Rest Easy

March is quickly approaching and with it more attention to a good night’s rest, as March is National Sleep Awareness Month. Take note if you and your clients suffer from chronic sleep problems; a new study proves relief may be a moment of meditation away. The clinical trial led by David S. Black, an assistant professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California, was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine and studied a group of 50 older adults with moderate sleep problems over the course of a year. The group was split in two—one section learned behaviors that could help them develop good sleep hygiene and the other section attended a six-week mindfulness meditation program led by a certified instructor. The participants who learned the mindfulness meditation approach had greater improvements in sleep quality and reduced insomnia and fatigue and fewer symptoms of depression.

Given these and other proven health benefits, it’s no wonder mindfulness meditation is popping up all over. For more, check out Year of Mindfulness, Mental Muscle, and Meditation News.