Guided imagery for sleep

How To and Benefits for Sleep, Anxiety, More

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We all get stressed sometimes. The feeling can be triggered by many situations in your daily life. You may also experience ongoing stress when dealing with longer-term challenging situations throughout life.

If you’re constantly stressed, it can take a toll on your overall health. It can also make it difficult to feel relaxed or calm.

Guided imagery is a method for managing your stress. It’s a relaxation technique that involves visualizing positive, peaceful settings like a beautiful beach or a peaceful meadow. This technique is also known as visualization or guided meditation.

According to research, guided imagery may help:

reduce stress and anxiety
promote relaxation
ease various symptoms related to stress

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what guided imagery is, its science-backed benefits, and how to do it correctly.

Guided imagery is a type of focused relaxation or meditation. Focused relaxation involves concentrating on a specific object, sound, or experience in order to calm your mind.

In guided imagery, you intentionally think of a peaceful place or scenario. The goal is to promote a calm state through relaxation and mindfulness. The idea is that your body reacts to your own thoughts.

For example, when you think about a stressful situation, your body and mind become tense. Your heart rate and blood pressure might increase, and you may feel jittery and unfocused.

But if you focus your attention on pleasant scenarios, your mind and body tend to relax. You may feel less tightness and tension in your muscles, while your mind might feel calmer and more at ease.

By calming your mind and body, you may be better able to cope with mental, emotional, and physical stress.

According to research, guided imagery may be able to positively affect your health and well-being in several different ways.

Let’s look more closely at what’s known about the possible benefits.

Reduces anxiety and stress

There’s plenty of scientific evidence that shows that guided imagery may help reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.

In a study published in 2014, women with fibromyalgia were divided into two groups. One group practiced guided imagery on a daily basis for a 10-week period, while the other group practiced their usual care routine.

At the end of the study, the women who did guided imagery reported a significant decrease in their feelings of stress, fatigue, pain, and depression.

Another study that was done in 2017 compared the stress-relieving benefits of guided imagery with clinical massage. The study, which involved patients in a progressive care unit, found that 30 minutes of guided imagery had similar positive effects to a 15-minute massage.

A 2018 study also concluded that guided imagery may help decrease pre-surgery anxiety. Similarly, in another 2018 study, guided imagery reduced pretest anxiety in students.

Improves sleep

Anxiety and stress can make it difficult to sleep well. But according to several studies, guided imagery may help improve your sleep.

In the 2017 study mentioned above, the participants who practiced guided imagery also reported that their sleep had improved.

Similarly, a 2015 study involving older adults found that a mindfulness practice, which included guided imagery, may have the ability to improve sleep quality. The researchers speculated that mindfulness meditation improves how your body responds to stress, making it easier to sleep.

Decreases pain

Research has shown that stress has the ability to worsen your perception of pain.

A 2017 review found that guided imagery may help manage pain after orthopedic surgery. Similarly, another study done in 2019 found that guided imagery decreased post-surgery pain in children.

Also, in the 2014 study mentioned earlier, participants reported decreased pain, along with other benefits, like less stress and fatigue.

According to a 2019 study, guided imagery together with progressive muscle relaxation helped ease pain in patients with cancer.

Reduced depression symptoms

According to a 2014 review, depression is often associated with negative mental images. However, the positive images that are created through guided imagery may be able to change this.

In a 2019 study, one week of daily guided imagery was associated with reduced depressive symptoms in people with cancer. The participants also reported reduced pain and less anxiety.

A 2018 study found similar results for depression and anxiety in people receiving hemodialysis.

