Having trouble sleeping? Try this

Having trouble sleeping? New research led by Dr David Black of the Keck School of Medicine at USC says mindfulness can help people sleep better.

The study divided 49 people, all of whom were over-55 and had trouble sleeping, into two random groups and monitored their sleep patterns over the year.

One group took an established mindfulness course - a technique which teaches people to pay attention to the present moment - while the other were prepared with a class in sleep hygiene education - “which targets the modification of day-to-day behavioural and environmental factors that contribute to poor sleep".

The research found that those who’d been subject to the mindfulness training had greater sleep quality, suffered from less fatigue and additionally had a reduction in depression, compared against the second group.

There were no marked differences between the groups in terms of anxiety and markers associated with insomnia.

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