When we don’t get enough sleep, we are tired, less positive, less motivated, less focused, and more likely to feel depressed. We may even experience more intense cravings for high-fat, sugar-rich foods. And yet, despite the myriad advantages of getting a good night’s sleep, countless people suffer from chronic insomnia. If you’re one of them, a new book Mindfulness for Insomnia: A Four-Week Guided Program to Relax Your Body, Calm Your Mind, and Get the Sleep You Need, is designed to help.
Published by New Harbinger Publications, the book’s authors are:
- Catherine Polan Orzech, MA, LMFT, has taught mindfulness since 2000.
- William H. Moorcroft, PhD, is a registered psychotherapist; behavioral sleep medicine specialist; emeritus professor at Luther College, Decorah, IA; and founder and chief consultant at Northern Colorado Sleep Consultants, LLC, where he now specializes in treating insomnia, children’s sleep problems, nightmares, and sleep problems in shift workers.
The forward is written by Jason C. Ong, PhD, associate professor in the department of neurology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and past president of the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine..
The book offers evidence-based meditations and a 4-week protocol to address the emotional stresses and anxieties that lie at the root of sleep issues. You’ll learn practices grounded in mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindful self-compassion, and guided mindfulness and acceptance for insomnia to alleviate the mental, emotional, and physical impacts of insomnia. You’ll also learn to identify both internal and external factors that may be compromising your sleep and develop a plan to address these issues.