Guided imagery can be done anytime and anywhere, and it doesn’t require any special equipment. In general, here’s what you need:

a quiet spot
a comfortable couch, bed, or yoga mat
a guided imagery audio recording (optional)
headphones (optional)

Guided imagery audio recordings are available on many platforms, including:

YouTube (search for “guided imagery”)
Rogel Cancer Center Michigan Medicine
Dartmouth College Student Wellness Center
A Healthier Michigan podcast
Headspace app

Simply Being app

Your local bookstore or library may also have guided imagery CDs.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to try guided imagery without an audio recording:

Sit or lie down in a quiet, comfortable area.
Close your eyes. Take several deep breaths. Inhale and exhale deeply and keep breathing deeply as you continue this relaxation technique.
Imagine a peaceful scene like a lush forest, majestic mountain range, or a quiet, tropical beach. Or, think of a favorite place in nature that makes you feel relaxed.
Think of the details in the scene. Imagine the sounds, scents, and sensations of being in this peaceful, calming place.
Envision a path in your scene. Picture yourself walking along the path, imagining the details and sounds as you walk this path.
Relax in your scene for several minutes. Continue breathing deeply.
After 15 minutes, count to three. Open your eyes.

If you’re new to guided imagery, you may want to try it after doing yoga or progressive muscle relaxation. When your body is relaxed, your mind has an easier time relaxing, too.

These tips may be helpful if you’re just getting started with guided imagery:

You can read a script or listen to an audio recording. It’s recommended that you listen to a recording so you can close your eyes while you do this exercise.
Choose a quiet area where you’ll be undisturbed.
Wear comfortable, loose clothing.
Turn off your phone and other electronics. If you’re listening to a recording on your phone, set it to “do not disturb.”
Take several deep breaths. Inhale and exhale deeply and then start the audio recording.
Continue to inhale and exhale deeply as you follow along with the prompts provided by the audio recording.
Don’t worry about how well you’re doing. Relax, don’t try too hard, and let the process happen by itself.
Guided imagery takes practice. Start with 5 minutes a day, then increase the time from there.
If you have difficulty imagining peaceful settings, look at images or videos on the Internet. Find a soothing scene and pretend you’re there.
Record how you feel after guided imagery. As time goes on, you’ll be able to track your stress levels to determine if they’ve improved.

Guided imagery uses the power of your mind to form relaxing, peaceful images that are a blend of your thoughts and senses.

Research has shown that guided imagery can be a helpful technique for helping to reduce:

anxiety
stress
pain
depression
sleep issues

Although guided imagery has few risks, it may increase feelings of anxiety in some people.

If you experience depressive thoughts, heightened stress, or anxiety with this technique, it’s important to talk with a therapist before continuing.

Meditation for Sleep - Headspace

The benefits of sleep meditation

Regularly sleeping fewer than seven hours per night increases the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, unhealthy eating habits that can lead to other chronic illnesses. Sleep deprivation can cause impairments in short and long term memory), decision making), attention), and reaction time).

People who are sleep deprived also tend to make more errors at work and drive more dangerously on the road.

Increased and better sleep, on the other hand, can lower levels of stress, and improve mental clarity and memory. Improved sleep also affects our immune systems), encourages better eating habits and weight management.

Better sleep has even been linked to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s. Studies regularly connect improved sleep with providing a greater sense of wellbeing.

Why might you choose to meditate before bed? Especially if you have insomnia or difficulty falling asleep, meditation has been shown to improve the quality and efficiency of sleep, how quickly you fall asleep, and how long you can stay awake during the day.

Completing a meditation for sleep before bed can help you to fall asleep faster; once asleep, you’re likely to sleep more soundly, too.

Meditation for quality sleep – during the day

Sleep falls into a unique category in that good quality Zzzs require much more than doing a simple meditation in bed. Restful sleep largely depends on having a rested mind, and so the preparation can begin with your mindset ... during the day. More often than not, our issues around sleep are rooted in our thinking processes.

Headspace’s 30-day Sleep course (available only to Headspace subscribers), for example, isn’t designed to send you to sleep in the moment; it’s designed to change your relationship with sleep. By gradually training the mind in a specific way — day by day, for a month — you gradually create an environment conducive to a good night’s rest.

It’s recommended that the 30-day Sleep course be used during the day, in conjunction with the single sleep meditation at bedtime. The course trains the mind for long-term, sustainable change; the single meditation is a specific exercise to send you to sleep.

What to expect when meditating to fall asleep

Meditation for sleep should be approached the same way we approach meditation in the daytime: gently, with a relaxed focus. When we allow the body to relax, and allow the mind to drift off, we do so in a soft, gentle way, not trying to force sleep, otherwise we encourage more thoughts and, possibly, some tension. As much as possible, allow yourself to be led by the guidance, not thinking too much about the technique or instructions.

