- "Coronasomnia," or pandemic-stress-induced insomnia, can make it even harder to
sleep than usual. - Julie Peck, a self-described insomniac, swears by
meditation app Insight Timer. - She's used Jennifer Piercy's "Yoga Nidra for Sleep" to help take naps and get a full night's rest.
Sleep was already "the new sex" well before the pandemic, but the extra elusiveness it attained thanks to COVID-19 has people everywhere up in arms.
"Coronasomnia," as it's apparently being called, is the result of stress from the pandemic as well as scrambled and unpredictable schedules and even the effects of the virus itself, researchers say.
-(post-covid) depression (@hassonling) April 7, 2021
-Peej (@pj_amato) April 6, 2021
- (@susbbgirl) April 3, 2021
Since I'm a veteran insomniac, the experience of sleeplessness was nothing new for me when the pandemic hit.
It first started in college - when everyone's sleep patterns are wrecked by pulling all-nighters while cramming for exams and, well, partying - and then got much worse once I had my first child, who came with that newborn-parent paranoia of going into his room on the regular to check and make sure he was breathing.
Over the years, I've tried all kinds of things for my sleep, ranging from prescription medication to lavender "sleep spray" to a wide range of hot teas to melatonin and everything in between.
Recently, however, I stumbled on a solution to the problem that's such a winner, I tell everyone who complains of sleep issues about it. It's the meditation app Insight Timer.
Meditation has many proven benefits in addition to soothing you to sleep.
Scientific studies have proven that meditation holds many benefits, including stress relief, improved self-esteem, increased focus and concentration, and yes, even improved sleep.
However, if meditation isn't your jam, keep in mind that Insight Timer has almost as many non-meditation resources to help you sleep as it does those that are meditation-based.
Plus, with the app, you also get thousands of resources on other topics, including the coronavirus, stress, anxiety, depression, and motivation, as well as specific channels devoted to teachers of color and parents, live events, and ongoing courses on a variety of themes.
I first tried Insight Timer more than a year ago.
I tried it on the suggestion of a therapist whom I was consulting with at the time, and now use it at least three to four times a week.
Although it has a Premium version that goes for $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year, it's primarily a free app, which is how I use it, and says it has 90,000 titles for use online or that can be downloaded for use offline.
The programs are provided by teachers from all over the world, with instructors including everyday practitioners as well as actor Russell Brand, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, actress and mental health advocate Goldie Hawn, author Elizabeth Gilbert, and well-known psychologist, author, and meditation teacher Tara Brach.
The amount of resources is one downside - it has so much to offer, it can be hard to find a place to start.
My therapist had informed me that the app had quite a few resources for sleep, and when I first downloaded it, I was overwhelmed.
There are currently more than 2,200 meditations for sleep, more than 2,000 music tracks intended to help you drift off, and 146 talks listed under the topic, most of which are quite literally bedtime stories.
The interface itself is easy to use.
The one thing that wasn't intuitive to me initially was the search function, but they've since revamped it so that it's very clear at the top of the app's home screen.
There's even a button for "Sleep" right on the home screen that will take you directly to all of the resources in that section.
One additional feature on the home screen that I always find interesting is this map that lets you know how many users are on the app at any given time, how many have used it today, and how many members Insight Timer has.
After sampling about a half-dozen options, I stumbled onto "Yoga Nidra for Sleep" led by Jennifer Piercy.
"Yoga Nidra for Sleep" is now the highest-reviewed sleep meditation on the app, having earned 4.7 stars from more than 93,000 users. In fact, the track is the single-most-played on the app overall.
The word "yoga" is what initially drew me to the program, although at the time, I had no clue what "yoga nidra" meant. It turns out that "yoga nidra" is equivalent to yogic sleep, and at least as led by Piercy, it works every time.
Piercy points out at the beginning of the program that it can be used wherever the listener finds themselves, "whether that's seated on an airplane or bus, lying down on the floor, or in the comfort of your own bed."
To be honest, I'm not sure if I personally would use it on public transportation, because at this point, a year into using this program, I can feel my brain start its Pavlovian ramping down the minute Piercy's dulcet tones begin. I'm afraid I'd leave a puddle of non-coronavirus-friendly drool in the proximity of potential seatmates.
In the 22-minute meditation, Piercy first guides the listener through a deep and conscious inventory of their senses.
She then asks to set an intention (or "sankalpa" in Sanskrit) for the practice.
Next comes a series of deep breathing exercises for relaxation that center on slowing down the system by viewing oneself as part of the universe.
After this section, Piercy guides the listener through a full body scan to identify and release any remaining tension. It proceeds from there with the listener being led to experience both heaviness and lightness, then both simultaneously, then finishes with Piercy asking the listener to empty their mind and "fall into a deep rest."
Piercy also offers private consultations for a fee, which I haven't sampled. The bio on her free course "Your Guide To Deeper Sleep" notes that "since joining Insight Timer three years ago Jennifer's meditations have been listened to 19 million times."
Piercy's meditation is an excellent choice to address insomnia.
As the caregiver to my elderly mom as well as mom to a teenager in the house who's doing virtual school right now, I can tell you that I've used it more than a few times when I've desperately needed an hour's rest in the afternoon - and it works just as well to give me a refreshing nap with no "hangover" when I wake up as it does to provide a full night's sleep.