The research keeps piling up on the benefits of mindfulness. A new study shows that mindfulness training produces positive effects on chronic insomnia and sleep problems – something I hear from traders more than on an occasional basis. Due to the small number of participants, the findings were limited and must be considered preliminary, but it was nicely designed. It compared mindfulness with a sedative in a random assignment study. At the end of the trial, people practicing mindfulness fell asleep faster and increased their overall amount of sleep. Moreover, mindfulness compared favorably with the medication and, of course, had no side effects. People also rated their satisfaction as higher with mindfulness compared to the drug. You can read more about the study here, though it is a bit clinical: Mindfulness Sleep Study.
Bottom line: if you are experiencing stress and sleepless nights, start a practice of mindfulness. You will be glad you did.
Dr Gary, will you elaborate the practice of mindfulness in the next Deep Practice session? I believe mindfulness requires practice as well.