Before you begin your sleep meditation: lie flat on your back on the bed, take a few deep breaths, and close your eyes, allowing the body to begin powering down. If you’re using a guided meditation, follow the instructions. If practicing unguided meditation, progress at your own pace. The more you practice this type of meditation, the more likely you are to build a quiet and restful mind that can sleep at ease.

Guided sleep meditations generally employ a number of different techniques:

Breathing exercises. This involves regulating your breath — counting breaths, for example — and eventually slowing your breathing down a bit, which signals to the body that it’s time for sleep.
Mindful body scanning. As you lie on your bed, you may be asked to notice the breath and the places where your body is touching your bed. Then, starting at the toes, you can think of “switching off” any effort in each part of your body, part by part.
Visualizations. A visualization asks you to imagine an image or scene, then it takes you into a mental state that is similar to hypnosis. Gratitude: Some sleep-focused meditation programs focus on appreciation meditation and loving kindness meditation, which ask you to focus on gratitude.
Counting. To slow the mind down and release you from cyclical patterns of thought, you may be invited to count slowly: starting at 10 (or even 1,000) counting backwards to one, then starting at 10 again.
Silence. A narrator or guide may ask you to lie calmly in silence for up to a few minutes, providing very little guidance, as a way to focus after a long and busy day.
Movement-based meditation. If you’re being guided through a sleep-based meditation in person, you may be invited to participate in mindful movement practices like tai chi, low-impact postures or light stretching.
Retracing your day. Reviewing your day, in detail, action-by-action, can be a great way to distract your mind just enough to drift off. Starting from getting up in the morning, through showering and having breakfast, spend 20-25 seconds on each of the day’s events, however small. This is great way to begin powering down, before a breathing or visualization meditation.

A simple meditation to aid sleep

If you wake up in the night, racing thoughts can contribute to keeping you awake. Your mind is whirring away, worrying about all kinds of things that might happen. A simple meditation based on counting the breaths can really help.

Start by scanning down through your body, looking for areas of tension and relaxation. Then begin counting your breaths, (1 for an in-breath, 2 for an out-breath, 3 for an in-breath and so on, up to 10). If your mind wanders, just bring it back to counting your breath. The idea is to step away from the worried thinking, and give your mind a different object to concentrate on for a while so you can fall back asleep.

methods of direct influence on brain activity / Sudo Null IT News Today, Morpheus himself ordered to set up a period when the body processes memories, twists dreams, “washes” the brain and does other useful things.

There are people in the world who need only 4-5 hours of sleep, but there are very few of them. For most, reducing the night regime threatens destruction and death. The duration of sleep is of great importance, because it does not just take part of the day, but "eats" a third of life! If the duration cannot be reduced, can efficiency be improved? It turns out yes. There are ways to regulate the brain during sleep so that you can increase your productivity without side effects.

Bottomless Pit of Dreams

Source

The Visceral Theory of Sleep (VTS) states that we need sleep in order for the organs to receive the necessary "computing power" for their own adjustment. According to the VTS, the brain practically does not suffer from sleep deprivation, but the internal organs begin to fail, since sleep is needed to alternately debug all parts of our body. However, recent research shows that the brain is just as affected by sleep disorders as any other organ - lack of sleep not only impairs human cognitive function, but can also lead to irreversible damage and destruction of neurons.

One day you won't be able to "sleep on the weekend" - some human studies have shown that concentration and other cognitive functions cannot fully recover even after three days. In this regard, questions arise about how the theory of "sleep a little, but properly" actually works and how to determine the measure of this correctness. On the other hand, if reducing sleep time leads to severely negative consequences, other methods of adjusting sleep should be explored.

Electrical stimulation of the brain

Source

Dr. Rudolfo Llinas, one of the founders of neurology, in his report "Consciousness and coherent activity of the brain" proposed a model of consciousness based on the synchronization of neural activity. He suggested that the coherent electrical activity of a part of the neural structure of the brain creates the necessary conditions for the emergence of visual images in the mind. This happens even if the sensitive endings of neurons do not work, for example, during dreams. It turned out that oscillations with a frequency of 40 Hz can synchronize the firing of neurons that respond to various aspects of the perceived image.

