Why is wakeful rest more restorative than ordinary
unconscious rest of a traditional nap? The answer to this question could change
your life if you put into practice its message.
You know how sometimes a daytime nap leaves you feeling like
a slug upon awakening, whereas other wakeful rest enlivens you upon your return
to ordinary activity. You may have had this experience.
Brain Wave Patterns and Corresponding Mental
States
When the mind and body are at rest, all physiological
processes slow down and restoration becomes the order of business. Looking at
brain wave activity of the wakeful, resting and sleeping person, we see four
distinct brain waves: beta, alpha, theta and delta, each corresponding to a
specific mental state.
The brain wave patterns associated with ordinary activity
are beta and alpha states, alpha and theta with wakeful rest, and delta with
deep sleep. Each brain wave pattern corresponds to a specific state of mental
functioning.
For the sake of simplicity (as I don't want to lose you in
the academic detail), be mindful that the greatest stress release,
purification, restoration and healing occur during wakeful rest, not during
deep sleep. Though it is true that deep sleep is essential to psychological
health, the body's greatest self-repair occurs during alpha-theta states.
Here's why.
Healing at Its Best in Wakeful Rest
As mind and body are at rest, the system naturally engages
in a purification process, which inherently is a state of activity, not
inactivity. By activity, I don't mean ordinary daily activity, I mean the
miniscule, though magnificent activity of stress release. We know this through
the decades of research on the psychophysiology of meditation.
Suffice it to say, when you spend twenty to thirty minutes
once or twice during the day in wakeful rest, you engage in a restoration more
profound than the inactivity of deep sleep. And for domestic violence
survivors, the more stress release the better so as to offset the ongoing
heighten level of arousal that colors your day.
For more tips and insights to enhance your well-being during
and after and abusive relationship, visit http://www.PreventAbusiveRelationships.com and claim your free domestic abuse Survivor Success Tips and eInsights. Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D. helps people recognize, end and heal from domestic abuse. © 2008
Dr. Jeanne King, Ph.D.
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