Try an Unexpected Technique a Sleep Doctor Swears By
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My devastation felt life-threatening.
I did not use screens or work in bed.
I meditated before bed.
I set aside at least eight hours of dedicated time for sleep each day.
board-certified psychiatrist, sleep medicine specialist, and medical reviewer at Rise Science
Unfortunately, none of it was working.
I even tried sleep medications prescribed by my doctor to no avail.
At work and with my family, I have always been a sleep proselytizer.
It turns out I was far from alone in my grief insomnia.
Our cortisol levels increase, which [negatively] affects sleep.
But griefs impact on sleep is not solely hormonal.
Our entire view of the world often changes when we go through a big loss.
Sometimes, we have never gone through such a huge loss before.
The result is a kind of hypervigilance that can be a significant contributor to grief insomnia.
board-certified psychiatrist, sleep medicine specialist, and medical reviewer at Rise Science
The resulting sleep loss can also harm your mental state, worsening the grieving process.
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6 tips for dealing with grief insomnia
1.
Prioritizing sleep during the grieving process is a keystone to overall well-being and emotional resilience, says Dr. Wu.
By addressing and improving sleep, individuals can better navigate and process their feelings of loss.
This is often easier said than done, as in my case.
Meditation is useful for learning to step away from your thoughts, she says.
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania maintains an onlinedirectory of CBT-I therapists here.
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