German researcher Ursula Voss, her colleagues neurophysiologists from Goethe University in Frankfurt and specialists from Harvard Medical School in Boston studied 27 volunteers. The scientists wanted to answer the question of what comes first: high frequency activity (about 40 Hz) in the gamma band leads to lucid dreams, or vice versa. They stimulated the brains of the subjects during sleep with a weak electric current of different frequencies (from 2 to 100 Hz), that is, in all frequency ranges on which the brain itself works.

As it turned out, stimulation at a frequency of 40 Hz, on which the brain "works", does not disturb the usual signs of REM sleep, but leads to the fact that the brain itself begins to generate high-frequency waves of the gamma range (37-43 Hz). Scientists believe that under such conditions, neurons begin to synchronizely emit electrical impulses at a given frequency.
So, stimulation at frequencies of 40 Hz caused the volunteers to dream, which they could control.

[If the very fact of current flowing through the brain scares you, think of another phenomenon associated with electrical stimulation during sleep. Electrosleep therapy is a method of therapeutic effect on the human central nervous system with a pulsed current of low frequency (1–150 Hz), low power (up to 10 mA) and voltage up to 80 V during sleep. It improves blood circulation, increases the minute volume of breathing, stimulates redox processes, reduces pain sensitivity. In addition, it does not cause memory and intelligence decline.]

The benefits of lucid dreaming

Let's start with the main thing: not proven. Lucid dreams (LU) can be "played", the remnants of dreams can become a help in creative activity ... or they may not. However, this fact does not bother the creators of numerous startups that interfere with the work of sleep and do not take into account how important the processes of alternating sleep phases are for the brain.

OS are undocumented features with unpredictable delayed consequences. This is entertainment that, with prolonged activity, can seriously blur the barrier between dream and reality. Nevertheless, at "short distances" it makes sense to deal with the OS. They can be used to treat phobias, aggressive conditions, depression and other problems. When you are asleep and at that moment you realize that you are dreaming, you can deal with any nightmare.

Devices for calling the OS

Sleep in which you understand that you are dreaming is called lucid. From it to the OS is a stone's throw - there are many practices, all of them are easily accessible and we will not consider them in detail. They require attention, concentration, motivation and a commitment to achieving results. However, for those who are not ready to spend time achieving results on their own, there are a large number of ready-made devices in the world that make it easier to enter controlled sleep.

Startup Arenar has launched a fundraiser for the iBand+ gadget, consisting of pillow speakers, a mobile app and a bandage equipped with encephalography electrodes and LEDs aimed at the eyes. As a result, they collected 1289% of the requested amount, and they promise to start delivery in September 2017.

Why did you like the product so much? The electrodes pick up the exact moment when the REM phase begins, after which the LEDs, along with the speakers, give weak audiovisual signals. The sleeper feels these signals as an anomaly in a dream, is aware of his condition and takes control of what is happening (in theory). The LEDs paired with the EGG electrodes also work as a "smart alarm clock" that selects the most appropriate moment in the sleep cycle to wake the person up with simulated sunlight.

But not everything is as rosy as it looks in the advertisement. A similar product has been developed in Ukraine for many years. The Luciding gadget is made in the form of a thin bandage made of hypoallergenic fabric, on the inside of which there are four sensors-electrodes: two sensors are in contact with the forehead, and two more are located behind the ears. Luciding by EEG determines the onset of REM sleep. It is at this moment that the gadget sends a 30-second electrical signal at a frequency of 40 Hz, which helps to realize the dream.

After developing numerous prototypes, the company has never come close to creating a stable device that guarantees lucid dreaming. This is not a precedent in world practice - the fake device Luci, designed to control dreams, raised $ 363,000 on Kickstarter, but never appeared among users.

In contrast to electrical stimulation, light-based devices have more applications. Aurora by iWinks has traditional sensors that track the electroencephalogram and electrooculogram (eye movements), as well as an accelerometer responsible for monitoring body movement. The gadget is able to track the phase of REM sleep and, using the LED signal, let the user know that he is currently sleeping.

