Sleep and stress are very closely related. Stress can often rob you of sleep by engaging both your mind and your scheduled time for sleep. Stress can also occasionally cause you to sleep too much or oversleep due to fatigue. Trouble sleeping for a few nights or even a few weeks can be common at times of both positive and negative stress. The National Sleep Foundation recommends engaging in a relaxing, non-alerting activity at bedtime such as reading or listening to music. For some people, soaking in a warm bath or hot tub can be helpful. Avoid activities that are mentally or physically stimulating.

It is generally recognized that the 'Pain gate' can be shut by stimulating nerves responsible for carrying the touch signal (mechaoreceptors) which enables the relief of pain through massage techniques, rubbing, and also the application of wheat bags and ice packs. The Gate can also be shut by stimulating the release of endogenous opioids which are opioid (pain-relieving) type chemicals released by the body in response to pain stimuli.  Acupuncture and electrical analgesia (TENS) is thought to stimulate their release as a response to stimulation, the opioids then inhibiting the transmission of pain signals in the substantia gelatinosa part of the spinal cord - what is often referred to as the spinal root part of the nerve.

Did you know that Bach was using music to help people relax and shift consciousness into the appropriate brainwave states for sound sleep?

Bach was hired by the Russian envoy Count Kaiserling to write music that would help his insomnia. Bach composed what is known as the Goldberg Variations, named after Kaiserling's harpsichordist, Johann Gottleib Goldberg. Years later it was proven that largo musical movements (very slow movements) increase alpha activity in the brain.

Alpha brain waves bring a relaxed state of awareness to the body/mind. Alpha brainwaves states are very important, for if someone cannot bring their body/mind to an alpha state, they cannot get to the deeper and slower brain wave levels in the body/mind where rest and rejuvenation can occur.

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Director and Professor of Music Therapy Myra J. Staum, Ph.D., RMT-BC, of Willamette University, Salem, Oregon, utilizes music as a tool to encourage development in social/emotional, cognitive/learning and perceptual-motor areas. According to Dr. Staum, music therapy has a wide variety of functions with the exceptional child, adolescent and adult in medical, institutional and educational settings. “Music is effective because it is a nonverbal form of communication,” Dr. Staum said. “It is a natural reinforcer, it is immediate in time and provides motivation for practicing nonmusical skills. Most importantly, it is a successful medium because almost everyone responds positively to at least some kind of music.”

Sherill F. Cross, registered music therapist at Waco VAMC in Texas, runs a VA music therapists network. Although Cross works with only 100 patients each year, similar music-therapy-directed relaxation training is available at many VA hospitals, such as in Houston, Topeka (Kan.), Milwaukee and New York.

“They [soldiers] have just returned from a [combat] situation where they’ve been hypervigilant and had screwed up sleeping patterns,” Cross says. “They need help in dealing with issues and resetting their pattern to ‘default.’”

Cross begins her 10-week program with individual sessions, teaching patients to focus on breathing while listening to slow and lyric-free music. Meanwhile, she instructs them in a 20-to-30-minute relaxation exercise, such as progressive muscle relaxation, or uses guided imagery (“put yourself in a bubble,” “imagine yourself as a rag doll”).

Cross has helped several women vets by suggesting the use of simple instrumental music while taking a warm bath. The women’s sleeping, communication skills and self-esteem improved.

“Ninety to 95% of PTSD patients are clueless on how to relax,” Cross says. “They’re afraid of intrusive thoughts and memories.”

When they begin to feel emotions, “thorns” (problem areas) often emerge. When this happens, Cross suggests patients talk to their treatment coordinator or one of their peers. “I tell patients to let the music take you where you want to go,” she says. “I give them permission to stand down.”

Cross steers away from music popular during their deployment—for example, for Vietnam vets, Otis Redding’s “Dock of the Bay” and music from the films Forrest Gump or The Big Chill. “A big step toward recovery is separating from this old music,” she says.

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.magDtl&dtl=3&mid=3832

There is a substantial amount of research that supports the healing power of music. Included in his CD, Self Healing with Sound & Music, Dr. Andrew Weil discusses the latest medical research that demonstrates how music heals the body and mind.

“Today, sound therapy is used to effectively treat a surprising range of health challenges including chronic fatigue, pain, stroke, stress, and much more. We need to become aware of:

• How music you like changes your attitude.
• How sounds interact with bodies natural healing system.
• How it can help unblock bodies ability to heal itself.
• Music’s affect autonomic nervous syste.m
• It is easy, available, safe and enjoyable!!!”