart rate and breathing, known as respiratory sinus arrhythmia, ... causes the heart to beat more slowly during exhalation than it does in inhalation. ... If you take longer to exhale than to inhale, especially when you are relaxing, the slowing-down effect of exhalation will predominate."

  • by ph0rque on 6/10/15, 2:00 PM

    I've seen several articles that tout the benefits of cognitive behavioral therapy as a solution for various issues.

    Is there a self-guided CBT app out there that one could try out?

  • by jamesrcole on 6/10/15, 10:13 AM

    As someone who has a lot of sleep problems due to physical problems, I find it frustrating that insomnia seems almost always assumed to be always a psychological issue.

  • by ccvannorman on 6/10/15, 2:52 PM

    This reminds me of a TED talk* about dealing with stress, when stress is assumed to be a huge killer / detriment to life. It turns out it's all in how your mind perceives stress. It never ceases to amaze me the power your conscious mind can have over your overall life -- I'm reminded of a quote that "The brain is an elephant, and you are the rider on the back. You cannot steer sharply, but you can urge the brain to go somewhere over a long period of time."

    *http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_...

  • by russ5russ on 6/10/15, 12:23 PM

    A lot of my issues stem from work - I have a hard time winding down before I can fall asleep and if I ever wake up to grab a drink etc., it's incredibly difficult for me to fall back asleep. I've started working on meditation to help clear my mind, but even then...

  • by StefanKarpinski on 6/10/15, 2:55 PM

    It is pretty poor form for a New York Times article to not bother to define what "cognitive behavioral therapy" is in an article touting it, or even give any examples of what specifically CBT might entail in the context of treating sleep problems.

  • by mrfusion on 6/10/15, 11:54 AM

    Anyone know if melatonin helps?