Gadgets for lucid dreaming continue to appear, and there are also in Russia.

Circadian Rhythm Reprogramming

Circadian Rhythm (Biological Clock) treatment can treat a range of disorders ranging from sleep disorders to behavioral, cognitive and metabolic abnormalities commonly associated with stress, job changes, exposure to light at night, and with neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression and autism.

All living beings on Earth are affected by the 24-hour cycle of light and dark. Living organisms have adapted to the daily rotation of the Earth, developing biological rhythms that repeat themselves after about 24 hours. These circadian rhythms are generated endogenously (within the body).

The biological clock is "reset" due to phosphorylation of proteins in the brain - this process is triggered by exposure to light. Essentially, light stimulates the synthesis of specific proteins that play a key role in synchronizing the rhythm of the body clock with the daily cycles of the environment.

Research at Stanford University has shown that flashing lights can "trick" the body into "thinking" it is in a different time zone. As a result of light therapy, the body clock can be adjusted by up to two hours a day, according to Mail Online.
Thus, increasing light levels helps to reduce drowsiness and partially offset the side effects of seasonal affective disorder. Exposure to light will also help counteract the negative effects of using a computer late at night.

Setting rhythms as an idea for business

Based on research conducted at Flinders University (Australia), the Thim startup has developed a tracker of the same name that adapts the user's sleep pattern to a certain load during the week. A Kickstarter campaign is underway to raise funds to create a full-fledged device made in the form of a finger ring.

Thim slips on your finger and gently vibrates to wake you up every three minutes for an hour. This process is called light sleep interruption and prevents the user from fully waking up. According to the developers, with just one hour of interrupted sleep per day, a person can adapt his sleep pattern to any necessary loads for five nights in a row.

Rise Science, a Chicago startup, provides personalized sleep coaching for college and professional athletes to help players sleep better and perform at their best. The company creates an individual sleep schedule for each player and sends them automatic messages when it's time to go to bed.

In 2013, they conducted extensive research on the impact of sleep on athletic performance. After taking into account the schedule of classes, age and genetic characteristics of the players, they determined the correct amount of sleep for 20 volunteers. Then they made a calendar and literally prescribed for each player an individually optimal sleep/wake time based on genetics. Some players needed seven and a half hours of sleep, while others needed seven hours and fifty minutes.

After 8 weeks of testing, it was found that players who live their sleep schedules run faster on the pitch on game day.

4.20: polyphasic sleep

Popular sleep patterns: on the diagrams you can see the proportions of periods of wakefulness and sleep

At all times there were famous people who successfully used (and advised everyone) shared sleep. Sleep after work, during work, at lunch, double sleep a night, sleep for ten minutes every hour - many ways have come up with. Admirers of the method claim that a person’s refusal from slow sleep does not have any negative consequences for the body, but at the same time saves a lot of time.

In fact, if a person is faced with a lack of sleep, the slow phases will be excluded, but in the future they are compensated - the brain will sleep when it is allowed (the consequences of this approach may not be the most rosy). Changes in the ratio of sleep phases are compensated for short periods, but in long-term experiments can lead to exhaustion of the nervous system.

Scientific studies of the impact of polyphasic sleep on human health in the long term (a year or more) are not presented. The reason probably lies in the fact that it is extremely difficult to coordinate polyphasic sleep schedules with the activities of other people in society. However, in extreme conditions, 10-20 minute naps during the day at regular intervals can help relieve some of the symptoms of sleep deprivation.

The lack of scientific experiments does not stop startups and enthusiasts. We came up with a NeuroOn polyphasic sleep mask that monitors brain waves, eyeball movements during sleep and changes in muscle tension. The mask wakes a person at the moment when he has completed the stage of REM sleep. NeuroOn has built-in LEDs and motors for gentle vibration, whereby it awakens the wearer.

The Neuroon mask became available for pre-order in 2014, but the final version of the product did not appear until more than two years later. Unlike other products of this class, it has an unusual feature for travelers. The app creates a personalized sleep adjustment program during which the mask makes a series of light flashes, manipulating the production of melatonin in the body and reprogramming the circadian rhythm.

Sound effects

Even during sleep, the brain continues to register and process sounds. Extraneous noise can wake you up, move, toss and turn in bed, switch between stages of sleep, or even change your heart rate and blood pressure levels - and you won't remember any of this when you wake up. How sounds affect sleep depends on the stage of sleep, time of night, and even your individual perception.

Based on these data, several devices were created, the effectiveness of which was evaluated experimentally. The following studies were carried out: they installed sensors on the forehead and around the ears, which tracked the state of a person’s sleep by measuring brain waves. When the sensors detected the onset of deep sleep, pink noise was turned on at the head of the bed, thanks to which it was possible to more effectively "transfer" the brain to the stage of REM sleep.

How sound affects our ability to sleep

Research shows that sounds, such as the sound of waves crashing on the shore, help people remember what they learned the day before. In the human brain, separate networks of neurons often fire together. The collective increase and decrease in the activity of networks of neurons causes the fluctuations that we see on the EEG. At different times, the brain vibrates at different frequencies. During sleep, the brain produces slow oscillations of <1 Hz—hence the term NREM sleep—and these oscillations are thought to be important for the consolidation of memories.

Scientists at the University of Tübingen in Germany have suggested that memory can be improved by auditory stimulation, which causes slow oscillations. The study was conducted on 11 volunteers who studied word associations just before bedtime. Their knowledge of the learned words was tested first at bedtime and then again the next day. While the subjects were sleeping, short bursts of pink noise were played to them. These "pieces" of pink noise were timed to "slow" oscillations of the brain of a sleeping person.

As a result, it was found that after exposure to pink noise in a dream, people were able to remember twice as many word associations as without stimulation. When the experiment was repeated with pink noise, which was out of sync with the natural slow oscillations of the brain waves, no improvement in memory was noticed.

White noise and silence

In addition to pink, white noise also affects sleep. It blocks out other intermittent noises and provides constant, soothing sounds to help you fall asleep. In fact, any sounds familiar to a person become an analogue of white noise: it can be a TV, a fan or an air conditioner - they provide uneven frequency noise. Some people prefer other sounds: the sound of the waves, the chirping of crickets, the rustling of the wind.

An alternative approach involves the effect of total silence. Keep in mind that complete silence is individual and not suitable for everyone. Someone simply physically cannot fall asleep without the distant noise of the street outside the window (reminiscent of white noise), while someone is forced to sleep in earplugs.

The Muzo startup was presented on Kickstarter in the summer of 2016. The developers planned to raise 100 thousand dollars for the production of the device, but attracted more than 430 thousand. And then on Indiegogo they collected five thousand percent more than necessary - almost two million dollars. The money went towards developing a device that mounts to a window or any other flat surface that absorbs vibrations and creates sound waves that amplify background noise so that it becomes silence. The device uses the same technology as active noise canceling headphones. Deliveries should begin this year.

Light exposure

We are accustomed to think that sleep is a time of absence of light. Complete darkness, in which only a normal existence is possible during sleep. However, light at certain wavelengths helps sleep, improves mood, reduces depression, or makes us feel more active while we work.

Light is the main way of synchronizing the biological clock with the solar day. If we are not exposed to enough light of the right spectrum for the amount of time our body needs, our biological clock will become out of sync with the sun and we may experience a breakdown.

Most people sleep well when the circadian and homeostatic systems that influence the sleep-wake cycle are aligned. Another very famous circadian rhythm is the melatonin production cycle. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland at night (in dark conditions), signaling that it's time to sleep. The time of melatonin production in the evening, occurring approximately 2 hours before natural sleep, is used as a marker of the circadian clock. Evening exposure to light slows down the onset of melatonin production, delaying the onset of sleepiness. If a bright light wakes you up at night, then nighttime melatonin will return to normal levels only after 30-45 minutes in the dark.

Seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a subtype of depression that occurs during the winter months and carries over into autumn and spring with episodes. The mechanisms by which SAD occurs are still unknown, some researchers question the very existence of such a disorder, but light can be effectively used as a treatment for certain types of depression - and if it helps you, then why and why is not so important, is it?

Late dawn during the winter months delays the circadian rhythms of those more susceptible to SAD. Another hypothesis is based on the assumption that the total amount of melatonin produced in individuals suffering from SAD is greater in the winter months than in the summer months, which increases the amount of time that the body considers the night period of the day. In this case, it is recommended to use the light early in the morning or in the evening.

Studies have shown efficacy in treating SAD symptoms even at low light levels (< 500 lux at 470 nm - blue light). Increasing the radiation in the shortwave region allows you to reduce the level of illumination, but at the same time get the same effect. Exposure to bright white light (at least 3000 lux and above) for 1 hour in the morning for 2 weeks has been found to improve or enhance nighttime sleep in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Studies have shown that continuous, bright, indirect white light (at least 1,000 lux) during the daytime evens out circadian rhythms and relieves symptoms of depression.

Light therapy at different lengths

24-hour demonstration room at the Lighting Research Center at the Polytechnic Institute. Rensselara provides daytime electric lighting with cool light during the day and warm lighting in the evening

Researchers have proposed a 24-hour lighting scheme that provides high circadian stimulation during the day, low circadian stimulation during the evening, and special light during the night.

For example, warm light (2700 K or less) illuminating the cornea at 1 lux will allow safe movement through space at night, but will not suppress the hormone melatonin.

Most studies to date have linked the disturbing effects of light to its ability to suppress melatonin, which in turn is considered to be one of the risk factors for certain types of cancer. Televisions, computers, even digital watches are all common sources of nighttime blue light that disrupts the circadian rhythm. To work at night without disturbing the rhythm of melatonin production, it is recommended to use red light (as from a fire). In addition, long-wavelength red light can enhance the objective and subjective indicators of healthy body activity.

Green light induces rapid onset of sleep, 1 to 3 minutes. Blue and purple light delays sleep — sleep onset takes 16 to 19 minutes for blue and 5 to 10 minutes for purple. People who used e-readers (30–50 lux) for 4 hours before bed experienced trouble falling asleep. Similarly, people who slept with ~40 lux at night had more poor sleep. Even relatively low night light levels can have detrimental effects.

To get the best results from light therapy, it is also important to accurately measure light exposure over a 24-hour day, and not just take "instantaneous" light measurements at a specific location and time. Light parameters are determined using a dosimeter. To specifically measure the amount of light that the human eye sees, the Daysimeter is used. The device accurately measures the main characteristics of light: intensity, spectrum, duration.

By the way, for a computer, you can use F.lux, which automatically calibrates the monitor's color temperature depending on the time of day. This program reduces the proportion of blue in the color spectrum of the monitor in the evening.

Conclusion

The world of dreams is huge, you want to dive into it again and again, so next time we will be able to touch on other states that were not discussed today due to their borderliness. For example, sleep deprivation is an extreme degree of influence, which at the same time can produce a positive effect.

In addition to the described methods, there is an obvious tactile method that woke up the sleeping beauty. However, if the prince were a somnologist, he would probably run his finger along the palm of the princess - in some cases this is one of the safest ways to wake a person without stress.

In the meantime, good night and sweet dreams.

Sources

http://lightingpatternsforhealthybuildings.org/content/4
http://dreamstudies.org/2009/09/18/lucid-dreaming-hybrid-gamma-biurnal-beats/
https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=p1i6A7t6L2g
http://www.gazeta.ru/science/2014/05/ 12_a_6027085.shtml
https://ain.ua/2016/01/28/tri-ukrainskix-startapa-voshli-v-final-konkursa-svod-europe
https://singularityhub.com/2013/04/27/ want-to-have-a-better-memory-study-shows-sounds-during-sleep-can-help/
http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2015/05/light-therapy-better-sleep/
http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v7/n1/full/tp2016262a.html

How to learn to control sleep - 100% method

Esoteric

Every person has some "visions" when he sleeps. Most often, we dream of events in the first person. We see some objects, situations. Sometimes even very realistic. Very often, dreams are immediately forgotten.

Do you want to have an interesting experience and learn how to manage your sleep? We offer a 100% method of managing your dreams.

CONTENT OF ARTICLE

1 What are lucid dreams?
- 1.1 Scientific research
2 Phases of a controlled sleep
3 Original preparation
4 Stage of immersion in sleep
5 Management plot of sleep
9 Conclusion

What are lucid dreams?

A lucid dream is a special state of human consciousness that has nothing to do with ordinary sleep. In a lucid dream, events are clear and vivid. The surrounding space seems real. Waking up, a person remembers all the details of sleep for a long time.

Research

Two scientists Patricia Garfield and Stephen LaBerge are researching the control of dreams. In their works, they confirm that dream control is possible, and in some cases vital. In cases where a person often has nightmares, the intervention of science and medicine helps to cope with the problem.

Phases of controlled sleep

Managed, controlled sleep has its own phases:

Immersion in sleep. The initial phase, when the method of auto-training and suggestion is applied.
Being in a controlled dream. This stage takes place according to the script programmed in the subconscious.
Exit from sleep. This is the awakening phase.

Lucid dreams come into REM sleep. The first stage of REM sleep occurs 1.5 hours after falling asleep. During the night, she can come 3-5 times.

Initial Preparation

To learn how to control dreams, you need to prepare the body and mind. This process should teach the correct immersion in a lucid dream.

Learn to completely relax the whole body, muscles;
Send mental orders to certain parts of the body and fill them with warmth. In this case, the head should always feel cool;
Learn to feel and direct heaviness in the limbs;
Maintain this state (relaxation of the body, warmth of body parts and heaviness in the limbs) for a specified time.

The stage of immersion in sleep

In order for sleep to be controlled by your mind, you need to conduct a meditation practice or auto-training before falling asleep.

You should relax and feel your breath. It should be even and deep.
Transfer your thoughts to the muscles of the body. You start from the lower extremities and up to the crown to feel every part of the body.
Don't turn off your consciousness. Dream up. Imagine yourself in a boat swaying on the waves or in another pleasant place. At the same time, you mentally move, and the body remains at rest.

At first, you will find it difficult to master this practice. After all, consciousness has not been freed from the emotions and events of the past day. Practice the exercises and you will learn to free your mind to move into a lucid dream.

Controlling the plot of a dream

To learn how to control the plot in a dream and change the “scenery”, you need to use the rotation technique. It is like magical manipulation in a dream. Before going to bed, you need to give yourself the installation that you can transform objects, furnishings and living beings - you just need to turn around your axis.

When in a dream you need to change the plot, the subconscious will give a signal and you will be able to choose new plots by rotating around your axis.

Calling up desired images

In a controlled dream, you can meet any person you ask. It can be your friends, celebrities and deceased relatives.

Immediately after meditation imagine their image. Give your subconscious not only images, but also questions that you want to hear the answer to.

In a dream you can see your future. To do this, direct your thoughts to create an image of the future.

A lucid dream will be a continuation of the reality that is concentrated in your consciousness. To change the scenery, you need to apply the following methods:

Imagine a door in front of you, behind which is something secret and unfamiliar;
Perhaps instead of deri, it will be easier for you to imagine a magical portal, after passing through which you will find yourself in a place of another reality or the other world;
Think about moving out of your world into unusual spaces that you can't even imagine.

How to repeat a dream

Sometimes a dream is so unusual that you really want to return to it again. And it's possible! Conduct auto-training before falling asleep, and then remember the events and characters of that extraordinary dream where you want to return again.

Remember all the main and key points before falling asleep. Of course, it may not work the first time. Don't lose hope. If you constantly repeat the practice of falling asleep, then you will achieve mastery and learn how to return to your dreams.

Pros and cons of managing your dreams

Lifting the veil of secrecy by learning to control dreams You get a number of benefits:

Vivid emotions and unforgettable worlds, the creator of which will be you;
Mastering the practice of meditation and auto-training, which can be applied in other areas of your life;
Getting rid of fears and nightmares that come in unconscious dreams;
An opportunity to discover clairvoyance and learn to predict the future.

The negative side of controlled dreams is:

Exhaustion.
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